(L-R)Ferdinand dela Cruz, President of Manila Water Foundation; Carla Berina-Kim, Executive Director of Manila Water Foundation; Hon. Maylynn A. Graf, Chairman of Motag Women’s Cooperative; and Gerardo Ablaza, Jr., Chairman of Manila Water Foundation.
Motag Women’s Cooperative, a group in Malay Aklan that is mostly composed of housewives, accepts a P200,000 loan from Manila Water Foundation that will support new economic ventures for the cooperative’s members.
The seed capital given through Manila Water Foundation’s Kabuhayan Para sa Barangay Project is dedicated for the establishment of a grocery wholesale business that will cater to sari-sari stores and other means of livelihood such as backyard poultry and piggery in Baranggay Motag.
According to Ferdinand dela Cruz, President of Manila Water Foundation, through this opportunity housewives of Motag will contribute not just in nurturing their own homes, but in the development of their baranggay. “A wholesaler of grocery items in the area will provide convenience to existing businesses as supplies are sourced all the way from Caticlan which is almost an hour travel from Motag. High transportation cost for the purchase of needed items is also a dilemma for business owners and residents” said dela Cruz.
Manila Water Foundation is the additional corporate social responsibility arm of East Zone concessionaire Manila Water Company for areas outside Metro Manila.