Vol. XXII, No. 105
Friday, December 19, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Opinion
Vector
By Sonny Coloma
Last week, we featured the launching of a new book,Business As An Integral Mission, by the Center for Community Transformation (CCT). The economic aspect of the business model of CCT includes programs in microfinance, commodities distribution, business development, and entrepreneurship training.
The social services and social security aspects include the provision of education, housing, health care, and life insurance services for client-beneficiaries that now total about 130,000 families. These families are composed of micro-entrepreneurs, street dwellers, urban poor, children and youth.
There is also a socio-cultural and political restructuring component that includes leadership development, social infrastructure building, community mobilization, local churches, and the Kilusang Kabayaning Pilipino (KKP).
Yet, as CCT President Ruth Callanta points out, CCT has three distinctions. First, it is a Christian organization. "We do everything for the glory of God, according to Biblical principles. Second, it is a prayerful, worshiping, serving, witnessing and disciplining organization."
While those engaged in secular development believe that the poor themselves hold the key to the alleviation of their status and their movement toward self-reliance, CCT believes that "we, as followers of Jesus, are given a clear mandate: the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations." Hence, evangelism and discipleship permeate CCP’s programs and activities. Third, CCT was organized and is funded, governed and managed by Filipino entrepreneurs and business managers.
The programs of evangelism and discipleship strengthen the faith that is the bedrock of CCT’s transformational development framework. Through faith, CCT client-beneficiaries attain a new perspective and world view: that they are children of God whose mission is to return to the Kingdom and that this credo underpins their values, priorities, and decision-making processes.
As they are guided by CCT’s servant-leaders, their lives are changed. Their families become stronger; they attain higher levels of quality of life. Transformed families engender transformed communities.
Leading CCT are trustees who walk the talk of Christian evangelism and discipleship. They are servant-leaders of businesses that embody and radiate their faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to seek and achieve the greater glory of God.
In the prologue to the new book, editor Eugenio Caccam, Jr. summarizes their business philosophy in terms of the following key components:
First: "Business is a way of glorifying God." This, to them, is "the strategic, eternal purpose of an enterprise."
Second: "Work is a way to spread the word of God." Benjamin Liuson, president of Pacific Insular Co., Inc., that started franchising The Generics Pharmacy to provide affordable medicines, believes that business persons "can use their products, influence, benefits and even friends to spread the word of God and enrich people spiritually."
Third: "The task of spreading God’s work is best done through modeling." Lamberto Sy, Jr., operations manager of Construction Equipment Corp., "creates a company atmosphere that encourages prayerfulness" and where "justice is demonstrated by fair employee salaries and benefit packages."
Fourth: "Work is striving for excellence." James Tioco, vice president of Philcox (Phils.) Co., Inc., believes that this principle is best expressed in the four Ps of Christian leadership: passion toward those in one’s sphere of influence, and especially in serving the poor; provision of generosity; perseverance in serving as spiritual disciples.
Fifth: "A Christian enterprise" must have transparency and accountability." CCT trustees believe this is essential in stakeholder relationships.
Sixth: "Pursuit of profit must not be an end in itself but a tool to help the needy."
Edmon Ngo, president of Cosmetics Revelation Manufacturing Corp., and Nicodemus Ang, president of Midas Project Realty, Inc., believe that far from just making money, a higher priority of business is to assist the poor, the oppressed, the widowed, and the orphaned.
Seventh: "Concern for the poor is an obligation."
These guiding precepts have underpinned CCT’s growth in reach and depth since its inception in 1992 when its client-beneficiaries numbered only 2,000 micro-entrepreneurs. Today’s more than 130,000 families cum community partners may be found in 19 provinces, 47 municipalities, and 35 cities that are served by its 150 branches.
As of January 2008, loans disbursed have reached almost two billion pesos with a repayment rate of 99%. Total savings mobilized was at 170 million pesos. Outstanding loan portfolio was 430 million pesos with almost 200,000 borrowers.
From CCT’s evangelical perspective, these are the more telling numbers: 5,713 Bible study groups; 67,985 persons evangelized; 45,221 persons who received Christ as Lord and Savior; 41,015 community partners with Bible during meetings; and 2,654 Muslim partners.
Being a faith-based organization, where is CCT headed?
Ms. Callanta says that CCT’s journey to transformation is "a work in progress" that goes "where the Spirit leads." In its early years, CCT saw as its mission "to service the needs of individuals and groups involved in transformation and to influence like movements in Asia." The next phase focused on direct grassroots work, such as urban renewal and microfinance. At the onset of the new millennium (2001-2006), the possibilities of microfinance for evangelization were pursued aggressively.
Last week’s book launching underlines CCT’s movement toward manifesting business as an integral mission. "Breaking new ground, pushing new frontiers" impels CCT to reaffirm two principles. First, "as a church, we must look at our work as primarily transformational." Second, we must reexamine how we view the poor, and how we tailor our programs as we refashion our attitudes and outlooks to favor them," Ms. Callanta emphasizes.
Action thrusts that have emerged from CCT’s discernment and reflection processes are: more focused and target-specific programs, separate delivery systems for each target group, priority on achieving economic benefits, participatory institutions for development work, long-term and sustainable programs, and programmed phase-out to develop self-reliance. CCT views its work as a wholistic and integrated ministry: "spiritual projects must be seen in the light of the temporal, the temporal in the light of the spiritual."
Comments may be sent to sonny_coloma@yahoo.com
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