In 2002, after twelve years from closing down her junkshop, and with an initial loan of P5,000 from TSPI, Nanay Narcisa was able to re-open her junk shop business once again.. In addition to their junkshop business the couple is now also engaged in box-making and buy and sell of scrap/used items made of plastic (e.g. plastic bags, broken pails, basins, etc.).

Nanay Narcisa and Tatay Rodolfo in their junkshop.

From collecting scraps and selling them to junkshops in the community, they are now the ones buying scrap materials from smaller junkshops in the community. The couple also supplies recycled boxes to candy manufacturers and and bottles to factories of mineral water in their community. The couple was also allowed and recognized by CSI Mall Pangasinan to collect scrap items from them.

“Ayaw ko dati sumali sa TSPI dahil natatakot ako, kasi ang nasa isip ko lang noon yung utang ng iba, ako ang magbabayad (I did not want to join TSPI before, because I thought I would be shouldering other people’s loans),” Nanay Narcisa shares. To date, Nanay Narcisa is now on her eighteenth loan cycle and ninth year of membership with TSPI. She now appreciates the value of shared group responsibility and enjoys the company of her co-members in TSPI.

“Dahil sa loan ko sa TSPI, nakapagbukas ulit ako ng junkshop (Because of my loan with TSPI, I was able to re-open my junkshop),” Nanay Narcisa says. She is very grateful for the initial loan that she got from TSPI, because it helped her revive her dream of having an enterprise that provides for her family’s needs and the needs of others as well. Although she has not served as a center officer, she ensures her commitment and dedication to the program by consistently attending their center meetings and paying her loan on time.

Nanay Narcisa's experiences as an entrepreneur may have been rough but she persisted.

Nanay Narcisa is an advocate of waste-recycling and, through the family’s enterprise, promotes an environment-friendly community. Their enterprise provides employment and income to the small junkshops within their community.

With all the ups and downs experienced by the couple in their businesses, Nanay Narcisa has remained resilient. She never gave up on her desire to own a thriving business. Her values of persistence and concern for the environment make her a positive role model not just in her community but for all the other micro-entrepreneurs as well.

This article was originally written by Ms. Jhoana Marie Isaac-Meneses, Program Supervisor, Product Development, for the Citi Micro entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2011.