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Anita Wasquin didn’t need any diploma to prove what she’s good at — being a businesswoman. Growing up in a less fortunate family, Anita made a promise to herself that even though she wasn’t able to finish elementary, she will strive hard to give a comfortable life for her family.

Anita’s father was a farmer while her mother was a plain housewife and they lived in a small house in the City of Naga, Cebu. Anita lost interest in going to school given that they didn’t have enough money to support her and her siblings’ education, but deep down she knew what she really wanted to do in life. 

In 1972, Anita got married at the age of 19. Innate in her was the heart of a businesswoman, she pursued her passion in business and started selling ready-to-wear clothing products in their neighboring barangays while her husband works in an oil company as a contractor.

With her husband’s salary of Php 14.00, Anita knew that she had to help her husband in providing for their family. Anita’s keen hand on saving money is also one of the many reasons why their business flourished; whenever she receives money from her husband’s salary, she would always keep at least 10% of it as savings to assist them whenever there is an emergency.

When Anita was able to save enough money, her sister came up to her and encouraged her to venture into another business — natural rocks selling. They would go to Danawan, Naga where there was a mining area which allowed them to buy solid natural rocks and sell it to the big companies. Anita then realized that a rock selling business would be a great investment.  Around that same time, her husband lost his job because the company he worked for closed down and he received a separation fee of Php 72,000.00. 

Anita used the money to renovate their house and also invested more in the rock selling business. To be able to expand her business in 2000, Anita joined RAFI Micro-finance, Inc. (RMF) and was able to borrow Php 5,000, which she used to buy the equipment for cutting natural rocks according to designs for buildings and houses. She was also able to provide employment to 14 individuals in the community as rock cutters and partnered with big companies that sell natural stones.  At present, she supplies rocks in the regions of Visayas and Luzon.

One of the greatest challenges that Anita and her family experienced was when one of their buyers gave them a bouncing check worth of Php 70,000. They were not able to regain the lost money, which caused her to miss out on her weekly obligation in RMF until she used up all her savings to pay for her loan balance.

Eventually, with Anita’s wisdom in business and her strong will, she got back up and was even able to build another business of hollow blocks making and general merchandising which she already gave to her two children. Her only daughter is a school teacher and is now learning the ropes of running the stone slicing business.

Anita has many plans for her children. She wants to give them what she didn’t have when she was young. Today, Anita is 67 years old and is living a comfortable life without the fear of her children’s future even without her. 

She is also a role model in her community since she often leads and guides the youth during their once a week Purok clean-up drive, and she sponsors many barangay activities. She also serves as the adviser in their women’s group. Her kindness to the people in their barangay is clearly felt through her giving away of excess materials of natural rocks to her neighbors so that they might be able to sell it as well.

Anita may not have a diploma but she proved that the greatest weapon in life is one’s attitude towards every situation one is facing. It was indeed a rough ride for Anita and her family but all the challenges she faced enabled her to build a very strong foundation not just in their family but also in their community.

RAFI Micro-finance, Inc. (RMF) celebrates its 20 years of elevating the lives of Micro-entrepreneurs. RMF is a program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) that provides the vulnerable and disadvantaged with comprehensive financial services that enable them to have a stable and rewarding means of livelihood to elevate their quality of life.