BRIDGES

MMC recently launched its core capacity building program for MFIs called BRIDGES in simple ceremonies held at the Brokenshire Convention Center in Davao City last August 18-20, 2010.

MMC, in partnership with ICCO, has launched this project to support the growth and development of the microfinance sector in Mindanao and to help MFIs reach out to more poor families over the next three years.

Prof. Felix Bustos, formerly with the Asian Institute of Management and Mr. Ian Canlas of SGV Foundation joined the participants in the three day overview of the BRIDGES Program.

BRIDGES stands for Building Resources in Developing Greater Effectiveness of Social Enterprises. It is MMC's contribution as well to the promotion of social performance management, but will be focused more in the actual provision of technical assistance services to MFIs in helping them translate mission into action.

3RD MICROFINANCE BEST PRACTICES FORUM

3rd MICROFINANCE BEST PRACTICES FORUM: Empowering the Leader in Affecting Social Change

Background

Understanding personal leadership helps us take that big step towards discovering who we are and where we want to go. Like any valuable tool, leadership must be thoroughly understood before it can effectively be engaged. Not only is it important to understand how to lead people, but also to know how to make good choices and how to lead projects.

Leaders of microfinance institutions play a big role in affecting social change. However, MFIs have slowly altered their ways from being socially effective to giving more focus on their financial operation. The essence of social responsibility for the MFIs in improving the lives of its employees, clients and the community is sometimes overlooked. Thus, a commitment to personal leadership will empower the leaders to achieve their social goals.

The Mindanao Microfinance Council will actively promote the development of microfinance in Mindanao through advocacy, information sharing and capacity building during its best practices forum. The 3^rd Microfinance Best Practices Forum aims to bring together microfinance practitioners and industry stakeholders from the government and private sectors to discuss relevant issues, special topics of interests, and successful practices in the implementation of microfinance and poverty alleviation programs in the Philippines.

The 3^rd Microfinance Best Practices Forum (MBPF) shall give emphasis to “Empowering the leader in affecting social change.” The two-day forum will bring together 150 microfinance experts and practitioners from the different microfinance institutions in the Philippines to share lessons and insights on effective leadership, people management, strategic market segmentation and going back to MFIs social dimension side. MFI support service providers will also be given a chance to present their products and services to generate new clients and for the MFIs to expand their networks.

Thus, the 3^rd MBPF generally aims to strengthen the MFI industry in Mindanao thru its leaders in being agents of social change.

Objectives

The learning objectives of the 3^rd Microfinance Best Practices Forum are:

1. To empower the microfinance leaders and stakeholders in affecting social change thru personal leadership
2. To highlight the importance of personal leadership in microfinance institutions thru sharing of best practices
3. To emphasize the need to understand how microfinance institutions can purposely affect the lives of microfinance clients
4. To identify and point out the future challenges and opportunities arising from the areas of financing and investment, technology and social development;
5. To understand the current situation of the MFIs in Mindanao and see how they could more effective in achieving institutional goals
6. To identify the channels, tools, and services that MFIs can utilize in achieving their social goals
7. To encourage partnership and cooperation in the Philippines among microfinance service providers, financiers and regulators in order to increase peer learning in microfinance.

THE 3RD MICROFINANCE BEST PRACTICES FORUM

WATERFRONT INSULAR HOTEL - DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES

MARCH 25 - 26, 2010

PHILIPPINE MICROFINANCE BEST PRACTICES FORUM

In September 2008, the Mindanao Microfinance Council organized the 1st Microfinance Best Practices Forum (MBPF) in cooperation with the Visayas Association of Microfinance Institutions and in Partnership with the People's Credit and Finance Corporation and PinoyME.

The MBPF intends to bring together microfinance practitioners from all over the Philippines, and the various stakeholders in microfinance in one venue to discuss issues, topics of common interest, and successful practices in the implementation of microfinance and poverty alleviation programs.

Its objective is to bring people together to share information and resource linkages that will help microfinance managers in developing strategies and improving microfinance practice in the Philippines.

The 1st MBPF was about "Microfinance in Times of Crisis" and was held in Cebu City, Philippines on September 20, 2008. Resource speakers included Dr. Cayetano Paderanga who gave participants a briefing on the economic condition of the country and a background on the US financial crisis; Dr. Ana Maria Tabunda of Pulse Asia shared their findings on the coping behavior of the poor in times of crisis; and Mr. Joey Bermudez, former Chinatrust Bank president who explained to participants how the current financial crisis can affect the Philippine banking sector and how MFIs can prepare for a financial crisis.

The 2nd MBPF was held in Davao City on June 16, 2009. The event was once more co-convened with VAMI in partnership with PCFC and with support from SMART Communications, Nationlink, BDO, Land Bank of the Philippines and Country Bankers Life Insurance Corp.

The topic for the 2nd MBPF was about "Effective Governance and Management Practices". The keynote speaker for the forum was ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation President and former Dean of the Asian Institute of Management, Dr. Eduardo Morato, Jr. who shared with the audience his thoughts on how microfinance institutions can achieve "VSOP Fit" (vision-strategy-organization-people fit) in order to improve the effectiveness of organizations in achieving its objectives.

With the success of the Microfinance Best Practices Forum, MMC shall continue to work with other Philippine microfinance associations and MF service providers and funders to provide microfinance practitioners, in Mindanao and in other parts of the Philippines, the opportunity to learn and share best practices among each other. Through this program, MMC is able to fulfill its purpose of helping the microfinance sector improve the delivery of services to low income families most especially in Southern Philippines. Trully, by working TOGETHER, we can END POVERTY.