Extending Empathy

Pasaway. Matigas ang Ulo. Labas nang labas.

These words have been widely used nowadays to describe our current predicament in this time of pandemic. With cases rising and the general public getting more distressed, officials feel that the burden can be traced to society’s inability to follow simple rules and regulations.

“I don’t think so.”, says Ms. Maria Regina ‘Shayn’ Pacifico, Head of Operations for ASA Philippines.

“Hindi lahat at lalo ng hindi ang karamihan. Marunong naman tayong sumunod pag kinakailangan. Tulad namin sa ASA, we suspended our operations in full for two months ever since the community quarantine started. Nag skeleton force kami to continue servicing our clients and to help them. We have always respected lockdowns and quarantine measures. We implemented safety protocols like proper handwashing, physical distancing, wearing face mask and face shields  to all 1,683 branches nationwide with more than 10,000 staff.”, added Ms. Shayn.

(Not everyone and definitely not the general public. We know how to follow rules when necessary. We (ASA Philippines) suspended our operationsin full for two months ever since the community quarantine started. We worked on skeleton force to continue servicing our clients and to help them. We have always respected lockdowns and quarantine measures. We implemented safety protocols like proper handwashing, physical distancing, wearing face mask and face shields  to all 1,683 branches nationwide with more than 10,000 staff.)

ASA Philippines is a non-profit, non-stock corporation specializing in microfinance. The first branch that the foundation started with was in Camarin, Caloocan in August 2004, and as of today the foundation has already expanded its operations nationwide. The foundation caters to more than 1.8 million clients who are called by ASA as Micro Entrepreneurs.[1] ASA Philippines is also member of RestartME.

“We take pride of clients na tuloy ang buhay pero very responsible pa rin. Hindi lang sa amin pero sa community na rin nila. They make sure na careful sila as requested by the medical community lalo pa ngayon na ang dami-dami ng cases. Parang si Nanay Sittie and Nanay Richie.”, continued Ms. Shayn.

(We take pride of clients who continue with their lives but are still very responsible. Not only to us but also to the community they belong to. They are very careful as requested by the medical community most especially now that there are a lot of cases. Nanay Sittie and Nanay Richie are examples.)

Let’s take a look at their stories of survival.

Nanay Richie the Fish Vendor

Richie Labian Moncatar is a fish vendor from Maybato, San Jose, Antique. She is a mother of 5 and her husband works as a fisherman in their village.

“Mahirap talaga. Dati 5 times a week kami nakakapag benta ng isda sa mga palengke. Nakaka-ikot pa kami sa iba’t-ibang puwesto. Pero ngayon dahil sa lockdown swerte na kung maka benta kami ng dalawang beses sa isang linggo.”, says Nanay Richie.

(It’s hard. Before, we can sell 5 times a week in different wet markets. We were also able to go around different areas to sell. But now, because of the lockdown, we are lucky if we are able to sell twice in a week.)

Ritchie Moncatar is a fish vendor from Marawi City. Amidst the pandemic, she welcomes each selling day as a chance to fight for her and her family’s survival.

But this didn’t stop her to continue hoping and doing for her family. She said that she welcomes every selling day as a chance to earn and fight for their survival.

“Pero safety ng pamilya ko ang dapat mauna. Lagi kaming naka face mask, face shield at dapat may social distancing sa palengke. Tapos pag-uwi namin ng bahay, nagpapalit kami agad ng damit. May alcohol / sanitizer din kami na ginawa kasi mas mura yun. Zonrox tapos twenty na basong tubig. Yun ang ginagagamit naming pang spray sa mga upuan at gamit. Narinig ko yan sa radyo.”, she mentioned.

(My family’s safety should always come first. We wear face masks, face shields and follow social distancing when we are in the market. We change our clothes before entering our house. We also made our own alcohol / sanitizer because it’s cheaper and more available. It’s bleach plus twenty cups of water. We use that spray our furniture and other things. I heard that on the radio.)

Nanay Richie also makes sure that her responsibilities with ASA are paid on time. This is to ensure the lending group that she has the capacity to borrow money again when needed. It’s important for her to make sure that her obligations are properly met, both for her family and her community because this is how they will survive this pandemic.

Nanay Sittie and Her Recipe for Survival.

Sittie Oday is a stay-home mom who opened a little barbeque stall in their community at Raja Saduk, Marawi City. She takes pride in her chicken barbeque which has been a hit to her customers. However, she needed to change and adapt because of quarantine rules.

“Kailangan ko magbukas ng mas maaga. Dati kasi 3pm hanggang gabi kami nagbebenta. Eh ngayon dapat mas maaga na kasi may curfew ng 8pm. So nag-offer ako ng ibang pagkain sa umaga : pancakes, maja blanca and pansit bihon. Yun din yung nilalako ng mga anak ko pero dito lang sa malapit. Ayoko silang masyadong lumalayo.”, shared Nanay Sittie.

(I needed to operate earlier. Before, we would operate from 3pm onwards but right now, we need to open earlier because there’s a curfew at 8pm. What I did was offer other food in the morning : pancakes, maja blanca (rice delicacy) and pansit bihon. These are also what my children would sell to nearby houses. I don’t want them to go too far.)

Sittie Oday opened a barbeque stall in her hometown in Marawi City. She believes that food quality is non-negotiable to make your business survive in this pandemic

She is thankful that her business wasn’t greatly affected by the lockdown. People still flocked her little stall because of the quality of her food. However, she needed to make changes to make sure that health is of top priority.

“Inayos ko yung tindahan ko. Nilagyan ko ng mga plastic lalo na para sa mga gustong mag-dine in. Hindi puwedeng walang face mask at face shield at dapat may social distancing. Hindi kasi biro yung pag-taas ng Covid. Dapat magtulungan tayo na pababain yung numero. Sumusunod kami sa lockdown. Pag sinabing 6am to 4am ang curfew, aayusin naming yung benta namin sa mga oras na yun.”, added Nanay Sittie.

(I fixed my store. I put a plastic barrier for those who want to dine-in. No face mask and face shield, no entry. We are also strict with social distancing. The rising Covid cases is no joke. We should help each other beat the numbers. We fixed our operating schedule according to the mandated curfew which was 6am to 4pm)

Nanay Richie has been a member of ASA Philippines since 2016. She is very thankful that she gets the help to run her little business that makes her family survive this pandemic. She believes that quality is non-negotiable regardless of what’s happening because this is something you owe to your customers. Quality is also the main ingredient you need to make your business survive.

The Essentials in Operations

Ms. Shayn Pacifico said that they had to adopt some changes and innovate their operations. They are currently doing a survey with the help of their collectors to find out how they can initiate cashless transactions. They also want to make sure that there won’t be an additional cost because this will add burden to their clients.  

Admittedly, however, this pandemic took a toll in their distribution and remittance.

“Sa loan distribution, inuuna namin yung mga essentials tulad ng mga sari-sari store, food stalls katulad noong kay Nanay Richie at Nanay Sittie, yung mga small pharamacies etc. Syempre gusto namin paliitin yung risk ng infection by not allowing other businesses muna to operate kasi mas dadami yung human contact. Naiintindihan namin ang hinaing ng medical community kaya gusto naming unahin yung mga recovery businesses.”, said Shayn.

(With loan distribution, we can only give to those whose businesses are considered essentials – the sari-sari stores, food stalls like Nanay Richie and Nanay Sittie, the small pharamacies etc. We want to help minimize the risk of infection by not allowing other businesses for now because it will entail more human contact. We understand what the medical community wants. We want to prioritize recovery businesses.)

They also adapted a Pay-and-Go system in their branches. Customers must drop off their payment as quickly as they can to lessen the time for face to face interaction. The basic health essentials are followed: face masks, face shields, sanitizing and social distancing.

Ms Shayn also required all their staff members to own (and know how to ride) a motorcycle. They were given IATF quarantine passes early on. This solved their transportation issues and they were able to service their clients ASAP.

ASA Philippines is also happy with their collection targets (75%) during the pandemic. This went down to 72-73% during the lockdown which is still not a bad figure according to Ms Shayn.

Empathy at the Heart of Operations

With businesses both large and small finding ways to cope in these trying times, one thing remains common, the ability to connect with the human emotions.

“Kahit ano naman ang negosyo mo, tao pa rin ang kausap mo. Lahat tayo affected kaya dapat, more than anything, may empathy ka.”, shared Ms. Shayn.

(Whatever your business is, at the end of the day, you are still communicating to a person. Yes we are all affected that’s why you need to have empathy.)

ASA Philippines assists their clients by providing cash assistance and COVID etiquette training programs.

Ms. Shayn also shared that they have Covid counselling / etiquette training for their staff which in turn gets communicated to their clients. This includes strength of emotions, having a positive outlook, calmness and, of course, empathy.

“Andito na tayo at minsan wala ka ng maasahan talaga. Kaya important yung you don’t add to the burden of another person. Hindi tayo pasaway at matigas ang ulo. I think kung kaya nating intindihin at alamin yung nararamdaman ng ibang tao, mapa staff mo pa yan or client, then nakakadagdag tayo sa solusyon ng problema.”, ended Ms. Shayn.

(We are already here and more often than not we can’t rely on them. That’s why what’s important is you don’t add to the burden of another person. We are not hard-headed. I think when you are able to understand and share the feelings of another person, may be your staff or your client, then you are part of the solution to this problem.)

[1] Taken from the ASA Philippines website. http://asaphil.org/about/who-we-are/