To the Senate, a voice for small business

Media and the political scene were abuzz last week with the news that yet another Aquino — Paolo Benigno IV, popularly known as “Bam” — will be seeking a seat in the Senate where five other Aquinos before him had served, all of them his close relatives.

The first Aquino in the Senate was Benigno Simeon Quiambao Aquino Sr. whose service covered the years 1928-1934.

Aquino Sr. was a general of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, serving under General Emilio Aguinaldo. He was elected as representative of his district in Tarlac from 1919 to 1925 and became senator for six years. After his Senate term, he won again in 1935 as representative of Tarlac. He was speaker of the second Philippine Republic and also served in the cabinet of the late President Manuel L. Quezon under the Commonwealth of the Philippines as secretary of agriculture and commerce.

Aquino Sr. was the grandfather of Bam and father of the iconic Senator Ninoy Aquino whose killing in 1983 triggered a political convulsion that swept away the 21-year rule of the late Ferdinand Marcos in an avalanche of national outrage.

After the Edsa Revolution, Ninoy’s brother Butz Aquino and sister Tessie Aquino-Oreta rode the wave of EDSA fervor and were subsequently elected to the Senate. Butz was senator for two terms, from 1987 to 1995 before getting elected as congressman of the 2nd District of Makati, also for three terms. He was chosen as deputy speaker for Luzon during his third term.

Tessie, on the other hand, served as congresswoman for three terms, representing the Malabon-Navotas district from 1989 to 1998 and served as senator from 1998 to 2004.

The latest Aquino to grace that august chamber is, of course, Noynoy Aquino, son of Ninoy and Cory, who became a three-term congressman representing the 2nd district of Tarlac province (1998, 2001 and 2004) , a senator in 2007, and ascended to the presidency in June 2010.

What is odd about Bam is that he did not follow the usual political route that the other Aquinos trudged on the way to the Senate.

Ninoy himself, Bam’s uncle and elder brother of his father, Paul, started in politics as mayor of Concepcion, Tarlac at the tender age of 22, before becoming vice governor of the province at age 27 and then governor at 29. He was elected to the Senate at age 34 but turned 35 days before his proclamation as senator.

Another rather puzzling thing about Bam Aquino is his seemingly single-minded dedication to the cause of helping improve the sustainability and profitability of the weakest and smallest link in the chain of retail marketing in this country — the sari-sari store. This is in accordance with his advocacy of social entrepreneurship as a way of effecting social change. This is implemented through the Hapinoy Sari-Sari Store program which now counts some 8,000 community stores located in several provinces, each of which act as supplier and services up to 100 smaller stores. Any politician will probably tell you that the matter of sari-sari stores is a most unattractive issue or advocacy that can be latched on to by anybody aspiring for a political office, a national one at that.

Yet sari-sari stores as an advocacy is really very crucial if we are to take into account the larger issue of social equity. What these detractors may not be aware of is that there are an estimated 800,000 sari-sari stores throughout the country. They are found in almost every nook and corner of all the cities and municipalities of the Philippines, especially in the rural and remote areas.

As such, they really comprise the backbone of the retail and distribution segment of marketing. It assumes even greater urgency if we consider the fact that the giant retail establishments are said to be killing these outlets within an estimated radius of at least five kilometers.

Managed and operated mostly by the “nanays,” sometimes with the help of even the employed “tatays” in their free time, they serve as sources of income and livelihood for so many families, even in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized areas in the country. There are countless stories about how these family-operated enterprises have helped send their owners’ children to college. One can only imagine the number of people who depend on these small businesses.

Hardly would one think that Bam would go into the business of helping sari-sari stores. His elitist education would land him prestigious, high-paying enterprises anywhere. He finished his elementary and high school education at the Ateneo de Manila, and finished the BSC in management engineering, at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1999 - summa cum laude.

For some six years now, Bam Aquino has been going around the country preaching the gospel of self-reliance, using these sari-sari stores as instruments of change. His company, Micro Ventures, Inc., of which he is the president, serves as overall project manager and program coordinator which infuses capital and provides continuing professional training to store owners.

A dependable voice that will look after the welfare and fight for the interest of small businesses and micro enterprises. This is what Bam Aquino and his colleagues in Hapinoy aim to provide for them.

Me thinks it will be good to have such a voice among the ranks of our Honorable Gentlemen of the Senate.

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We’ve been told time and again to avoid dealing with fixers lolling around LTO offices as these guys can milk us of our precious earnings.

Unfortunately, a young girl who just arrived from the US, was not aware of the warning, and became victimized by a fixer. Her father, C.R. Galvez, a friend of my husband, wrote about his daughter’s sad experience. Here’s C.R.’s story, dated June 28, 2012:

“This morning, my daughter Carmel Therese Marzo Galvez went to secure her non-professional driver license at the Land Transportation Office, San Fernando, La Union.

“Near the LTO, she was approached by a certain Cris who asked her to fill up the application form and have her California driver license and US passport photocopied.

“She paid P100 or her weight and height measurements as well as P300 for her urine test at two different clinics. She was told that the fees she paid shall be included in the LTO receipt.

“Then Cris told her to pay him P3,500. Carmel gave him P2,000 and went home for the rest. When she returned, she gave the P1,500 to Cris. She paid a total sum of P3,500.

“When Cris and Carmel went to the LTO, the former gave the latter’s duly accomplished application form to a certain Pacis.

 “While Carmel had her photo taken, Cris went to the LTO cashier.

She finally got her Non-Professional Driver’s License bearing No. A04-12-003995, Cris gave her the LTO official receipt bearing No. 203316761 with a breakdown of Application Fee of P100, Conversion Fee of P100, License Fee [NPDL] of P350 and Comp Fee of P67.63. The total amount paid on this receipt is only P617.63.”

Calling LTO Chief Virginia Torres to check on the San Fernando LTO cashier who can identify the fixer named Cris.  Fixers should not be allowed to be within LTO premises.  Expect heads to roll at the San Fernando LTO office. Again, we should spread the word not to use the services of fixers.

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My e-mail: [email protected]