TSKI hosts 28th APPEND Leadership Conference at Iloilo Gateway Hotel

“The Battle is not yours, but God’s…”

This passage taken from 2nd Chronicles 20:15 served as the theme of the 28th APPEND Leadership Conference hosted by Taytay Sang Kauswagan, Inc. (TSKI) at Iloilo Gateway Hotel last March 4-6, 2019.

With more than 1,000 delegates from all over the country, the three-day congregation took a glimpse back into the history of APPEND, its humble beginnings, and how far it has gone about three decades later.

The APPEND Network was founded by Christian businessmen from the Philippines. On February 1991, the APPEND organization was registered with the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as non-stock, non-profit organization with a registry number of 186944. APPEND is accredited by the Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC) as a credible donee institution.

APPEND believes in empowering the poor not only through human hands but also by the power of God. It provides a hand-up not a dole-out way of assisting the poor, and it seeks to inculcate the values of responsibility towards other people and the environment.

“Opportunity is essential for poor people to succeed, to have a better life, and rise above poverty. We believe that helping people to create respectable and sustainable work provides dignity and the chance to fulfill their potential, and transform their lives and the future of their children and their communities.” 

To date, APPEND was able to assist more than 6 million families with microfinance in the country, provided more than Php 125M worth of livelihood for indigenous peoples, helped over 27 thousand scholars nationwide, and provided more than Php 758M worth of medical missions, health and sanitation, and burial assistance to name a few. 

The organization was also able to pass R.A. 10693, known as the Microfinance NGO Act, an act strengthening the non-government organizations with microfinance operations for the poor. Append was also able to co author R.A. 10645, the ‘the mandatory PhilHealth coverage for all senior citizens’; R.A. 10644, ‘the Go Negosyo Act for SME’; R.A. 10643, ‘the Graphic Health Warning Law’; R.A. 10754, ‘the Persons with Disabilities Vat Exemption Act’; and R.A. 10679, ‘the Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy act for the Youth’. However, with all this, APPEND aspires to do more.

Microfinance is a category of financial services targeted at individuals and small businesses who lack access to conventional banking. It includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to clients; savings and checking accounts; microinsurance; and payment systems. Microfinance services are designed to be affordable to clients to help them become self sufficient. In simple terms, call it ‘pautang’ but it is ‘pautang for an entrepreneurial cause’.

Microfinancing provides opportunity to the poor and marginalized sector who lack access to conventional banking – this opportunity can help the benefactor pull themselves and their family out of poverty. Aside from that, microfinancing helps create new employment opportunities – which has a beneficial impact on the local economy. 

APPEND became the pioneer group of microfinance NGOs in the Philippines. In 2012, APPEND was accredited by the Commission on Elections as APPEND Party-list representing the micro-enterprise and microfinance sector in the Philippines.

And this 2019 midterm elections, it is again gunning for a few seats in Congress. Once elected, the party list will be representing the micro-enterprise and microfinance sector.