Background Information
Starting with twenty-five (25) founding member-cooperators, Punlad-Buhay Multi-purpose Cooperative (PBMC) was registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) on February 22, 2002 with official registration number N-623-3057. However, as a requirement for all registered cooperatives nationwide to re-register in 2010, PBMC was re-registered with CDA on August 04, 2010 under Registration No. 9520-16015939.
This cooperative is an offshoot of the National Coalition for Urban Transformation’s (NCUT) Task Force on Poverty Alleviation chaired by Rev. Arthur E. Medina. Punlad is actually a coined Filipino words, “Punla” (sown or the act of sowing seed), and “Unlad” (progress) and Buhay means life. Hence, Punlad-Buhay means “Sowing Seed of Progress in Life.
The exciting and learning process of registration enabled PBMC to function as the economic development arm of NCUT — a coalition of Evangelical Protestant and Renewed Catholic urban transformation practitioners. Since the common bond for PBMC membership is the individual’s alignment to the original NCUT vision, that is, “Cities Transformed By God Into Christ-Centered Communities Of Faith, Hope And Love: Upholding Peace, Justice, Stewardship And Integrity Of Creation” the different ethical and denominational background of individual members had never surfaced as an issue. PBMC seeks to unify, build and empower the Body of Christ and to advance the cause of Christ’s Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) in partnership with local churches and faith-based organizations primarily in urban centers.
Vision/Mission
The primary purpose of our cooperative is to serve as a Resource Center for Christian churches that will holistically equip and empower church leaders/workers and professionals in the marketplace in Metro Manila and other key cities of the country to become effective catalysts for strategic, sustainable and transformational ministries towards making Filipino society a transformed nation under the Lordship of Christ.
Since its inception, PBMC has consistently built the capacity of its members through leadership development training, active promotion, and implementation of its services, such as Savings and Loans and economic development programs, and forging partnership with local churches and para-church organizations to achieve its goals. Its current membership has grown significantly to over 1,500 individuals coming from the different urban centers in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.
Hence PBMC has taken official membership with the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) in July 2019, and with Lausanne Philippines Partnership (LPP) in January 2020, which has emboldened us to dream bigger and maximize our capacity to partner and support their member bodies in fulfilling God’s destiny for our nation and beyond.
Programs and Projects
PBMC involves its members in actively participating and patronizing our prime services, such as Savings and Loans, with the community-based Bayanihan Banking Programs; Entrepreneurial and Transformational Training; and marketing and distribution of members’ innovative and highly marketable products.
- Savings and Loans. We have established Bayanihan Banking Centers in Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, Antipolo City, Quezon City, Cebu City, Davao City, Caloocan City, and Pasay City that helped uplift the socio-economic and spiritual life of the members.
We have provided loans for the start-up and expansion of existing businesses for our micro-entrepreneurs. PBMC was able to finance the installation of a mother-meter water supply project Manila Water Company to supply water to 80 households in Sitio Maagay, Barangay Inarawan, Antipolo City through the initiative of Ptr Jane Yunzal. As of 2020, the mother-meter water supply business of the association starting in 2006, has generated enough profits that enabled them to pay for the individual land-titles of the members. We also provided the rehabilitation loan fund to an organic vegetable farm owner in Tagaytay City after it was devastated by super typhoon in 2007-2008, the repayment rate was 100% in one year.
We have provided Overseas Filipino Workers bound for Hong Kong with financial assistance for placement fees and leave behind budgets for their families. In partnership with Arrow Employment Services, PBMC was able to financially assist 15 OFWs who are now currently working in HK as Domestic Helpers. (PBMC is currently applying to be a Borrower-Conduit partner of the Development Bank of the Philippines).
We spearheaded UBE Mindoro, an organic farming rehabilitation joint-project with Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines for the typhoon-victims of Oriental Mindoro CBAP local churches involving a project budget of P350,000 revolving loan-fund that resulted in 100 percent repayment rate after one year.
- Entrepreneurial and Transformational Training
PBMC has partnered with local churches in setting up SMARTER Youth Centers in strategic areas in their community like the Barangay Hall or in a place fronting the biggest public or private high school/college. This youth development center runs the SMARTER Program that consists of seven life skills of students in order to excel in their academic and leadership performances. It envisions “to raise up a generation of STAR (Smarter, Transformational, Active and Righteous) leaders for our country” (Dan 1-2; Eccl 12:1, Prov 22:6). We have assisted 5 local churches to set up such youth centers to reach out to the youth and out-of-school youth in Metro Manila. One of our best models is located at the Christ of All Ages Church at K-9th, Kamias, Quezon City.
For pastors, church leaders, and workers, we offer the 4-day course called the “Building Blocks of a Sustainable and Transformational Ministry.” It is a paradigm-shifting seminar-workshop that at the end of the course the participants would have been able to:
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their organizational elements;
- Re-engineer the overall structures of their organization in order to build its capacity to accomplish more strategic Kingdom-building projects;
- Create streams of resources to support every strategic project;
- Build the right organizational mix to enhance synergy for high team performance.
More than two hundred pastors and church leaders have completed this course and most of them have joined PBMC as members.
We also provide capacity-building consultancy and training for human resources and organizational development. PBMC has done intensive capacity building training programs for Vedruna Foundation, Inc. of Carmelite Sisters, for their livelihood project in Tala, Caloocan City. We also provided capacity building consultancy service to Capitol City Baptist Church for their strategic planning and community transformation ministry in the depressed areas of Barangay Bungad, Quezon City.
- Marketing Hub
We also provide marketing and distribution services for our members’ innovative and highly marketable products.
We have also launched the “Punlad-Buhay Negosyo Outreach Package” which is inspired by the metaphors used by Jesus:
Ilaw Ng Buhay (Jn 8:12) – Solar Power System
Tubig Ng Buhay (Jn 4:10) – Water Refilling Station
Tinapay Ng Buhay (Jn 6:35) – Nutritious “Brandesal”
Gamot ng Buhay – Quantum C, etc.
PBMC members from a local church or barangay can form a cooperative partnership to own and operate this PBNOP with an equity share and loan package from PBMC to be able to start the business. All the business standard equipment set up and operating procedures will be supplied by PBMC to the PBNOP operators. The details of this PBNOP will be discussed to the interested applicants during the Free Orientation Seminar at PBMC Training Center at the 4th Floor Back to the Bible Bldg., 135 West Avenue, Quezon City every Saturday at 2-4pm.
Recently, we have established a satellite office in Dasmarinas, Cavite, operated by Atty. Ronald Renta with his team operations managers, Reynora Jarquio and Federico Julian. We want to replicate and multiply this in all municipalities and cities in our country and beyond. Thus we have launched our online platform called ICANSAVEAPP.
The Visionary, Missionary, Goal-Oriented and Dynamic Leadership of PBMC
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
REV. ARTHUR MEDINA CHAIRPERSON
BISHOP PAT ALFRED HERMOSILLA VICE-CHAIRPERSON
DAVID LIM. DIRECTOR
REV. MARCELO RAMIREZ DIRECTOR
ATTY. RONALD RENTA DIRECTOR
BOARD SECRETARY
MARIDEL PARAISO
TREASURER
JIREH KARISE DE LEON
AUDIT COMMITTEE
MARLENE MEDINA CHAIRPERSON
GLORIA CABOBOS VICE-CHAIRPERSON
MARYJANE RELLOSA SECRETARY
ELECTION COMMITTEE
ROBERTO BUSTAMANTE CHAIRPERSON
DENNIS SORIANO SECRETARY
RHODA G. CRUZ MEMBER
EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMITTEE
NENITA PADEREZ CHAIRPERSON
PATRICIA ONGOGAN VICE-CHAIRPERSON
CREDIT AND COLLECTION COMMITTEE
REYNORA JARQUIO CHAIRPERSON
GERIBERTO PEÑA VICE CHAIRPERSON
EMELITA MARTINITO SECRETARY
MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION COMMITTEE
MARY JANE YUNZAL CHAIRPERSON
NICHOLAS FLORES SECRETARY
MEMBERSHIP AND SCREENING COMMITTEE – (FOR MERGING WITH EDUCATION COMMITTEE)
NICASIO PADEREZ CHAIRPERSON
RODANTE PASION VICE-CHAIRPERSON
LUCENA NOLASCO SECRETARY
ETHICS COMMITTEE
ROMMEL ANDRADE CHAIRPERSON
AILEEN YUNZAL VICE-CHAIRPERSON
GEMMA MARASIGAN SECRETARY
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
RODOLFO PEREDA CHAIRPERSON
EDUARDO LORESCO VICE-CHAIRPERSON
ERMILINA ACABEL SECRETARY
MANAGEMENT
FAUSTINO SAMONTE, JR OPERATION OFFICER
LEGAL DEPARTMENT
ATTY. DR. JAMES DENNIS GUMPAL CHIEF-LEGAL COUNSEL
For more information: visit our website: www.icansaveapp.com or call us at Tel 83728045.
PBMC – “Ka-Partner Mo Sa Pag-asenso”
MEMBER: Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC)
Lausanne Philippines Partnership (LPP)
