Surviving Change

A volcanic eruption is a natural calamity that is hard to predict. The Taal Volcano, which has been inactive for the longest time, caught communities living near it by surprise when it suddenly erupted in 2020. This brought tons of challenges for the residents; it damaged infrastructures and affected the livelihood of many.

Cherry Pasco and her husband make a living out of fishing in Lemery, Batangas. While her husband fished, she was in charge of selling. But this came to a halt when the volcano erupted.  They were not allowed to fish in the area anymore as the volcanic ash would be dangerous to their health. Because of that, they were forced to find another source of income.

While her husband works at a construction site, she started a sari-sari store. She figured that they cannot readily go back to their fishing business soon, so they must find another way to make both ends meet. Despite all their efforts, sometimes their family income is still not enough especially that they still have children who go still go to school.

Fortunately, they found a thrift bank that supports this particular need. Through CARD SME Bank, she has access to education loan with an affordable interest rate. Now, her children can pursue their studies as she knows that CARD SME Bank is a bank she can rely on.

“Becoming a client of CARD SME Bank is a good idea since I can now avail a variety of products and services, including loans, savings, and insurance.” She also avails business loan from CARD SME Bank for her sari-sari store’s capital and for emergency needs. Now, Cherry’s plan is to expand her mini sari-sari store with the help of CARD SME Bank.

Although her family faced a major change, Cherry did not falter and has proven to be a real survivor. She quickly stood up and found a way to recover from an unexpected event. “No calamity will make me give up on life. For as long as I have my family and the support system I need like CARD SME Bank, I know I will survive,” she concluded.