CARD MBA elects new BOT; transforms members to leaders

Posted on November 29, 2021

Empowering its members to lead, CARD Mutual Benefit Association (CARD MBA) elected a new set of Board of Trustees (BOT) during the 22nd Annual General Membership Meeting on November 4, 2021.

CARD MBA, the microinsurance arm of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), is 100% owned and managed by CARD MRI clients who are also members of the Association. With this, CARD MBA installs 12 BOT from its members and three independent trustees to complete the Association’s line-up of BOT.

Inducted through proxy votes via online conference meeting, the six new board members include Rowena R. Bayuga and Filda R. Tolen from Ilocos Norte, Mylin M. Chozas from Cabuyao, Laguna, Marjorie I. Quisoy from Albay, Jenelyn A. Sanchez from Occidental Mindoro, and Beverly A. Sinadjan from Masbate. The all-women ensemble is composed of CARD MBA Coordinators, member-borrowers of CARD MRI, who are originally tasked to voluntarily coordinate with their unit and provincial offices in terms of claims validation and reports.

According to CARD MBA Chief Executive Officer Jocelyn D. Dequito, the new BOT will assist in governing the Association to address the needs of their fellow members. “Our MBA Coordinators are the direct link between the clients of CARD MRI’s financial institutions and CARD MBA itself. They are the best people to communicate with when it comes to the concerns of their co-members on the ground, and we need to work with them hand-in-hand to better serve our communities through our microinsurance services,” Dequito said.

Meanwhile, the two new independent trustees include Francis M. Puzon from Taytay, Rizal and Rolando A. Robles from Las Piñas City. Puzon and Robles both have decades of experience when it comes to risk management and compliance as well as life insurances and asset management respectively.

From simple mothers to leaders

“Aside from being the recipients of our microfinance and microinsurance services, we believe that our client-members also have the power to bring about change in their community when given the right resources,” said CARD MRI Managing Director Aristeo A. Dequito. “This is what urges us to seek their help to better our services and to lead their co-members out of poverty.”

Anchored to its goal of empowering women, CARD MRI acknowledges the capacity of its women members to gain control of their assets and take part in managing an association such as CARD MBA. As a result, CARD MRI transforms simple mothers into members, and later on, to leaders of the community.

“Since 1986, it has always been CARD MRI’s mission to provide the landless poor with a venue for asset ownership through our microfinance services. We equip them with the appropriate resources that they may utilize in order to carve their own path and be catalysts of change. At CARD MRI, we do not only lead people out of poverty; we also train them to influence other people to do the same,” concluded CARD MRI Founder and Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip.

CARD MRI is a group of social development institutions with a mission to eradicate poverty by providing financial assistance, microinsurance, and other community development services in health and education. As of September 2021, CARD MRI has served 7,890,261 clients and has insured 26,999,910 individuals nationwide.