Family Triumphs Over Challenges
Posted on October 27, 2023
Written By: Edrian Banania
Mila Sibayan, 56, a CARD Bank client for 15 years, believes that family support and open communication are the true keys to overcoming challenges and achieving success in life.
Mila Sibayan serves as a beacon of perseverance. At 56, she has faced life’s challenges with firm faith, patience, and determination, supported by her loving family.
Mila is a mother of three boys. Together with her family, they manage a house-renting business and an online food business as their main sources of income. But their path to success was not a walk in the park.
Beforehand, Mila and her husband initially worked tirelessly in various jobs. She took on secretarial duties while her husband, Efren, worked as a technician in a commercial bank. However, their salaries were insufficient to meet their growing family’s needs.
Seeking a better future for their children, they ventured into multiple businesses, including an internet café and a store. Despite their efforts, the demands of running these businesses, their growing financial needs, and their busy schedules eventually led them to seek new ventures.
Mila’s path changed when she worked as an OFW in Saudi Arabia for two years. After returning home, she made a wise decision to focus on their house-renting business and start online food sales. Meanwhile, her husband became a driver for his veterinarian sister.
An important moment arrived when Mila was introduced to CARD Bank, a microfinance-oriented rural bank that offers financial services to socially and economically challenged families. Because of her sister, she became a client of CARD Bank and took out loans to renovate their house rental property, start their food business, and support their family’s needs.
Over 15 years of clientship, Mila emphasized the significant role CARD Bank played in their journey, providing them with financial support, insurance, and the opportunity to save. Her loan has reached up to PHP 60,000, which she solely used for the business and family’s needs.
Through unwavering love, support, and open communication within their family, they overcame every obstacle. All of Mila’s sons are now on their way to their successful paths. Her eldest son is now working in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), one is in Canada with his own family, and the youngest is pursuing a teaching career.
Her advice to other budding entrepreneurs and clients of CARD Bank is to stay positive, manage their loans wisely, and invest in ventures that yield returns. “To other business owners, learn to separate personal to business needs, and practice strong focus on what truly matters,” she said.
Currently, Mila’s businesses continue to thrive. Their house-renting business now caters exclusively to employed individuals, and their food venture, offering bulk food party trays which have satisfied their clients and customers in Makati, BGC, and others. They have even acquired a new house and lot in Laguna.
In the years to come, Mila plans to expand their businesses to cater to more customers and invest more to secure the family’s future.