We arrived at Roxas around 6:30 P.M. on Sunday, August 8th. Our stomachs were aching, our legs were sore from their lack of use and the most pertinent things on our minds were soft feather pillows and a comfortable mattress ready to receive us with open arms.

I was relieved to learn that Sunday would truly be the "Day of Rest." After an early morning church service, I sauntered around Roxas and spent some downtime with my cousin from the U.S. as well as my younger cousin who lived in Roxas. Being able to sit down and read a book or watch some classic cartoons were nice breaks from the hustle and bustle of travel. Sunday was capped with a restive feast at my younger cousin's house, which included some lively recollections of family stories and discussions about my older cousin's and my own plans for the future.

However, Monday morning marked the beginning of my hectic study stay in the Philippines. I traveled to Mallig, Isabela, which is the home of Mallig Plains Rural Bank. Mallig Plains consisted of 16 branches located throughout Isabela and while micro-finance was only a segment of the services they offered, it has become one of the biggest sectors of the bank. A family relative worked as the Human Resources Department head manager and was able to give me an in-depth look at the operations of the bank as well as observe first-hand the processes that are involved in micro-finance.

The main product of micro-finance offered by Mallig Plains was known as micro-pinay, or a group lending product. Interestingly, all the customers of micro-pinay are women. The micro-pinay program was specifically modeled by the methods practiced by Grameen Bank, the bank where micro-finance originated. I was able to observe some of the procedures of micro-pinay, which included compulsory group training and center group meetings. Compulsory group trainings were basically meticulous lessons held by bank employees to educate groups of loaners about the nature of their loan, what are the terms of the loan as well as the background of the bank as a whole. This was particularly interest to observe because it demonstrated the bank's willingness to making the micro-finance process as simple as possible for its customers. However, it can be duly noted that these trainings are held out of necessity because the bank wants to make sure that its clients can adhere to the rules and regulations of micro-pinay. Center group meetings were meetings held by the leader of a group in which each member of the group had to pay their weekly repayment amount that was outlined in their loan. I traveled to another branch in Cauayan City to observe these activities and what really struck me was that these events were not just a procedure but also a time for community-bonding. During the center group meeting, the women of the group were able to discuss about the recent ongoings in their lives and they even shared some fresh buku (or coconut) with me as a welcome treat.

Some of the other micro-finance activities I was able to participate in were barangay (or a local section of a town) mapping to survey the homes of potential clients and means test form which is an interview with potential clients to ask about their socioeconomic background. These two activities were done together with students from Mallig Plains College. You might be asking, "Why are you with college students?" but it so happens that the president of the bank, Dr. Leocadio Ignacio, is also the founder of the College. I was lucky enough to interview this remarkable man and at age 91, his passion to help the poor and needy was evident through his devotion to micro-finance and to the College. Therefore, after a busy three days at Mallig Plains, it was fitting to drive by a quote stated by Dr. Ignacio that was painted on a sign on the College's campus: "The best use for an education is to share it with the poor and needy."