07/08/2023
𝗔 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵 - 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦.
That is the mindset of spouses, Gerry Akut Jr. and Amelita A. Akut. Gerry became a FICCO member first in 1998. They merged their accounts when they got married in 1999.
Amelita, fondly called by her friends as Amie, used to work in the Local Government Unit of Alubijid, Misamis Oriental. But even at that time, she already displayed her business acumen by selling frozen products to her officemates and neighbors.
In 2011, Amie decided to stop working and applied for work in Canada. It did not push through.
Feeling downhearted but motivated, they resumed their small business. They could vividly recall that their first loan availed from FICCO was only P5,000.00 which they used as a start-up capital for selling frozen products. Apart from buying and selling frozen products, they also did the meat processing like tocino, longganisa, etc. After paying-off their first loan way earlier than the timeframe, they availed another loan amounting to P20,000 which they used as an additional capital for their frozen products and ventured on selling meat on a weekly basis.
To expand their business, they opted to avail P100,000 as additional capital for their meat shop El Salvador. Not long after, they also opened another meat shop in Alubijid market. They could sell-out 2-3 slaughtered pigs on a weekend.
Jerry and Amie were able to avail of an increasing loan amount because they religiously pay their loan on a daily basis. Apart from their loan payment, they also constantly increase their savings and share deposit with FICCO.
With good credit record, the Branch Manager then of FICCO Alubijid, Teresita Estoista, encouraged them to avail of a loan if they wish to invest on a real property. Lucky enough there was an offer for them on a residential lot located in El Salvador. They bought the property through a loan from FICCO, which they fully paid in just one year. Now, an 18-door pad named Yuan’s Rainbow Pad is now constructed in their lot. It is now open for long-term lease and for transient as well. They were also able to acquire an additional residential lot adjacent to their 18-door pad, where they built a 2-storey bamboo cottage.
Apart from acquiring residential lot, Amie and her husband bought a van and engaged in transportation business, by ferrying passengers Manticao to Cagayan de Oro City. Their van is also for rent with their partner travel and tours.
Amie and her husband Gerry never regretted in failing to work in Canada, because they earned more than they could imagine. But more than material wealth, however, they feel fulfilled in raising a son, who inherited their penchant for hard work and interest in business.
