Innovative Savings Program Blends Old Style Savings with Corporate Social Responsibility

USWAG is a small company in a small town in Southern Philippines. It stands for United Spiritual Workers in Christ Action for Growth in Mindanao, Incorporated. It is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a profit stock corporation. The word "uswag" itself, in Visayan means "to prosper." The organization is engaged with savings and loan for its members. Its officers and members come mostly from the "Jesus is Lord" churches of Northern Mindanao.

Pastor Reu Montecillo, the leader, is himself a visionary who organized Uswag sometime in 2003. It is an offshoot of the people's desire to uplift themselves from the ashes of war, conflict and poverty. Coming from Kauswagan himself, which means, "a prosperous" town in the province of Lanao del Norte, Pastor Reu relates the somewhat rough and eerie beginnings of Uswag. But first, it is important to note that in just four years, the business organization has already attained millionaire status.

"We did not receive any cash assistance from grant funding agencies because we might not be able to see the real fruits of our labors. A grant might hide the sustainability of the program," said Pastor Reu. By and large, Uswag was a purely people's power undertaking-a classic bayanihan (cooperative) kind of spirit infused into a specific project.

USWAG Mindanao will celebrate its fifth founding anniversary on November 2007 in the commercially dynamic sitio of Maranding in the town of Lala. It began its savings and loan project in Maranding and has since prospered, so it has based its headquarters in this place. Last year, during their anniversary celebration, Pastor Reu related how Uswag was founded.