22/08/2026
From Financial Literacy to Better Livelihoods: Pililla Farmers and Fisherfolk Rise UP 🌾🐟
We returned to Pililla, Rizal to assess and evaluate farmers and fisherfolk who graduated from the RiceUp Agribusiness and Financial Literacy Program, accessed agricultural financing through ACPC and SNR Bank, and successfully repaid their loans.
Since 2023, the Municipal Government of Pililla has localized this initiative under its banner program, “Masinsinang Pag-agapay sa Kita,” a financial literacy program for farmers and fisherfolk. The first RiceUp training was conducted in 2025.
Today, Pililla is one of the municipalities with the highest repayment rates among the LGUs where the loan program has been introduced.
But behind the numbers are stories of real progress.
🍍 Leo Medrano, a pineapple farmer, used his financing to expand his livelihood:
“Nung mag-loan kami sa SNR Bank, nagkaroon kami ng puhunan para mapalawak ang aming taniman. Ngayon, nakapagtanim ako ng 20,000 pirasong pinya. Doon ko po ginamit ang loan—panglinis, pagpapatanim, at pagbili ng fertilizer. Ngayon, sa pag-renew namin, target naman namin ay 30,000 pieces.”
From 20,000 pineapples to a target of 30,000.
🐟 For fisherfolk Marlyn Florendo, the opportunity meant finally having their own fishing boat.
“Ako po talaga ay walang bangka noon. Noong ako’y inimbitahan na mag-aral dito sa RiceUp training at nakapag-graduate na kami, Hindi ko po in-expect na may programa pala para sa agricultural loans. Ngayon, sa perang nahiram ko, nakabili kami ng bangka ng mister ko—kasi wala talaga kaming bangka noon. Nakabili rin kami ng mga pamanti at tricycle na ginagamit naming service kapag nagtitinda.”
And her message to fellow borrowers is simple but powerful:
“Bigyan po natin ng halaga at pahalagahan natin ang ipinahiram nila para makabayad po tayo.”
A bigger pineapple farm. A family’s first fishing boat. Fishing equipment. A tricycle to bring products to market. And loans successfully repaid.
This is what financial inclusion should look like: not simply giving access to credit, but equipping people with the knowledge to turn capital into productive and sustainable livelihoods.
We are grateful to SNR Bank leadership, President Elaias Timbol, Elaine Timbol, Elizabeth Carlos Timbol, Pililla Mayor John Masinsin, Vice Mayor Dan Masinsin, Ms. Ayls Lopez, Dr. Jerome Olitin, and the leaders of the farmers’ and fisherfolk associations for their continued partnership and commitment.
Pililla shows us that when financial literacy comes first, access to capital can become a powerful pathway toward better livelihoods, responsible borrowing, and self-reliance.
This is the kind of locally driven model we hope to strengthen and replicate in more farming and fishing communities across the Philippines.
Together, we Rise UP from poverty. 🌾🐟💚
SNR Bank/ Rural Bank of San Narciso, Inc. Sakahon
