In photo: PBCWE team welcomes Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. as its newest member company.
Pasig City, Philippines – The Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) welcomed Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. as its 59th member company at a Welcome Event on September 24. Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. is part of the Asialink Group of Companies, which is already a PBCWE member. It offers loans to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Filipino seafarers to help them support their families, livelihoods, and financial goals.
Ma. Aurora “Boots” D. Geotina-Garcia, PhilWEN Founding Chairperson and President, and PBCWE Governing Council Chairperson, opened the program by welcoming Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. She said the company’s work shows its commitment to inclusive finance. It serves OFWs, seafarers, and Filipino families who often find it hard to get loans from traditional lenders.
She linked this to the Asialink Group’s efforts to close the funding gap for women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises. “Whether the client is a seafarer supporting a family from far away or a woman starting a business, the commitment is the same: opportunity should meet people where they are,” she said.
Geotina-Garcia added that she hopes to one day welcome all Asialink Group subsidiaries and affiliate companies as PBCWE members.
In a video message, Maya Juwita, Workplace Gender Equality Director of Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government, also welcomed Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. She said financial institutions play a key role in women’s economic participation. Giving women-led businesses better access to capital, she added, helps close gender gaps.
Jennifer Love “Jelo” Reyes-Reyes, Business Development Associate Director, walked Cepat Kredit’s senior executives and core team leads through the benefits of PBCWE membership.
Reuben James “RJ” Barrete, Acting Executive Director, then explained members’ responsibilities and opportunities. These include the coalition’s Gender Equality Assessment, Results and Strategies (GEARS) diagnostic tool, capacity-building modules, and platforms for sharing best practices. PBCWE and Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. then formally signed their partnership agreement, a milestone for the Asialink Group.
In photo: PBCWE Governing Council Chairperson, Ma. Aurora “Boots” D. Geotina-Garcia, and Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. President and CEO, Jeno Zarate, formally signing the partnership agreement.
Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. is the first Asialink Group affiliate to join PBCWE, reinforcing the Asialink Group’s commitment to gender equality and inclusion across its businesses.
“Inclusion has always been at the heart of how we serve our clients, from OFWs to seafarers and their families. Through this partnership, we aim to build a workplace and a business where everyone has equal opportunity to grow and succeed,” said Jeno Zarate, President and CEO of Cepat Kredit.
By helping more people get loans, Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. supports the wider goal of economic empowerment, including fair access to money and opportunities for women. Cepat Kredit Financing, Inc. has also made diversity and inclusion a priority in its sustainability roadmap. This gives the company a strong foundation for its partnership with PBCWE as it works to advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, in its business and in its own workplace.
