MANILA, Philippines -- An advocacy that was started by 15 women from Negros in the early 80s has blossomed to become today an outstanding model of community service that is providing training and inspiration to other organizations in other parts of the country.

What is now known as the Association of Negros Producers was more than two decades ago simply a rescue package of sorts aimed at saving thousands of starving farm workers and their families who were wholly dependent on the sugar industry at a time when the commodity price dropped to uneconomical levels.

Millie Kilayko, one of the pioneer organizers, remembers all too clearly the impetus that plucked them from the comfort of their Manila homes back to the desolate land of their birth. More than the tracts of barren land and silent giant mills were the hunger and poverty that stalked too many of the islanders.

?Sixty percent of the children were in various stages of malnutrition, and 88 percent of Negrenses were living below the poverty line,? recalls Millie. The forerunner of ANP, the House of Negros Foundation, moved with ?one focus, one mission? to bring alternative jobs and new sources of income for the affected families.

The outpouring of corporate and institutional support to help those affected by the sugar industry crisis buoyed House of Negros for the first few years. There were numerous grants made available to support outreach training programs. Hundreds of small businesses mushroomed.

When the House of Negros organized its first trade fair in 1985 in Metro Manila, the event was swamped with people. People emptied the shelves more as a way of showing support and solidarity for the people of Negros.

REALITIES

In the succeeding years, as the initial salvo of corporate and government support waned, the organization was forced to face the real dynamics of a marketplace that demanded quality and professionalism in the products that were being produced.

?I remember in one trade fair where President Corazon Aquino visited,? Millie relates. ?She was holding a stuffed toy that was produced by one of the exhibitors and she commented that the doll lacked stuffing.?

For Millie and other foundation directors, this served as a wake-up call that led them to set certain standards of manufacturing and trade. ?We knew that we had to improve the quality of our products if we would want to stay in business,? she said.

?We introduced membership dues that would pay for the salaries of the foundation employees. Fees charged for participation in succeeding trade shows had to cover the costs,? says Millie.

They shed the foundation image and regrouped as an organization, calling it the Association of Negros Producers. ?We came up with a formation program for members that included training on the basics of exporting, costing & pricing, how to negotiate with buyers, even trends in product design,? says Marivic Rio, another director and past president.

Today, Marivic says ANP does not receive any financial assistance from the government to support its operations and programs. It has even set up its own financial arm capable of lending funds to its members.

PROVIDING A SERVICE

?We would like to think of ourselves now as a business service organization (BSO),? Marivic says. Assistance from the Canadian government, specifically through the Canadian International Development Agency, has helped professionalize how ANP is run.

In fact, CIDA has acknowledged ANP as the leading business service provider in the Philippines today among community-based organizations, highlighting in the process its capability to sustain its extensive operations that includes maintaining a modern two-story showroom in Bacolod City, organizing annual trade fairs, and participating in key international trade shows.

The Department of Trade and Industry regards ANP as the leading trade house in the country, so much so that it was recently contracted the association to provide training to the 20 poorest of the poor provinces in the Philippines, from Ifugao in the north to Basilan in the south.

The ANP?s well-documented history of service to Negros serves as inspiration to many community organizations as well as aspiring entrepreneurs. Nothing could be more gratifying, according to Marivic, than be profusely thanked by a businessman from some remote barrio for having shared valuable insights on how to start and grow a business.

Through the years, ANP has established a certain level of maturity that has been borne of the varied experiences of members. Some, like Reeds and Weeds, are on their way to bigger horizons, thanks largely to an ability to grow with the market for high-end decorative housewares.

The ceramic manufacturers, on the other hand, are fighting an uphill battle to stay alive, now that China has established itself as a strong player in the world market. Marivic, who is currently also into ceramics, points out the need for the sector to quickly find solutions that will address their inability to compete in the export market -- either by retooling their manufacturing process or shifting to other lines.

There are emerging sectors, like organic foods, resin-based lighting fixtures, wafer-thin piayas, and bottled unique local delicacies. This year, ANP welcomed five new producers who had passed the stringent requirements of membership; they will be allowed to represent the island in the coming trade shows and exhibitions.

With the ongoing recession that is bringing so much uncertainty to exporters, staying afloat means helping each other find innovative ways to bring down costs, create new products to sell, and develop fresh markets. Jojie Locsin, another ANP director, stresses the importance of keeping alive the social agenda that bonded Negrense entrepreneurs in the first place.

Advocacy was a major mover in establishing ANP, catapulting it presently to being one of the country?s oldest and most successful trade associations; expect advocacy -- but grounded on the principles of sustainability -- to push it forward and continue to help not just the islanders but also less privileged Filipinos in other parts of the country.

Inquiries on the various ANP programs may be coursed through its Bacolod City secretariat at (034) 4341000 and 4338833, or by e-mail at execdirector@anp-philippines.com.