John V. Owens, Chief of Party

John Owens is the Chief of Party for the Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS) Program in the Philippines, where he has focused on planning and implementing the overall MABS Program activities, along with the rest of the MABS Team since 2001.

A lawyer with more than 21 years of experience in microfinance and microenterprise development, Mr. Owens has worked in Jamaica, the Eastern Caribbean, Bolivia, Peru, and the Philippines. His areas of expertise include planning, designing, and implementation of microfinance services (credit and savings mobilization) on the policy side and directly with banks, credit unions, and specialized microfinance institutions. He has developed several courses in microfinance best practices, product design, administration and management of microfinance units, and savings mobilization. He was also instrumental in conceptualizing and developing the mobile phone banking services for rural banks in the Philippines. He has managed several USAID projects and has written and lectured on various aspects of microfinance, rural finance, deposit mobilization, and mobile phone banking services. His numerous articles include Savings Mobilization: Formalizing ROSCAs in Jamaica, MicroSavings: What We Can Learn from Informal Savings Schemes, MABS: A Sustainable Approach to Rural Microfinance, Catching the Technology Wave: Mobile Phone Banking and Text-a-Payment in the Philippines, Experiences of Philippines’ Rural Banks in Microfinance, as well as contributions to several other blogs, publications, and books on microfinance and rural finance.

In Bolivia, he focused on the transformation of microfinance NGOs into regulated financial institutions and supervised technical assistance provided to the Bolivian Superintendent of Banks in order to improve the regulatory environment for microfinance institutions. For USAID/Jamaica, he managed the Microenterprise Development Project that provided support to various microfinance institutions and microenterprise business development organizations. Mr. Owens was also a small business volunteer with the US Peace Corps in Jamaica where he was awarded the Peace Corps Volunteer of the Year award in 1990.

Mr. Owens earned his law degree with the University of Notre Dame Law School. He also has a B.A. accounting & philosophy degree from the Gustavus Adolphus College.

Meliza H. Agabin, Deputy Chief of Party

Ms. Agabin is a rural banking and microfinance specialist. With more than 28 years experience in agricultural, rural and microfinance, she is one of the pioneers of microfinance in the Philippines. Her extensive experience in management, research, surveys, and training has taken her to consulting assignments in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Yemen, and Egypt. For MABS, she plays a prominent role in setting microfinance policy and standards, working with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and other government entities to promote policy initiatives conducive to the growth of the microfinance sector. She has co-authored two books: The Rice Economy of the Philippines (1974), and the Small Farmer Credit Dilemma (1985), as well as numerous other studies and papers on rural banking and microfinance that include a major piece on rural banking experience through the years, entitled "An Alternative Approach to Rural Financial Intermediation" (1996).

Anthony P. Petalcorin, Senior MIS Manager/Regional Manager for Mindanao

Mr. Petalcorin completed graduate studies in Computer Science – Computer for Developmental Projects at the University of Bonn in Germany in 1993. His paper focused on “The Use of Microcomputers for Rural Finance in the Third World Countries”. Before joining the MABS Program, Mr. Petalcorin managed the computerization requirements and management information systems for various corporations for over 30 years. His area of expertise includes, systems development, project management, systems audit and quality control. For MABS, Mr. Petalcorin played a vital role in assisting in the development of RB2000, a rural banking software, and also providing technical assistance in the institutional strengthening, training, and monitoring and evaluation functions. Mr. Petalcorin’s recently acquired expertise in mobile phone banking has taken him to several overseas consulting jobs, among these conducting feasibility studies for USAID in several African countries.

Mr. Petalcorin has Bachelor in Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Commerce – Accounting and a Masters degree in Computers.

Raymundo C. Roxas, Regional Manager for Luzon

Mr. Roxas joined the MABS Program in January 2004 as training coordinator. As training coordinator, his work responsibilities included the planning, designing and implementation of basic microfinance courses for account officers, supervisors and managers. He was also responsible for overseeing the MABS microfinance promoting initiatives such as the MABS Technical Resource Specialists (MABSTeRS) as well as MABS Learning Centers. Barely a year in the program, Mr. Roxas was promoted as MABS Regional Manager for Luzon. While holding that post, he led activities and initiatives that supported the microfinance operations of participating banks in the Luzon region. Through the monitoring and analysis of the bank’s microfinance operations, he provided on-site and off-site training and technical advisory services. From time to time, he also assisted participating banks in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

Mr. Roxas is also well regarded as a trainer for account officers, microfinance supervisors, branch managers and senior management officers of MABS participating banks. On the creative side, he is adept at events planning and coordination, having co-managed the MABS national and regional roundtable conferences as well as the annual MABS EAGLE Awards ceremonies.

Prior to joining the MABS Program, Mr. Roxas was a member of the management team of the First Isabela Cooperative Bank (FICOBank), one of the largest and most successful cooperative rural banks in the Philippines. It was with FICOBank that he honed his expertise in microfinance, serving as microfinance program head for six (6) years and gaining knowledge in both individual and group lending approaches to microfinance.

Mr. Roxas has a degree in Psychology, cum laude, from the Lyceum of the Philippines, Manila.

Emelita B. Rocero, Agricultural Microfinance Specialist

Ms. Rocero has been with MABS for more than eight years, starting as Technical Support Manager of the Program’s Davao office for two years, where she worked closely with MABS participating banks in Mindanao on microfinance performance reports monitoring and evaluation.

In 2004, Ms. Rocero provided support in developing and pilot testing the MABS Approach to Micro Agri Lending with five banks before her appointment as the point person for Micro Agri-loan Product (MAP) development and implementation with participating rural banks. Ms. Rocero conducts and facilitates training for micro-agri lending. She also serves as resource person and and co-facilitator of training courses on AO Microfinance Basics, Middle Management Training Course and Hardcore Delinquency Management.

Ms. Rocero had over four years of banking experience as Credit Analyst for a development bank before joining MABS. She has a Bachelors Degree in Accountancy and has completed her MBA academics at the University of Southeastern Philippines.

In early 2008, Ms. Rocero also worked as short-term microfinance consultant for one of the bigger rural banks in the Visayas.


Nixon P. Mahilum, Mobile Phone Banking Specialist

Mr. Mahilum has more than 16 years of professional Information Technology (IT) experience in the Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia. He has extensive experience in documentation and formulation of IT policies and procedures, software development and integration, systems processes, information security, and business contingency and continuity plans. With MABS, he developed manuals and procedures on the mobile phone banking services for rural banks, and coordinates closely with the partner telecommunications companies in pushing forward the use of electronic money amongst rural banks. Mr. Mahilum has been a key participant in the including preparation of training course materials for mobile phone banking applications.

Ruth B. Aseron, Microinsurance Coordinator

Ms. Aseron is a development professional with over 7 years experience as a project consultant for various microfinance institutions, more so cooperatives and NGO-MFIs. She began her involvement in microinsurance through her engagement as the Project Manager for a Canadian International Development Agency-supported program for the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), which aimed promote coop-based health management solutions including health microinsurance. The program ultimately spun-off to a joint-venture enterprise which Ms. Aseron helped start-up as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). As its head, Ms. Aseron was pivotal to the design and implementation of training programs, development solutions and marketing initiatives focused on positively impacting the lives of lower-income households serviced by the institutional clients of the enterprise.

Trained in entrepreneurship and marketing by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), development studies by the University of the Philippines and ADR-Mediation by the Conflict Resolution Group Foundation, Inc., Ms. Aseron applies solutions-driven, interest-based and win-win strategies in her effort to effectively facilitate partnerships particularly among MABS partner-rural banks and commercial insurance providers under the MABS-initiated project, Microinsurance for Microenterprise Clients of Rural Banks. As Project Coordinator, she orchestrates MABS activities relevant to the enhancement of access to microinsurance products and services for lower-income clients of rural banks. Ms. Aseron is in-charge of executing project activities which include market research, product customization, promotion, quality monitoring, and policy advocacy, all of which are anchored on the partner-agent model advocated by MABS.

Eulogio Martin O. Masilungan, Research and Program Monitoring Coordinator

As Research and Monitoring Coordinator, Mr. Masilungan formulates and manages the research and performance monitoring components of MABS-4.

Mr. Masilungan joined MABS in 2007 as a short-term consultant for the Program’s mobile phone banking rollout. Before joining MABS, he has worked for a number of international and regional development organizations: the International Rice Research Institute, the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), and the Canadian International Development Agency. He has been involved in research projects throughout Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Laos PDR, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines). His experience in research and development work is backed by microfinance-related research assignments for the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor – World Bank, Citibank, N.A., the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, and AIM.

Mr. Masilungan holds a Masters degree in Development Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, both from the University of the Philippines at Los Banos.

Cheryl Lualhati B. Balingit, Special Projects Coordinator

As Special Projects Coordinator, Ms. Balingit tracks the implementation and results of special projects and initiatives. She also administers the Program’s distance learning courses, oversees the communications activities, and assists in research and documentation. Prior to assuming the Special Projects Coordinator post, Ms. Balingit was the Program’s Communications Specialist, where she wrote the scripts and directed over 40 videos
on various aspects of the MABS Program. She also helped in setting up the MABS website and the mobile phone banking services website.

Ms. Balingit worked as a photogrammetric/geodetic engineer after receiving her BS Geodetic Engineering degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman. She also completed her Masters in Technology Management at the UP Diliman’s Technology Management Center in 2007.

Anatoly DC. Gusto, Microfinance Specialist

Mr. Gusto currently provides support in the product development and pilot testing of the MABS Approach to housing microfinance with four partner banks. He works closely with selected MABS participating banks in Luzon on microfinance performance reports monitoring/evaluation and provides technical assistance in the conduct of various MABS’ training courses. Mr. Gusto also spearheads MABS efforts in promoting financial transparency among participating banks, in collaboration with the Microfinance Information eXchange (MIX) Market and Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI).

Mr. Gusto, who has more than eight years of policy analysis and research experience in banking and capital market development and regulation, used to lead the Research and Financial Analysis Unit of MABS.

He graduated with a degree in B.S. Economics, cum laude, from the University of the Philippines in Diliman and is currently completing his M.S. in Computational Finance at Graduate School of Business-De La Salle Professional Schools, Inc.

Mark Ambrose T. Guillermo, Microfinance & Banking Specialist for Mindanao

Mr. Guillermo has more than six years of solid banking experience. While with the United Coconut Planters Rural Bank, his focus was on loans and investments until his transfer as Marketing Assistant for the Davao Office of the United Coconut Planters Bank Trust Banking Department. He then joined government service as Supervising Economic Development Specialist for the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), where he was assigned as the focal person to the MABS Program (2001-2008). He was likewise the Executive Assistant for Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, MEDCo Chairman from 2001-2004. He was also one of the researchers/consultants who worked on the Housing Microfinance Study for the Philippines, a study funded by MAXIS Philippines.

For MABS, Mr. Guillermo will provide support and training to the Program’s participating banks in Mindanao.

Daisyree C. Miranda, Communications Specialist

Ms. Miranda is a seasoned copy and creative writer and a multidisciplinary artist. She writes in English and Filipino and has extensive experience in almost all forms of writing and other related tasks like research, interviewing, conceptualization, staging, and production. Besides writing, she is also into visual arts and does sketching, graphic and web design, photography, and film appreciation and review. Likewise, she is an active member and the Membership Committee head of Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), which is a national organization of poets writing in Filipino.

Ms. Miranda is a journalism graduate from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She is the Communications Specialist for MABS, working in support of the Special Projects Coordinator in all marketing and media-related projects and activities.