PSHF

Francis  (51) runs a home-based small air conditioner and refrigerator repair service. He usually gets two or three orders a week for repairing and cleaning air conditioners, with the fee varying according to the item being repaired. His wife, Mary Mae (40), works in a government hospital as a contractual employee, receiving a basic salary of 277 pesos ($7) daily. Their total income is small, but they have enough to meet their daily needs and to send their three children to a Christian school. Their eldest child, Mesiah Marie (16), just graduated from high school last month, and Moises Franz (14) finished Grade 7. May Kyla (9) will be in third grade when classes start in June.

Francis started his career with a two-year vocational course in air conditioning and refrigeration. He found work in this field, and eventually became one of the maintenance staff at the Magnolia Ice Cream Company in Bacolod City. Here he met Mary Mae, who was a clerk for the company, and on the 16th of December, 1995 they were married. When Magnolia was bought by Nestle, Mary Mae lost her job and decided to stay at home to raise their children. Soon after, Francis also lost his job with Nestle, and Mary Mae had to find work again. She became a receiving clerk for Robinson's, one of the shopping-mall operators in the Philippines, and was assigned to Iloilo city on Panay Island. Francis also found a job there, repairing refrigerators and air conditioners.

After three years in Iloilo, the family came back to Bacolod and Francis started a small business repairing refrigerators and air conditioners from home. He bought his equipment from his savings in Iloilo. Over the course of time, his children’s education needs rose and regrettably, he had to sell his equipment off little by little to meet their schooling expenses. He is now seeking loan assistance from the PSHF to enable him to buy equipment again.

Francis is the only air conditioner and refrigerator service provider in his area, and summer is his busy season. At present, he manually cleans the machines with a hand brush, which is slow and tiring. This part of his work could be done in a few minutes with a water pressurizer, and with this concern, he came to the PSHF for assistance. He attended our orientation last month and applied for a loan of 7,500 pesos of which 6,000 pesos will be used to buy a water pressurizer and the remaining 1,500 pesos will be for the purpose of buying gauges, acetylene, and a six-foot-long water hose. With a water pressurizer, his work will be of a higher quality so he will be able to double his cleaning fee; he will also be able to take on more jobs. Francis is very grateful for our assistance.

Lanie M. De Leon

PSHF Negros Occidental

April 2013

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