Emilio and Giovannie Support Equal Opportunities In Iriga

Emilio Ampongan, 48, supports his mother Eluminada (82), his sister and her son with a junk business. He lives in San Isidro, close to Iriga, in the South of the Filipino province of Camarines Sur. Emilio gives half of the income he earns with the repair of old umbrellas and the reselling of junk materials to his family. The family helps him to collect junk, and has also helped him to build a house close to his mother's place made of bamboo and palm leaves.

Emilio started a junk workshop in 1993 on his own initiative. He collects metal and bottles and resells them to bigger junk collectors. For a bottle, Emilio receives 10 centavos (less than 1 cent). To find the materials, Emilio goes out early in the mornings at 6.30 until 11/11.30 a.m. He knows the best places, where to find things worth to be reused or repaired. If Emilio has to pay for the materials, he knows how to bargain to reach a better price. In the afternoons, the skilled man uses the material to repair umbrellas. People bring their broken umbrellas to Emilio, who repairs 5-10 a week, depending on the demand, for 10 to 15 pesos (15 to 30 Euro cent, or 20 to 40 US cent) each.

In 1987, Emilio lost his lower leg due to an infection. Since then, Emilio moves with crotches or by using a tribike. He says: "Disability is not a hindrance to being productive." At least not to Emilio, who encourages other persons with disabilities in his community to start a junk business themselves, and thus to make use of their right to work, on an equal basis with others.

Emilio gathered the funds to establish his own workshop from relatives and a Disabled People’s Organisation, which lent 3000 pesos (45 Euro, 60 US dollars) to him. CBM’s partner organisation Simon of Cyrene, situated in Daraga, has established effective partnerships with loan associations like the "Socio-Economic Development Programme", which has facilitated the engagement of people with disabilities like Emilio in micro-credit activities and livelihood projects.

Read the full report in the Disability in Development – Experiences in Inclusive Practices brochure, which was produced jointly by Handicap International and CBM.

Every month, Emilio pays 5% interest for the instalment; and he discusses business problems with other persons with disabilities, who have also started a micro-lending enterprise. They share experiences made with their start-ups.

Emilio hopes, that his business will progress and that he can help his family and encourage other members of the community to do junk collecting. Emilio’s business has developed so well that he can give a job to sub-collectors. Emilio himself sells the junk to larger sellers, who again resell the scrap materials amounting to huge truck loads of 3 tons to collectors from the capital Manila.

The community of San Isidro welcomes Emilio's activities. This is not surprising, as Emilio collects junk from the streets. They feel that he is productive and mingling with the community rather than staying at home. Before Emilio started this business, he had taken care of pigs.