Turning P10,000 into a dream with a purpose: Small business owner Rhea Inayan champions financial inclusion in her barangay
When Rhea Inayan opened her boutique store in 2008, she sold imported clothes, bags, supplements, and canned goods that would otherwise be unavailable or too expensive for her neighbors to buy. Over time, her customers became loyal supporters who followed her through the ups and downs of her entrepreneurial journey.
However, life took an unexpected turn when a health and family crisis forced Rhea to close her store. The setback left her uncertain and struggling to regain her confidence. Ultimately, she chose to focus on her recovery first, and when her health improved, she found the courage to start over. This time, it was her community that guided her.
Many of her loyal customers shared how difficult it was to access traditional financial services like money remittance. While some traveled far just to pay bills, others missed the transaction cutoff. Customers were also charged up to 10% in additional service fees for money transfers, a painful reality in communities where families depend on every peso from relatives abroad or in distant cities. Moved by this need, Rhea became a partner in the GCash Pera Outlet (GPO) program and helped ease this burden for her community.
Her journey was highlighted in the fifth installment of the #GCashStories campaign, launched in her hometown of Bacolod City. The event brought together local partners and showcased how digital tools can help entrepreneurs like Rhea rebuild their businesses while serving as lifelines for their communities.
Becoming a micro-entrepreneur with a purpose
The partnership between Rhea and GCash, the Philippines’ leading finance superapp and largest cashless ecosystem, has provided a powerful solution for her community. It has also helped Rhea in her journey as a micro entrepreneur.
At the GCash Stories launch event, public and private stakeholders discussed how micro, small, and medium enterprises can take their businesses to the next level through digitalization.
“Before, it was just us, our own start, our own fight,” Rhea shared. “But when I started a GCash Pera Outlet, and I heard about the initiative of GCash and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), that’s when I felt more support.”
The GCash Pera Outlet program offers a practical solution for communities like Rhea’s, where financial services are limited. Through the support of the DTI and the Bacolod LGU, outlets like hers now make it possible to Cash In, Cash Out, and Pay Bills without the need to travel or pay excessive fees. Rhea has since become one of the many proud and successful GPO partners across the Visayas region.
Unified efforts to empower MSMEs
At the GCash Stories launch event in Bacolod, representatives from the government and the country’s leading finance super app talked about the common struggles of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The panel discussions shed light on the lack of access to capital, as well as the roadblocks to adopting digital solutions. Speakers emphasized how partnerships between GCash, DTI, and local governments are helping MSMEs overcome these barriers through training, digital platforms, and community-based solutions like the GPO.
Officials of GCash and local government show their support to small business owner Rhea Inayan and other entrepreneurs in Bacolod City during the GCash Stories launch event
Engr. Lynna Joy B. Cardinal, provincial director of DTI Negros Occidental, said they ensure that even the smallest and farthest barangays have access to Negosyo Centers to assist entrepreneurs, especially in adopting digital platforms.
