The provision of micro-finance for women is now regarded not only as an instrument for poverty alleviation but also for women's empowerment. Whilst Filipino women have traditionally not had access to resources, in the latter part of the 1980s, a trend emerged towards increasing women's participation in socio-economic work. This case study therefore intends to find out the impact that micro-finance programs and services have had on the lives of Filipino women, and how it affects women's participation in political life and the quality of political governance by local government units / agencies, if any. The study focuses on the experiences of the Women?s Education, Development, Productivity and Research Organization [WEDPRO], Inc. and the Maligaya Women's Multi-Purpose Transport and Service Cooperative [MWMPTSC] in providing micro-finance services to its beneficiaries and the resulting encounters they have had with local government units in the course of implementing these programs
The findings of the study include:
# individually, women's involvement has increased their self-confidence as a result of their interaction with various individuals and groups connected with the provision of socio-economic services. Their involvement has also given them the opportunity to expand their activities outside their homes, thus increasing their mobility and sphere of participation.
# in terms of its relations with local government units, both organisations have had periodic encounters with them in the course of providing socio-economic services to women
# women's empowerment involves increasing women's political, social, economic and cultural power at the micro and macro levels
# the provision of micro-finance for women pre-supposes or is hinged on the assumption that women are not productive members of society
# the personal does not necessarily cross the boundaries of the political for women beneficiaries of micro-finance programs
# managing externally-obtained resources, no matter how small, often adds to the burden that women carry as well as saps women's energies
# women must actively engage government if they want to become part of the process of decision-making.
