Building a life, block by block

By: Edrian Banania

Cabarroguis, Quirino- Partners in life and business, Warlito and Rosen Joy Malamnao from Cabarroguis, Quirino, prove that hard work pays off, and success is sweeter when built together.
A single disaster can wash away years of hard work overnight. That was what Warlito D. Malamnao from Cabarroguis, Quirino, experienced when he lost his property and his family’s livelihood. But standing in the ruins of everything he had built, he refused to give up and chose to start over again.
Today, Warlito isn’t just surviving; he’s molding the foundation of his family’s future.
When two crises collide
Before his business journey, Warlito worked as a technical trainer for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), teaching civil works and tile setting.
Believing he had saved enough capital to start a full-time business, he resigned in 2024 to focus on pig farming. Then, disaster struck twice.
First, a powerful typhoon destroyed his property, tearing down the piggery he had been building and draining his savings. Shortly after, a devastating African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak swept through the region, wiping out his entire livestock and his remaining hard-earned money.
For nearly six months, Warlito and his family struggled to keep their heads above water. Traditional banks turned a cold shoulder, and other lending institutions failed to meet his requests.
“I ran completely out of cash,” Warlito recalls. “That was what forced me to look into joining any lending or microfinance institution.”
A turn for the better
In February 2025, his fresh start began when he became a client of CARD, Inc. (A Microfinance NGO). This allowed him to secure an initial loan of PHP 20,000, which he used to get back on his feet.
With capital in hand, Warlito started again. He looked back at his background in civil works and noticed a growing demand for housing construction in his local area. He made the strategic decision to switch from agriculture to masonry.
“The great thing about hollow blocks compared to pigs is that blocks don’t expire or spoil,” Warlito says with a smile. “If you don’t feed a pig, it shrinks. If it gets sick, it dies. But hollow blocks? They just stay exactly as they are.”
Warlito brought in his nieces and nephews to help start the production. For the first four months, they lived on pure discipline. No one took a salary for labor; instead, they pooled their strength and reinvested every single peso back into growing their inventory.
Rather than sitting back and hoping for walk-in buyers, Warlito took initiative and secured a partnership with local hardware stores, giving his family steady financial ground to stand on.
Trust earned, not given
The hard work paid off faster than expected. By November 2025, less than a year after his first loan, Warlito’s track record spoke for itself. Seeing his drive and consistency, CARD Inc. expanded his loan limit from PHP 20,000 up to PHP 150,000.
This funding allowed him to expand. Step by step, what used to be an empty, storm-ruined lot turned into a fully organized hollow block manufacturing site.
For Warlito, being a CARD client was a breath of fresh air compared to traditional commercial banking. “The beautiful thing about CARD is the weekly payment system. Breaking it down weekly is so much more manageable. It doesn’t overwhelm you like a massive monthly lump sum,” he notes.
Running the business straight from their own land has also brought peace back to the household. “Working from home means I manage my own time and my own stress,” Warlito adds. “Also, I can take care of my family, and we are making a steady profit together.”
Blueprint for the future
After losing everything to a typhoon and a failed livestock venture, Warlito decided to rebuild their life on solid ground by manufacturing concrete hollow blocks.
Now a successful entrepreneur, Warlito uses his journey to guide other CARD clients and small business owners. His golden rule for financial survival? “Never borrow money just to pay off other debts. Always ensure you have a concrete business plan in place before taking out a loan, regardless of its size.”
Warlito believes in sticking to what you know, committing to learning every day, and remembering that success isn’t always about taking wild risks. Sometimes, it comes through grit, persistence, and determination.