Emmanuel Climaco used the short term loan of 40,000 Philippine pesos he received from the microfinance institution First Consolidated Along Tanon Seaboard (FCCT) in order to buy stock for his shop. He sells a variety of electrical items, motor oils, vehicle spares and even stationary. He often asks for loans when acquiring stock, he has in fact received and promptly repaid 22 loans from FCCT during the last five years that he has been a borrower. They are though usually very short term lasting only a few months. He has a savings account with the same institution and although he does use it form time to time, he does not have enough in the account to make larger investments. Undoubtedly, he considers that regular access to loans has helped him to increase the size of his business, despite the fact that the shop adjacent to his in Balumban Public Market now also sells many of the same items. He cannot say that just one loan has made a difference, rather it is the regular access he has had over a number of years that has really helped and the fact that he works hard – he is open from 7 in the morning to 7 in the evening, seven days a week. He has high hopes for his three children, aged 17, 16 and 11, who are all studying - he wants them to obtain professional jobs.