Michelle Pabalan - External Communications and Local Partnerships Officer at Hapinoy

 ”Don’t settle for anything less,” Michelle “Pabsy” Pabalan lives by this principle and applies it in everything she does. The result is a well-rounded individual who excels in most, if not all, of her endeavors.

For the 20-something communications practitioner and musician, life is not merely about earning a living but living it for others. This makes Pabsy an ideal fit at social enterprise, Hapinoy.

As external communications and local partnerships officer, Pabsy is in charge of liaising with the organization’s different stakeholders including NGOs, LGUs and their clientele, the Hapinoy “Nanays”, amongst a myriad other duties.

In this Greater Good Philippines interview, Pabsy gives an update about Hapinoy, where it has gone since the interview with Mark Ruiz and TJ Agulto (December 2008), and where it is heading. She also talks about managing her time—a near-impossible feat for someone who divides her time between work, hobby and helping others.

Listen to or read the interview transcript for more.


Greater Good PH: We’re here at the Hapihouse at Varsity Hills here in Quezon City and I am here with Michelle Pabalan or Pabsy as 100 percent of people that we know call her. She is the communications manager of Hapinoy and Microventures Foundation. What do you do currently?

Michelle Pabalan: I do a lot of things but for my full-time job I am the external communications and local partnerships officer for Hapinoy. An FYI for people who are not aware, Hapinoy is social business enterprise here in the Philippines. It is network of sari-sari stores, a community of women sari-sari store owners. Our direct business partners are our “Hapinoy Nanays” whose stores become a central hub for goods and services in their local communities. Our nanays are also empowered to become community leaders, facilitators of our trainings and even spokespersons of Hapinoy. When we get invited to talks, we sometimes or most often than not bring along our nanays. A lot of press have covered stories of our nanays. We also work with different groups to further our cause. Groups like micro-financing institutions, LGUs, NGOs, cooperatives, private companies and even church groups and other socio-civic groups.

That’s where I come in. Part of my job is to talk to these groups and manage our relationships with them. In other words nanliligaw din ako ng mga groups to partner with us. At the same time it is very important that we maintain our current partnerships. I also handle our PR efforts and our volunteers. So for those of you who want to volunteer, you can contact me. And of course I also handle our online platforms for communication

On the side, besides Hapinoy I am also a mission volunteer for Gawad Kalinga and a member of Singles For Christ and I also play for a rock band. So wala naman masyado.

Greater Good PH: How is a typical day at work to you like?

Michelle Pabalan: I can show you my calendar with different colors just to describe how it is for me every day. But the activities actually vary every day. For instance, like last week, for Microventures we hada yoga session because, yung three day yoga session na yun we needed to understand breathing exercises that we can teach our nanays as part of their training. When I talk about, “You know may yoga class kami sa Hapinoy” the other day, people were like , “Ano yun?” It’s a very creative take that I appreciate with this group. We are very fluid but we also have our systems and processes that also work for us and I think that’s very important for an organization. We also have our team meetings. Our team meetings are every Monday. That’s the most important meeting because that’s where we have our agenda laid out and our deliverables for the week. But I have a favorite part in my typical day at work and that’s lunch time not only because of the food but it is also the time where in… we eat together kasi here. We are like a family here in Hapinoy.

Greater Good PH: What time is lunch time?

Michelle Pabalan: It can vary from 12.30 to 1pm. People here are very busy but that’s why I appreciate our lunch time. That’s like our lunch dates. That’s when we kwentos and chismis and run our jokes before really getting into anothe serious session after lunch.

Greater Good PH: And is this open to the public?

Michelle Pabalan: Of course, yes. It is open to the public. Come join us. And of course bring your share. Again, it’s very fluid but… which is also the thing I like about Hapinoy. It lets you do the things that you want to do without being “in your face” kung baga. The management is very good to us and I think the systems and processes that they have made for us really works.

Greater Good PH: How is it working for a company like Hapinoy? Do you consider it a 9 to 5 job?

Michelle Pabalan: We have flexible time here. Besides that we just have our own workign calendars. Every month naman inaayos yan. We plot our calendars and sync them together so that we know which departments are here in the office, which managers are on field. Things like that. But we’re very flexible.

Greater Good PH: You do the syncing on a monthly basis?

Michelle Pabalan: Actually we plotted our calendar for 2012 already. So, yehey! It was a lot of work. But we of course check that every week to if it’s still alive, or if it’s still the same task but pretty much we know where we all are.

Greater Good PH: You have mentioned earlier that you have been a mission volunteer for Gawad Kalinga, and it says on your resume, “since 2007″. How did that come about?

Michelle Pabalan: GK was a social development arm before of Couples For Christ and I was already a member of Singles For Christ then it was just that… wala pa ako nun. I didn’t have a concept of… I was not socially aware, if that’s the correct term. I was invited to this mission trip in Marinduque. We spent a week there and it literally opened my eyes to a lot of things and made me I realized that this is something that I want to do. A lot of realizations there like here are so many opportunities to help the poor, it’s just no one is really aware of how they can help. I went back home and shared the experience with my peers. That’s where it all began I think. I just really needed to be immersed in an environment I was not comfortable with. During the GK mission we camped. It was my first time to sleep for one week in a tent and I was so afraid of the dark and of frogs and the field. It was very uncomfortable but at the same time, it was a very fulfilling experience. I didn’t know how to cook. I didn’t know anything about house chores but there you where put in a situation where you needed to survive. At the same time, dun ko na realize na mahirap ng walang bahay and that’s when it all sunk in… that a lot of people don’t have houses and not only the houses physically but also it’s connected to their dignity in life. That’s where I wanted to begin my new passion, which is to be a mission volunteer for GK.

Greater Good PH: What was your focus on before you became a mission volunteer? What were the things that you had been doing at that time?

Michelle Pabalan: At that time I was executive producer for GMA New Media and it was fun. But I was focused on just making money I guess. Work, and then ipon and buy the stuff you want. Nothing really outside myself. Of course, I wanted to provide for my family also… help them out but nothing outside of that circle. Nothing like that at all.

Greater Good PH: What to you is the importance of volunteering and volunteerism, of being socially aware? What do you get out of it?

Michelle Pabalan: I think it’s not far off from loving your family. If you love your family, your loved ones, you would always want the best for them, right? And in wanting the best for these people that you love and care for, you would want a better country. Because if they lived in a place where there is peace and abundance, eventually it will affect their living as well. Ako I think if there’s peace in Mindanao, there’s peace in Metro Manila. So it’s all connected for me anyway, on a personal level. It doesn’t need to be big. You think about the people you love and that’s when you think of loving your country. Volunteerism is actually… a bigger purpose for your life. You’re not just working for yourself now. You have a greater mission.

Greater Good PH: If there was one socially issue that you can help solve with what you can do, what would that be?

Michelle Pabalan: Probably, because I am in a social enterprise, it is creating opportunities for the poor. The poor are capable and they just need opportunities to access…for them to get out of poverty. I believe that when opportunities are created for them or opened up to them, they will be able to empower themselves. I love talking to people as well and sharing the knowledge that I have… kulang lang talaga tayo sa opportunities here in the Philippines that the poor can access and with those, I can make a difference in that way.

Greater Good PH: Do you personally know of any success stories born out of the Hapinoy mission?

Michelle Pabalan: Oh yes… a lot.

Greater Good PH: Maybe you can tell one story that you think na na-touch ka talaga.

Michelle Pabalan: I have one. One of my first field visits. During the Ondoy storm we went on the field to visit our nanays in Laguna because they were part of the calamity area. When we went to this community store of Hapinoy, her store was really flooded even her home because usually the stores are in their houses, right? So even yung bahay niya talagang flooded. But I would have expected to see a nanay who was defeated, umiiyak, nagmamakaawa. But I saw someone who was empowered and even said na ayaw nga daw nila umasa sa relief goods because the relief goods that come to their town make people there lazy…nanggaling sa kanila yun. I was so touched by that. In fact, pagkadating nga namin, nagbebenta pa siya. She was the only open store there. And nagdedeliver pa sila ng asawa niya. It was just an empowering image that… isipin mo bahang-baha na yung lugar nila but they are still there working. I think that’s also a result of the change in mindset and character that the Hapinoy program contributes to the communities. Hindi ka biktima ng sitwasyon, we have that saying here. You have the ability to change your life if you choose to.

Greater Good PH: Let’s talk about your band, your music, your hobbies. Youre band’s name is Project Fusion. What type of music do you play?

Michelle Pabalan: It’s pop-rock. I play the flute there and I also sing the songs. We have been together for quite some time. It started really as a hobby. We are from La Salle. We were together in the DLSU Pops Orchestra. That’s where we all met. We started to play our original songs three years ago. It was just fun. You don’t want to let go of that musicality in you. I also love to compose songs. It’s a form of expression for me.

Greater Good PH: How many band members are there?

Michelle Pabalan: We’re five. For now, because we’re so busy with our full time jobs, we were not able to take off really but we’ve recorded our independent album. Hopefully, it will be out this year, or in the next few months. You can buy that online. It’s really just playing the music and enjoying it.

Greater Good PH: Na-mention mo na ‘to kanina but for the sake of those who don’t know, will you explain what type of company Microventures is?

Michelle Pabalan: The Hapinoy program is handled by two groups now, Microventures Incorporated and Microventures Foundation. Microventures Inc. handles the development of the business for business opportunities, products and services. So they handle that part. Now for Microventures Foundation, we handle the training and capacity building of our nanays. The trainings that we give our not only business-related but also personality development of our mothers–change in mindset, change in point of view in life, not just handling the stores because connected yan eh. If you have a very good and strong, empowered personality you will handle your business very well. It goes hand in hand. We work with a lot of groups so if you are, number one, part of our areas, we could easliy partner with you as long as we have a provincial supervisor in the area.

Greater Good PH: What areas are these?

Michelle Pabalan: Of course I have a list. Our current areas are Bulacan, Batangas, Bontoc Peninsula, Quezon, Laguna, Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Rizal and Albay. We’ll be expanding through our partners. If you’re, for instance, an LGU and you want Hapinoy to be in your community, we could have a conversation. You can either sponsor a provincial supervisor or we can train your community leaders to become Hapinoy champions who would run the modules that we give our areas as well. There are a lot of options to work and partner with us. We are very open to partnerships. You can just contact us, visit our website and email us for any inquiries.

Greater Good PH: How is it working at a company like Microventures, young, socially-aware, run by a great management team?

Michelle Pabalan: I am a very idealistic person and it’s both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I can look at life in a very good perspective, kung baga mahilig ako umasa. But it’s also a curse because hope is a very scarce resource especially in the Philippines. Hapinoy becomes my personal testimony that there are people who may not be as idealistic as I am but are also on the same boat. Plus, people here are genuinely happy, thus, Hapinoy. But more than the people that I work with here, the Hapinoy program is also something to be proud of. It’s something that we as a country can be proud of. It’s something that the Philippines can call its own. Of course, there are mom and pops stores in other countries but the concept of the sari-sari store is ours. Hapinoy has been recognized internationally by other groups not because of our businesss model or not because of the things that we’ve done but I think we’re been awarded because we dared to do it. And on Hapinoy’s fourth year, I am very fortunate and very blessed to be part of the formation years. It’s something na pwede natin ipagmalaki.

Greater Good PH: Did you ever feel stressed?

Michelle Pabalan: All the time (laughs). But the stress levels at work, comparing it to my previous work, I think it defines me in the sense that it is what my life’s mission is all about, I think. Even if there is stress, you know that you’re helping somebody at the end of the day, you know that may patutunguhan yung trabaho mo, yung pinaghirapan mo. It’s not going to be you but who you’re helping at this point. It’s quite fulfilling when you think about it that way.

Greater Good PH: What about Hapinoy do you think can other businesses emulate?

Michelle Pabalan: Our best practices, right? To be honest, four years is a lifetime for a social enterprise especially in the Philippines. Mahirap ah. It’s not easily at all to mix… for instance, if you have a business, that’s hard to run. If you have an NGO, that’s hard to. If you combine both, then you can jsut imagine the stress. It’s difficult. Ika nga ni Bam (Aquino), he tells other budding social entrepreneurs, you just do it. And I would like to quote my bosses when they said, “This is your full time job. It cannot be a side line. It has to be your full time job,” because at the end of the day you have to be on top of things and you have to think of the community that you’re helping because if you don’t give that commitment, the most affected people will be the community that you’re helping. I think it just entails a lot of commitment. We are already in version… I don’t know of Hapinoy. We have gone through a lot of changes and systems, learnings, ang dami. But we try it out… again just dare to do it.

Greater Good PH: Any updates from Hapinoy? Where is it now in its mission?

Michelle Pabalan: The Microventures Foundation was launched last year. We’ll be expanding again through our partnerships so please expect, kasi marami nang nagtatanung, how they can be members of Hapinoy. We have a new membership structure that you can check out in the website for more information. Dati kasi, if you’re not part of our operational areas, malabao tayo magkaron ng partnerships but now, with our new structure, we can easily explore a lot of partnerships outside the Hapinoy areas. Hapinoy will go national and we’re really excited about that. 2012 will be a big year for Hapinoy.

Greater Good PH: Do you get outside help? Do you get outside funding for the trainings that you do?

Michelle Pabalan: Oh, yes. Our trainings are usually sponsored by groups. (For example) an LGU can sponsor a training for their community and we also apply for grants. Recently we won the United Nations Project Inspire grant. We also applied for other grants internationally. The foundation also accepts donations. Through the foundation’s work, we can work with our trainings to pilot the program in your area.

Greater Good PH: Here is one question that maybe a lot of people would like to know, including myself. How do you manage your time between all the things that you do?

Michelle Pabalan: On the practical side, a calendar really helps. But more than just a calendar, I think kasi I don’t have commitment issues if you know what I mean. When I decide to do something I do it. This is a bad example but I’ll just tell you the story. I decided to watch the movie of Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson, I Won’t Last A Day Without You. I said, “Opening day I would watch this movie.” Then Wednesday came but no one wanted to go with me. I was so disappointed. I even sent a Facebook message to some friends to watch but no one was available or they didn’t want to. I was ready to see the movie alone. I was that decided but fortunately my parents, sinamahan nila ako. That was a bad example but you know what I mean. I decided to watch the movie on that day and I would do it. I think commitment is very important if you really want to manage all the things that you do. Commitment is very important to me especially if it concerns other people.

Greater Good PH: How was childhood to you like?

Michelle Pabalan: Very good, I must say. I had a normal childhood.

Greater Good PH: How many are you in the family?

Michelle Pabalan: I have two other siblings. I have a kuya and an ate. My kuya is the eldest. We have a 10-year gap. My sister naman, we have an eight-year gap. Growing up it was a very good childhood for me kasi I think the upbringing of my parents, they were strict. I mean they would look out for you. The strictness of my parents came with love as well. Of course, nung bata ka hindi mo maappreciate yun. But I do now. When I was in college that’s when they became a little lenient and then at the same time I grew up in a good neighborhood. I am so appreciative of that. I grew up with playing Filipino games–tumbang preso, patintero. It was fun! Hindi pa uso yung PSP, Internet, gaming. I grew up with very good people around me. My family’s very close. My family is big in terms of cousins and aunts and uncles. We gathered every week, all of us. in my lola’s house when she was still alive. We were very close. Growing up, to me… I had a very good perspective in life. And of course, during my childhood, that’s when I met my fiance because he is my best friend since I was three years old. I am very thankful. Dalawang kembot lang yung bahay namin. We grew up in the same circle, same barkada. I was really fun growing up. It was a happy childhood.

Greater Good PH: What role does your family play in molding you as the person you are now?

Michelle Pabalan: Big role are my parents, definitely. I was raised a Catholic. Growing up in a Catholic family, you’re used to a lot of traditions and stuff, but the traditions that I appreciate. Family kasi is very important. It was priority. You grew up knowing that. So it molded me in a way that if you prioritized your family, kung baga naayos yung things that you do. I have also seen my parents be compassionate to other people. My dad and my mom are very helpful. I think they are my best examples of what I should become. We also valued education very much. The big part are my parents’ way of bringing us up.

Greater Good PH: And who would you consider as your greatest influence or mentor?

Michelle Pabalan: Besides my parents, because they’re a given, they’re really my number one teachers I can say. Besides that I have to mention Kuya Mark Sebastian of Gawad Kalinga. I don’t know if he is going to listen to this. I have to mention si Kuya Mark. He really is a good example for me. This person is just so selfless and he really serves or helps people without expecting anything in return. He is also a living testimony that God is faithful to those who are faithful to him. And currently, I think Bam Aquino. I’ve learned so much from him. I work closely with him kasi. I think Bam is also a good mentor for me.

Greater Good PH: What Bible verse do you always point to whenever you feel down or in a tight situation?

Michelle Pabalan: It’s in Philippians. “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” That’s an easy one but don’t get me wrong, I stumble even if I have a strong foundation already with my faith. I stumble and I have questions but again, an unexamined faith is not faith at all. So it’s also good that I am growing in my faith that way. I really believe that it has become a personal relationship with God. A Christian life for me is not naman easy. It is sometimes more difficult. The only difference now is knowing that God is your friend, God is your brother, lagi kang may kakampi. You always have somebody there to assist you or guide you in whatever situation you’re in.

Greater Good PH: What has been your most challenging life experience and how did you overcome it?

Michelle Pabalan: That’s the hardest question to answer for me. I have blank. I guess I don’t have a particular… or I’d rather not say. But it has always something to do with family. Whenever you see your family struggling with anything it really affects me. We have gone through financial problems before. We have gone through relationship problems before. But if it’s about family… it’s one thing that I am realyl sensitive about. The peopel who are close to me know this. Kapag may problema ako, hindi halata. I am still a happy person. But you’ll see that if it’s family, it will really reflect. But the way I deal with it is number one, I pray about it; second, I talk to the people concerned. I think that’s the most efficient way of dealing with a problem… to communicate…

Greater Good PH: What would you consider as your purpose and passion in life?

Michelle Pabalan: I definitely don’t want to settle for anything less for myself. I always want the best for myself. The definition for me of the best is things and people that make me happy. My passion also is to share my blessings. I really feel blessed. At this early stage of my life, I think I am blessed to know what I want to do with myself. So share the knowledge, share the love. I think that’s the purpose or what my life’s mission is.

Greater Good PH: What would you consider as your greatest achievement so far?

Michelle Pabalan: So far… kasi meron pa ko dyan eh. During my single life I have done the things that I wanted to do–I have travelled, I’m in a rock band, I am in a social enterprise, I have a mission which is with GK. Now, for the next chapter, FYI for you guys, I am engaged, I think there are a lot of achievements that I will be able to do. I am looking forward to having my own family. I am looking forward to, because I am leaving also soon, which is hard for me because I love the Philippines so much, but sabi nga sa kin ni Lord, “You will grow where you are planted.” I am looking forward to the work in store for me in another country. So far my achievements are that I have done what I wanted to do.

Greater Good PH: You mentioned travel. What place would you always want to go back to?

Michelle Pabalan: To go back to? Definitely Cambodia, not only because of Angkor Wat. I have seen poverty also in Cambodia and I have seen also the potential for social development there. I would love to go back there.

Greater Good PH: What can we look forward to for Microventure?

Michelle Pabalan: For Microventures Incorporated and Foundation, generally the Hapinoy program, expect us to go nationwide this year. Expect a lot of partnerships coming up, more members. We have targets for memberships. We welcome all the sari-sari store owners out there to come and join us especially those who are in our current areas. But yes, please do expect greater things for Hapinoy especially going nationwide this year.

Greater Good PH: What’s in store for Pabsy beyond Hapinoy?

Michelle Pabalan: Marriage! Really I am very excited to get married to my fiancé. I think that… cheesy eh. I think our love story has been written by the Lord. I think it’s a love story like no other.

Greater Good PH: Baka pwede mong i-share?

Michelle Pabalan: (Laughs) May time pa ba? Well, Jerrick has been my best friend since forever. We have been friends since we were three-years old. We have been neighbors since childhood in Pilar. He is my childhood friend and it jsut so happens that he had to migrate to the US. But he visits kasi eh. We remained friends. Hindi pa uso yung email nun, snail mail pa lang. So we did that.

Greater Good PH: How long has he been in the US?

Michelle Pabalan: He’s been away for almost one-and-a-half years now. During our teenage years, he had his life in the US and I have mine here. He had a six-year relationship. I had a six-year relationship. Sakto lang… siguro one year apart we ended our previous relationships. Then he came back to finish his degree in nursing. That’s when we realized na kami din pala. But there was always something with us naman eh during our childhood. It was just that I was in denial of it. How would you know love when your 12? To him ata alam na niya (laughs). So that’s the story. I think, and he agrees, that God really planted everything. We’re better people now. The best version of ourselves nung naging kami. Now we’re very happy and we have a very strong foundation. So even though we’re in a long distance relationship, ok lang.

Greater Good PH: If there was one messgae that you would like to give our listeners out of all that has been discussed, what would that message be?

Michelle Pabalan: For me, don’t settle for anything less. Always go for the best first for yourself. Because if you start with yourself, it would affect a lot of people and just live your life full of love. No more aways. No more emo stuff. Just live your life and share it.