"It is right to fight what you believe is true and good," says Alberta Taroma, leader of a People's Organization and client for marketing enterprise of ASKI.

Well known as "Betty" in Fronda, Talugtug (Nueva Ecija). Mrs. Alberta Taroma is always recognizable as thecheerful lady among the prominent personalities in ASKI.

"I immediately identified her to be one of the leaders in Fronda because of her strong character and determination to act on certain issues," says Ms. Diosa Rhea Lucenesio, a Community Organizer assigned in Barangay Fronda. Ate Betty is one of the farmers affected by one of the community issues in Fronda. "She is one of my sources of strength whenever problems in Fronda arise," shares Ms. Lucenesio.

"I just continue my previous work here in the Philippines as a dressmaker and besides my daughters have graduated already," she proudly says. For Ate Baby, five years is just enough to save up for her daughters' education.

After a year, when ASKI assisted their barangay on their problem on deep well irrigation, Ate Betty was one of the active leaders who actively pursued the project until its realization.

After construction, the EX-14 Service Cooperative was organized, where Ate Betty was elected as Secretary.

"It was not easy to be one of the leaders, in fact there was a time when my husband was very jealous on one of my co-leaders and co-participant in one of the trainings sponsored by ASKI", she narrates. "But I explained to him this was part of my responsibility as a leader and of course I told him that I love him more than anyone else," she proudly notes.

It was the Multi-Sectoral Forum (MSF) congregated by ASKI that gave her the chance to be an entrepreneur.

"I learned from the MSF that the DTI is giving free training on cogon handicraft making considering that cogon can be found everywhere in Talugtug. So, what I did was to contact one of their trainors who happened to be from our neighboring barangay," she says. And that was the start of her continuous training and seminar on cogon handicarft making.

"At first it was really hard, aside from complicated styles and designs, labor cost for each handicarft is cheap," she says. So she encouraged the women and wives of the organization's members to join her in cogon venture - to the point of sacrificing her own savings of P2,000 to serve as capital. After years of hard work, they finally mastered the craft and soon created their own designs.

"One of my daughters help me in designing bags, slippers and other styles", Ate Betty humbly shares.

Not too long, ASKI's Business Development and Support Services (BDSS) Department noticed her skills and determination to grow her business, so they supported her.

Aside from livelihood loan worth P7000, ASKI also recommended her to be one of the participants on Regional Trade Fair dubbed as Likha ng Central Luzon 2006 at SM Mega Mall on October 4, 2006. Her own designs and products were promoted during trade fair. "I learned a lot from this opportunity, from my co-participants in trade fair such as Manong Ely and Baby who are both ASKI-assisted clients" Ate Betty was inspired by the trade fair participants whom she gained new and fresh techniques. "I am planning to improve my craft and expand. Besides cogon, I want to try other products available in Talugtug such as buli ", she says.

Mostly, gender is always an issue if responsibility is concerned, but for Ate Betty, gender is not an excuse to act and speak towards development. This is the reason she still manges to serve her organization and at the same time develop her business, and be a responsible mother and wife to her family.