BALDWIN CHAM VELASCO, Finance Executive and aspiring Philanthropist.

“You are defined by three things: your passion, your words and your loyalty. In business, I always believe that a man is as good as his words. Business is not about scheming or going under the table, but rather, strategizing and being successful through merits and keeping your promises. Loyalty and trust are earned through time and lost in a minute. Business is an opportunity to create relationships wherein all stakeholders are happy, in the ideal world. When faced with inevitable challenges, strive to stay positive, optimistic and endure. Failures create opportunities for us to become better versions of ourselves. Everything is about having setting a goal and achieving it, if circumstances do not lead you closer then it, then it only derails you. Always have a grateful heart and a purpose. These are the principles that I try to live by in business as well as in life.

As said so eloquently by the successful Executive Vice President of Filcredit Finance & Capital Development Corporation, Baldwin Cham Velasco, who has been with the company since May 2012. In just a span of 6 years, Velasco now manages a portfolio close to PHP500 million and manages all aspects of the financing company.

“I ensure the maximum recovery and collections of all regular, remedial, delinquent and bad accounts through negotiations, compromise, amicable settle and legal remedies. I make sure to exhaust all means necessary to collect through amicable settlements while maintaining good relations and proper documentation for the maximum security of Filcredit,” said Velasco.

Filcredit Finance and Capital Development Corporation (Filcredit) is a finance company that has been offering financial products and services since 1990. Filcredit provides a reliable source of working capital financing to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The company continues to further reinvent itself and is now diversifying their products, including micro financing in its financial offerings. Composed of a team of highly-skilled professionals, Filcredit’s goal is to help companies better manage their cash flow so they can focus more on production, sales, business development, and of course, increase their bottom line.

As with any financial company, Velasco admits that constant creativity and resourcefulness are very important aspects which are needed to successfully manage the company’s treasury and renegotiate with the company’s non-cooperative accounts and convert them into cooperative compliant ones.

“I lead a very lean organization while ensuring to manage the treasury of the company the best way I know how. I create various business solutions and remedies for various SMEs to ensure their continuous survival and further grow their business through financial partnering. I am very passionate of this and I believe that in business, as well as in life, there should always be a win-win solution, regardless of the situation,” added Velasco.

And to always achieve a win-win solution for both parties, Velasco says that it is crucial for people to always maintain good professional relationships with everyone around them, most importantly their banks and other financial institutions they are in business with. This way, their line of credit will always remain to be a viable option, should the need arises.

Velasco is in the business of managing relationships and as with this kind of business, relationship, being the operative word, is all about honesty, transparency, and trust. These three key traits comprise the secret to his success and continue to be the driving force to his management style.

“I truly believe that my success really stems from these three innate qualities – being honest, transparent, and being trustworthy. I always try to incorporate these in the work environment that I am in and manifest itself in how I work with people and vice versa. By championing these traits, whether it be in the workplace or with my clients, I find that when the trust has been established, the sense of security is increased and people start feeling more empowered, thus leading to more productivity and a better outlook on life. Yes, over time, these priorities may change but what should never change, is my personal commitment to be as open, honest and be as transparent as possible, with the people I work with, and this I feel has made all the difference,” said Velasco.

As an aspiring philanthropist, it is Baldwin’s passion to also help the gay community and is a donor at the Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines, focusing on empowering HIV-positive occasional or habitual drug users who want to change by providing them with medications, assistance, counseling and other interventions that would help them have better lives. Baldwin Cham Velasco took up Master of Arts in Psychology, Major in Industrial Organization, as well as Bachelor of Arts in Management.