MANILA – Rice cake maker Romualdo Blanco Jr wraps his maja blanca (coconut and corn pudding) in red ribbons, hoping to make it a Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) staple in his province, where he grew a backyard business to an enterprise with P2.4 million in annual sales.

The 28-year-old father of 1 grew a P10,000 micro entrepreneur loan 5 years ago into PK Maja's Special, supplying puto and kutsinta topped with cheese to schools, groceries and restaurants in 9 cities and towns in Batangas, south of the capital.

The former delivery boy was recognized last Nov. 28 as "Youth Microentrepeneur of the Year" by Citi and received his award from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno.

"Advise ko lang po sa gusto maghanap buhay, hindi lang sipag, hindi lang tyaga, pati diskarte kailangan matutunan sa paghahanap buhay," said Blanco, who learned puto-making from his former boss at a Caloocan City restaurant.

(My advise to those who want to start a business, aside from hard work and patience, you need to be street-smart.)

Blanco recalled how he quit his job as a puto delivery boy in 2012 when he knew that he could start his own business. At that time, his wife Jovelyn just gave birth to their daughter, Princess Khaye.

"Noon ko nakita kung paano kumita. Kaya pagbalik ko dito sa Batangas nagputo ako kasi nakita ko ang buhay nila na ok sa pagpuputo," he said.

(That's where I learned how to make money. When I returned to Batangas, I started a puto business because I thought it was okay.)

When PK Maja's Special was starting, Blanco was up hours before dawn to deliver his rice cakes as early as 4 a.m. Deliveries need to be done daily since puto spoils in a day.

The Blanco couple at one time lost P50,000 from an experiment with suman, or sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves. They hope to offer products with longer shelf life such as bibingka and hopia.

With schools on break for Christmas, Blanco said he would rely on holiday orders to compensate for lost demand from school children. Maja blanca, he said, should have its spot on the Christmas spread.

"Lahat ng kakilala namin naoorder sa amin dahil nasasarapan sa aming luto, gusto din namin na ihanda nila sa Noche Buena... May iba umoorder sa amin panghanda sa Noche Buena," Blanco told ABS-CBN News.

(Everybody we know will order from us since they like the taste of our products. They want to include it in their Noche Buena. Some will order so they can eat it during Noche Buena)

Blanco said his good credit standing allowed him to raise more funds to buy cooking equipment and delivery motorcycles. He employs 10 people with 6 delivery bikes in total.

The BSP is advocating financial inclusion or giving the marginalized access to formal banking channels, including loans, savings and investments.

Loans by micro, small and medium enterprises currently account for only 6.2 percent of banks’ total loan portfolio, Gov. Benjamin Diokno earlier said.

"The goal of financial inclusion is to ensure that all Filipinos are able to use financial services that are appropriate to their needs and capacities," Diokno said during the awarding ceremony.

Blanco said he hoped his own success story would inspire his staff and those who resell his rice cakes. He also helps relatives get out of their cash crunch.

"Kung ano ang mabibigay namin sa pamilya namin pag may nagigipit, kesa sa iba sila lumapit. Ako ang nagiging Santa Claus sa halip an saiba umutang, pag maliliit lang bibgay ko na lang hindi ko na lang pababayaran," he said.

(I give whatever I can, so they don't need to turn to someone else. I'm like their Santa Claus. If it's just a small amount, I just give it to them. They don't need to repay me.)