The Villacote family of Barangay Botongon in Estancia, Iloilo regularly wakes up at the break of dawn to start their morning routine of arranging the goods they sell in their hastily built bamboo shack to prepare for another day of scraping for a few pesos of income to provide for their family.
Raising four children is quite a challenge for the Mr. and Mrs. Villacote considering that their main source of livelihood is a small eatery along the barangay road and their regular customers were tricycle drivers and elementary school students. Every peso was hard-earned and was almost always not enough for the needs of their children, particularly for the eldest who is currently a nursing student.
Amidst the pandemic, Mrs. Emilyn Villacote realized that their regular customers are rarely visiting their eatery, especially during the quarantine and when schools were shut down, their daily income was not even enough to be used for the next day’s menu. This caused a few sleepless nights and immeasurable for the family striving to survive.
From being a home cook, Mrs. Villacote, 44, decided to engage in online selling of pastries and provide catering services for those in need. The income however depends on the number of orders in a week and was not sufficient for the needs of the family. They decided then to shift from being an eatery that provides food to selling condiments, spices, vegetables, fruits and other ingredients which are basic needs in a kitchen.
“Nakita namin na mas malaki ang magiging kita kung magbebenta kami ng mga frozen goods, gulay at pansahog dahil dito madalas dumadaan sa tindahan namin ang mga uuwi sa pulo o bundok,” says Mrs. Villacote on the reason why they decided to diversify their livelihood. With access to Livelihood Assistance Grant of DSWD- Sustainable Livelihood Program, the family had access to additional capital for their enterprise.
Out of the capital they have received, Mrs. Villacote decided to purchase a freezer for their frozen goods and an electric grater. She also learned how to use the said equipment because it would save them a lot of money if they handle their business and they need not pay anymore helpers.
“Dati, wala talaga kaming ipon dahil naka rolling lang ang kita. Dahil sa tulong na pang kapital na LAG ng DSWD nadagdagan ang aming paninda pati narin ang aming kita kaya ngayon nakakapag ipon na kami sa bangko,” she concluded with a smile. /
Mula sa PagSibol, hanggang sa PagSulong! (credits to SLP Iloilo)