P700 starts lifeline for stall vendor

With  P700, Remedios S. Rodriguez started a  small fish vending enterprise that has  lifted her family from poverty.

Today, she looks forward to opening a new stall in Pagsabungan, Mandaue City, where she acquired a piece of land.

Rodriguez, who hails from Pilar, Bohol province, came  to Cebu to find work after finishing an agriculture degree.

At 18 years old, she moved in with her aunt in barangay Banilad, Cebu City, and worked in several companies like Nissin, Goto King and Gaisano Metro Mandaue.

“I had good grades in college.  That  is why I easily got hired,” she said.

Soon after,  she met her future husband, a mechanic named Danilo, and got pregnant.

“We eloped to Negros and lived with his parents because I knew my family would  be angry and disappointed in me,” she said.

Rodriguez gave birth to her first child Josie Marie in 1999.

She and her husband realized they had to return to Cebu where there were  more job opportunities.

Rodriguez said they returned to Cebu with only their clothes, a frying pan and a stove as their valuables.

Their Christmas meal  consisted of two chicken feet.

“I remember crying a lot that night because I pitied our situation. I told myself I would find ways to get us back on our feet,” Rodriguez said.

Providence smiled on them when a man asked her husband to fix his car and paid cash for the service.

After buying food, she had P700 left over.

“I said I have to use this opportunity so I bought 20 kilos of fish and sold it in the neighborhood. That’s how I started my business,” she said.

Rodriguez said she continued to sell fish, waking up early to go to the fish port to buy a fresh catch to sell to neighbors.

Hard work paid off as more people bought from her.

“Although some paid only when they got their salary, I still considered myself lucky to have many customers who already trust me.”

The birth of her daughter Darelyn in 2003 made her work overtime.

“I had to take care of her but I also had to continue my business. That was a very tough time because I had to choose between two very important things in my life,” she said.

Rodriguez eventually set up a small stall in front of their home in Banilad. Her husband found work as a company driver in Mandaue Foam.

“My customers then would just drop by and buy  from the stall. I sold pork and some vegetables. I’m also selling Sun prepaid loads here for additional income,” she said.

Now 33 years old, Rodriguez said she used her  daily earnings of P700 to invest in a lot  in Pagsabungan, Mandaue City, which she now rents out for additional income.

“I hope, though, to also set up another stall in that area because there’s an opportunity. The place is far from the market and I can sell fish, pork and vegetables there without much competition yet,” she said.

Rodriguez won a P20,000 cash prize  in last August’s Search for WINNERS sponsored by the Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The money will be used as capital to open another stall to be managed by an aunt.

Looking back, Rodriguez said she wouldn’t  be where she is now if she didn’t believe in herself.

“I’m thankful to God for guidance and the blessings. I believe that if you really put your heart into  something, He will always give you opportunities. It’s up to you to grab them,” Rodriguez said.