Vendor Amor Lacaba gets through the day selling bananas with a wide smile and her dream of a better life for her children.
She once thought of becoming a lawyer or a military official.
Life turned out differently for this single mother who could hardly make both ends meet.
“I used to love going to school but one time I asked my mother for tuition and she told me she couldn’t give me anything because I don’t have a father providing that for me. I never felt the kind of love I longed from a mother. I was considered a liability,” she said.
During high school, she worked to support herself.
“I used to watch over a fruit stand in Juan Luna Street when I didn’t have classes,” she said.
At 22, she gave birth to her eldest daughter Maria Sofia in 2008. She dropped out of school. The relationship with her boyfriend didn’t work out. They eventually separated, leaving Lacaba with their two daughters.
As the breadwinner of her family, Amor realized the hardship her own mother went through in raising her.
She was determined to spare her children from the same fate.
As a banana vendor, Lacaba roams the streets of Looc, Mandaue City, looking for customers.
She peers into the windows of vehicles that pass by, greeting her customers with a wide smile to coax them to buy her bananas.
Lacaba was one of 23 top women entrepreneurs in Mandaue City shortlisted during the Search for WINNERS or Women in Need Now Entrepreneurs and Role Models, organized by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry during the Mandaue Business Month in August.
She was selected for her strong will to work hard to support her family.
“I want to show my daughters that I am doing by best for them. I want them to dream and I’m working hard to earn a decent income for them,” she said.
Lacaba starts her day at 3 a.m., piling up fresh bananas that she would sell for the day at P10 a piece.
She targets bringing home P1,000 every day.
“I head to the streets at 6 a.m. to start selling my bananas. I sell mostly to drivers and early travelers for breakfast,” Amor said.
She said she usually sells all stocks by 11 a.m., then eats a quick lunch before selling other products like bottled water.
After selling everything, Amor heads to the wet market to buy another supply of bananas for the next day.
Street vending as a livelihood has its share of risks.
“I fell twice from a bus while selling and was nearly run over by a taxi,” she recalled.
Sometimes customers manage to avoid paying her, a maneuver which discourages her.
“Sometimes I think of quitting but how will my daughters feel if I don’t earn anything?” she said.
For now, Lacaba said she’s happy just to provide for her children’s needs, including a babysitter who watches over them while she’s out working.
“I’m slowly saving money to buy more than just 300 bananas to sell every day,” she said.
Lacaba said she is thinking of more businesses to try.
“I want my children finish a degree, something I wasn’t able to do. My dream now is for them to fulfill their dreams,” she told Cebu Daily News.