Mandaue store owner overcomes life’s trials

A domineering stepmother, a fire that burned down the house,  and a husband who lost his job then suffered a heart attack.

Through all these  trials, Norma Omopiaon-Dichos, 46, came out stronger and wiser.

Dichos, a native of Palompon, Leyte province, set up her own sari-sari store in barangay Bakilidin, Mandaue City.

She was one of the 23 finalists in the Search for WINNERS or Women In Need Now Entrepreneurs and Role Models, a program  of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the  annual Mandaue Business Month celebration in August.

Dichos said she took a chance when she decided to strike out on her own in Cebu.

At 10 years old,  her mother died of leukemia. She said her stepmother made life difficult for her and her siblings.

After quitting school at 14, she and a cousin went looking for a job in Cebu.

“I asked permission from my father, who was at first hesitant. I knew then that there was no more hope for me to finish even high school so I thought of coming here to look for a job,” she said in Cebuano.

Dichos immediately found a job in a textile shop in Mambaling, Cebu City.

She said she would set aside some of her income to send money to her family back home.

At 19, Dichos met her husband  Perpetuo. They had six children—Norlito, Ronel, Joemar, Jason, Jerald and Christine Mae.

Life took a nasty turn when her  spouse  lost his job after the company closed down.

“We were so worried then. One time we had  no  money to buy food.”

Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, said Dichos, they both worked harder. Her husband found a job in Norkis while she tried to look for some livelihood.

With a small amount from their  savings, Dichos started a small store at  home in barangay Bakilid in Mandaue City.

“I started out selling basic household items  like cooking oil, noodles and seasonings,” she said.

The  store enabled her to earn  P300 a day.

But a fire that struck their home in 2001 tested their resolve.

“We really had nothing left after the fire but I was still thankful because no one was hurt.  I knew that we could start over and rebuild our lives,” she said.

Just when she thought her difficulties were over, another trial came.

Her husband suffered a minor heart attack less than a year after a fire burned down their home.

“I was already questioning God why we  were given all these problems when we not bad people.”

Dichos said they struggled to pay the medicine bills and two  children had to stop schooling  to help cover the costs.

“I don’t want them to give up their dream,” she said.

Dichos said she worked overtime to support her ailing husband and the children.

Hard work paid off, the business stabilized and her sons are back in school. She said her eldest finished an associate degree in Cebu Institute of Technology while another son Ronel finished a computer course in AMA.

“I’m glad about  their achievements. I will support my four other children so that they, too, can finish a degree and have a  chance for a better  life.”

Dichos said the trials she had to overcome strengthened her resolve to  keep the store going  and grow the business. She said her wish is only to have a stable income to support her family.