Forty-four year-old Nanay Gina Antonio of Tondo, Manila has been a client of TSPI Tondo Branch since 2011. At the time, she and her husband took out an initial loan of P8,000 to engage in a junk shop business, ferrying scraps daily between Cavite and Caloocan using the motorcycle they purchased using some of the loan amount. However, this business failed because they were unable to assess the impact of expenses on its initial investment.
Nevertheless, their persevering spirit prevailed; soon, the couple embarked on a new endeavor. Nanay Gina used the remaining savings of P4,000 to start a street food stall in their community. It was a fortuitous move since their neighborhood, Barangay 128, located in what used to be Smokey Mountain, is densely populated. It is always bustling with people who need to satisfy their need for food. In no time, she built a loyal customer base who kept her stall busy.
In 2018, Nanay Gina’s life greatly changed. Her husband, Manuel, passed away after a road accident. Nanay Gina was left to care for four young sons on her own. She was devastated by the sudden loss.After a period of grieving, she was determined to do her utmost to provide for her sons’ needs and those of her own. The funds she received from TSPI, her husband´s insurance benefit of P60,000 and P20,000 working capital, eased the financial burden.
She needed to stand strong for her family, thus, she focused more on her business. Her neighbors regularly bought street food lovingly prepared by Nanay Gina. She sold it consistently throughout the day, every day without fail.
When the pandemic hit, she had to close up shop due to social distancing measures to avoid the spread of the virus. Nanay Gina eventually found a way to augment her income by selling eggs and loaves of bread to her neighbors. By doing this, she was able to earn a living and adhere to health protocols at the same time.
In 2021, when pandemic restrictions started to ease, Nanay Gina slowly restarted her streetfood stall with P20,000. She expanded her menu to include halo-halo (in which the ingredients are proudly homemade). This resulted in lower investment margins and higher profits for Nanay Gina. She has also branched out to serving bulk orders of “kakanin” or rice cakes like “puto” and “sapin-sapin” online. Nanay Gina leverages grit and determination to grow her business. There may be days when sales are low; however, she strongly believes that nothing is beyond the reach of someone who believes in her own capabilities and thinks positively. Hence, she greets every day and her customers with a smile.
What Nanay Gina earns supports herself and her three children who are still in school: one in college and two in elementary school. As a responsible mother, she is willing to sacrifice everything for her children to have a brighter future, a simple yet profound dream that every Nanay in TSPI would want to achieve
