Before, Maricel Banal saw ‘sampalok’ simply as a means to get by daily. Today, she sees it as her family’s hope for a better future.

Forty-eight-year-old Maricel, a resident of Brgy. Pulong Tao Ibaba in Macalelon town, Quezon Province, started a small business of making tamarind candies just so she can help her fisherman husband in bringing food on the table.

“Nagsimula ako sa kalahating kilong sampalok lang, nakakagawa ako ng limang balot at ibebenta ko sa mga kapitbahay. Sapat lang ang kikitain ko para makabili ng pang-ulam,” she recalled.

Today, her business has grown bigger and is able to support her family, thanks not just to her hard work and determination but also to the various opportunities provided her way in the past few years.

 

Opportunities that matter

Maricel shared that like the ‘sampalok’ she makes, she has tasted both the sourness and sweetness of life.

“Noon, puro utang talaga ako. Epileptic kasi ang isa kong anak kaya kailangan n’ya ng gamot. Sa kinikita naming mag-asawa, hindi talaga sapat lalo na at lima ang aming anak. Kaya isa o dalawang beses isang araw na lang kami kung kumain,” Maricel shared.

Even when she started her small business, their family still struggled. So when they became a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in 2009, she found hope.

The Pantawid Pamilya program is a human development program implemented by the DSWD that supports the health, nutrition and education of zero to 18 years old children belonging to poor families.

“Malaking tulong talaga sa amin ‘yung programa dahil may sumasagot na sa gastusin sa pag-aaral ng mga bata. Gustong-gusto talaga naming makatapos silang lahat dahil ayaw kong lumaki silang magsasampalok din,” she said.

Maricel added that this new hope fueled her desire to send all her children to college. And this made her determined to work harder for them.

“Nakakatuwang isipin na simula sa kalahating kilong sampalok na niluluto ko noon, biglang naging isang kilo at tuloy-tuloy na lumago pa. Hindi ako tumitigil para suportahan ang mga anak ko,” Maricel shared with pride.

 

Hopeful for a better future

Just this year, Maricel qualified to be a beneficiary of another DSWD program—the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

The SLP is a community-based capacity building program that seeks to improve the socio-economic status of beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are then given an option to take micro-enterprise development where they will be provided capital assistance or employment facilitation where they will be linked to institutions for employment.

In Maricel’s case, she was loaned Php5,000.00 capital assistance, which she used as added capital for her business.

“Ngayon, sako sako na ang sampalok na niluluto namin at nagsusupply na kami sa mga karatig bayan. Nakakatulong na rin kami sa mga kapitbahay namin dahil sila ang kinukuha namin para magbalot ng mga candies,” she shared.

According to Maricel, the SLP did not just provide her additional capital. It also provided her knowledge on how to handle her business better.

“Dati, hindi tuloy-tuloy ang paggawa ko, minsan nawawalan ng puhunan dahil kailangan sa ibang gastusin lalo na sa panggamot ng isang anak ko. Pero ngayon, natutunan ko na dapat maayos na pinaghihiwalay ang kita at puhunan para tuloy-tuloy ang operasyon ng negosyo. Meron na rin akong ibang produkto katulad ng panutsa at halayang ube,” she shared proudly.

Today, Maricel can never be prouder that she is able to bring Php300 to Php500 daily income to their family. She even shares that she already paid off all her debts. And what she has most pride of is that two of her children already have college diplomas, the other two are in college and her youngest is in Grade 4.

Though the ‘sampalok’ gave her hope and means to achieve what her family has now, she still does not want to pass this business to her children. She knows her children will have a different story to tell—a better life in the future since she and her husband have supported their education the best way they can.***