Tabuk City, Kalinga ─ Sally Pepito, proprietor of Mt. Zion Bakery in Barangay Bantay of this city, represented the Cordillera Region during the Department of Science and Technology Luzon Cluster Forum dubbed as “We Care, We Share” highlighting the celebration of the 2021 National Women’s Month,
In her message, Pepito related how she faced the challenges brought about by the pandemic that threatened her family’s livelihood project. She recounts how they tried to keep the business stable, sharing their practices, business management and future plans to ensure the growth and existence of their business despite the economic crisis.
“Dahil sa pandemya, nahirapan kami sa pagbili ng mga raw materials kasi kokonti na ang nabebenta namin, bihira na ang mga bisita, yan naman ang problema namin nung nag-lockdown pero tuluy-tuloy ang paggawa namin. Mula nung lockdown, tumaas naman ang kita namin dahil sa Facebook o online sales,” she said.
“Nung nagpost sila, biglang dumami yung resellers na dumating, maraming customers, lalo na yung resellers sa iba’t ibang ahensya ng gobyerno, at resellers namin sa ibang munisipyo katulad sa Rizal, Pinukpuk at Balbalan” she added.
As the CoViD-19 pandemic affected the operations of businesses leading to financial losses and closure for some establishments, still some entrepreneurs thrived as they strategized and diverted their business operations into more conducive schemes that adhered to the needs of the new normal.
In 2016, Pepito learned about the small enterprise technology upgrading program (SETUP) of DOST and availed a project for upgrading of equipment, packaging, labeling design materials and laboratory analyses.
Since then, she has been a constant exhibitor in Regional Science and Technology weeks, Technology Bazaar and has been winning special awards, such as the Best Booth recognition in 2017 during the RSTW in Kalinga, highest sales in 2018 during the RSTW in Apayao, and highest sales and best booth under the food sector in 2019 during the RSTW in Mountain Province.
In 2020, she was awarded Kalinga’s best SETUP adaptor, she attributed her success from being a church leader where she is lovingly called Pastora. It is from faith, she said, that made her and her husband name and register their establishment as Mt. Zion Bakery and Pasalubong Center. She is well-loved by her bakers because she and her family treat them as family members and has provided them with their own living quarters.
With her accomplishment, Pepito also encouraged not only the women, but the other entrepreneurs as well to continue supporting each other for the common economic advancement of everyone.
She also underscored the need for an entrepreneur to be creative in devising innovations specially in coping with the economic challenges to ensure the continuous growth of their business.
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