When talking about patience and hard work, the first people that come to mind are mothers.
Mothers patiently care for their families while, at the same time, they support their husbands in ways they can.
Such is the life of Perlita, a local of Calatrava, Negros Occidental, and mother to four wonderful children. And just like any mother, she is motivated to give her family a comfortable life, something she never got to enjoy growing up.
She dreamt of finishing her education, but sadly, because of financial difficulties, she did not have the opportunity to go to high school. Instead, she started to work and support her family at a young age.
This was an experience that she feared her children would undergo if she wasn’t able to provide for them. And it made her even more determined to work hard for her family’s future.
“My husband, Carlito, and I would sell vegetables to different cities and municipalities. Wherever there are market days, there we were,” Perlita shared, recalling the days when they would wake up early and decide on which town to visit to sell their produce.
This scenario went on and on as she raised her four children.
Eventually, she opened a sari-sari store as an additional source of income.
When opportunities arose, she went for them. So, when the chance presented itself, she took a leap of faith and loaned money from Dungganon to fund her vegetable business 19 years ago. She was fortunate to find a regular customer for her vegetable products, and about five years ago, she started another business venture as a quail egg supplier.
She patiently endured sleepless nights preparing her deliveries for the next day. She was there for her children and cared for their needs as they finished their education. She was there as a supportive wife and a partner to her husband as they tried to build themselves a better home — a home they could call their own and comfortably live in.
“Take it step by step. Be patient and work hard to reach your goals,” Perlita said when asked how she was able to make it.
It took her decades of hard work to be able to reach this point in her life when she has nothing to worry about. Her children have grown up and have a better chance in life. She now has a marine engineer, a criminology graduate, her youngest recently graduated from college, and her eldest son started his own food business.
Perlita’s life is far from perfect; in fact, it is one riddled with difficult challenges along the way. Lucky for her, she has her tested and proven formula — patience and hard work that works at her disposal.
Now, here she is, telling her inspiring story with a heartfelt smile and a grateful heart.
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