Interview
For this interview, I chose my mother, Delia Yee Porio, as my subject, because her example inspired me to choose my course here in the Enderun Colleges. She is fifty-two (52) years old, holds a degree in Pharmacology, the mother of six and an energetic businesswoman. Despite repeated urgings (and implored requests and begged entreaties), she has refused to retire and continues to be as active as ever. She has owned a pharmacy, a supermarket, a snack shop, a bakery and manages real estate property.
Ralph Porio: Hi mom! This is for an English paper and I’d like to ask a few questions about your businesses related to the Food Industry.
Delia Porio: Sige. Are you and your brother doing well? Don’t forget to take your vitamins, madunggan nako sa news na sige ug bagyo diha! [I hear on the news that storms come one after another there!]
RP: Er, yes mom, okay ra mi ni Kuya Ken [my brother Ken and I]. I’d like to ask why you hold a degree in Pharmacology but you manage and own businesses other than a drugstore. What interested you to become a businesswoman?
DP: Nag-start ko katung bata pa ko. Imong lolo, traditional na Chinese, dapat magtrabaho ang tanan anak sa family business. [I started as a child. Your grandfather was a traditional Chinese man, in that all the children should work in the family business.] Inuon, it became a habit and work ethic for me to help in selling sa hardware, feed-store and general supplies. I learned a lot from my years helping your lolo and that started my interest in business.
RP: Okay, that explains a lot. When did you start your businesses?
DP: I started katung 1979, paghuman nako sa board exams. Nag start ko ug maruya-an sa kanto sa lot nato sa Ulas. Gamay ra, pang-supplement para sa inyo. After naka-save ta, nagtukod ta ug pharmacy in 1980, and then we expanded to a small grocery in 1982, which became a supermarket in 1986. Then, we put up the snack house and the first bakery in 1988. [I started in 1974, after I finished my board exams (in Pharmacy) I started a small maruya (native snack, fried bananas) shack on the corner lot we would own in Ulas (
RP: How old were you then?
DP: I was 24 years old.
RP: What motivated you to start those businesses?
DP: Naminaw ba ka Ralph? [Didn’t you listen Ralph?]. It was for all of you (children).
RP: Sorry mom.
DP: Well, your dad was a doctor working for a government then. Ang salary niya kay gamay ra para sa inyo so nag start ko sa mga business. [His salary was too small for all of you so I started the businesses]. But remember when you were in grade 5, after tulo sa imong igsuon nag college ug nagstart na imong dad sa poultry ug coffee farm, gi-close nako ang pharmacy, grocery ug bakery? [after three of your siblings started college and your dad had the poultry and coffee farm, I closed down pharmacy, grocery and bakery?] I rented out the space and focused on you and Kenneth and Oliver (my other siblings and I).
RP: Haha, yeah, I remember. But after I left for college, I remember you telling us that you were too bored at home. Then you told us that you would go back to bakery. Why did you start the bakery business again?
DP: Dili ko comfortable na walay tarung na gina himo. Dili ko maka-relax, mas maka relax ko sa tarung na trabaho (laughs) [I wasn’t comfortable not doing anything that was sensible. I couldn’t relax, I can relax more when I am working on sensible things/work].
RP: Why the bakery?
DP: Because nakasanayan na nako, ug naga enjoy ko sa trabaho na to [because I got used to it, and I enjoy working like that]. Also because a bakery is a good business, food is always needed, no matter the economy and a bakery has a good demand and a fast turnover.
RP: What are the biggest challenges in a bakery?
DP: Because we target the working class market, dili kayo mahal atuang prices pero taas ang volume. [the prices aren’t expensive but the volume is high]. So the production is a problem, you have to keep the quality of the bread but keep the expenses down. Ang dako na sakit sa ulo pud kay ang personnel. [A very big headache is the personnel]. You have to train them and look for good personnel.
RP: Who or what was your biggest problem?
DP: It depends, pero [but] it usually is someone who doesn’t like something about the bread. (laughs) Barato na gani ang pan, magreklamo pa usahay. Ana man gyud na pag customer. [The bread is already cheap, but they still complain sometimes. Customers are always like that.]
RP: What do you do about it?
DP: You still have to make the customer happy, so you always have to be ready to change. Follow up on everything and be ready to change.
RP: Do you have any advice for future entrepreneurs or bakery owners?
DP: They should be keen on observation, dapat personalized ka. Ang management dapat hands-on, personal para makuha nimo dayon kung unsa ang lacking ug you should always be the quality control. [They should be keen on observation; you should be personalized (sic). The management should be hands on, personal (touch?) so you can immediately get what is lacking and you should always be the quality control.] Also, experience is the best teacher. At first, it is very hard, but work just as hard and you will succeed. In a business like this, it is very challenging, because usually baliktad ang cycle [the cycle is reversed]. When it is a holiday, ikaw ang walang holiday [you don’t have a holiday]. It usually is very busy during holidays, also before and after work (other people’s/customers working hours), so you have to work harder before and after the usual working hours. Lisud ang business na ni, pero pag naa kay passion para sa business na ni, rewarding kay na-challenge ka ug nag-provide ka ug serbisyo para sa ubang tao. [This business is hard, but if you have passion for this business, it is rewarding because you are challenged and you provide a service for other people.]
RP: Okay, that’s about it. Thank you!
DP: Okay, take care always there! I love you! Don’t forget to take your vitamins and eat your breakfast! I know you always skip breakfast! Eat more! I love you!
RP: Er, okay. Thanks mom!
End
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