Her day revolves around the holy grounds of the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat. With a few sets of pawa resting gently on both hands, she proudly and untiringly offers the town’s famous delicacy to every patron she comes across. She does not mind the scorching heat of the sun, or the dampness of the air in a cold, rainy day. What is consistent is her sweet demeanor that radiates positivity and comfort. And similar to her aura, the pawa that she sells provides a feeling of comfort in each bite. A sense of ease that even if some days are not going according to plan, indulging in the deliciousness of that soft and sweet glutinous bun gives one will somehow make things better.
Remie Samas, is a 39 year-old mother of three, and a resident of Poblacion II, Piat, Cagayan. In 1997, one of her eyes contracted cataract but due to financial constraints she was not able to seek medical attention. Until such time she became visually impaired. She is one of several vendors at the Basilica and a beneficiary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 2’s (DSWD FO2) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). She is married to Rowel Samas, a construction worker, for 19 years.
Contrary to her jolly demeanor, life for Remie is not as easy as it seems. With a growing family, the needs of her children are piling up and their family income is barely enough. Her husband is engaged in project-based construction works. While he earns P400 a day when work is available, the family struggles to make both ends meet when projects have been completed and his work ends. Having an irregular income pushed Remie to do side-hustles despite her disability. She makes pawa and sells it. On some days, she accepts laundry from her neighbors. Her physical limitation does not hinder her to work hard and be of help.
This was the simple life of Remie until the pandemic hit the world in 2020. The meager income from her side hustles gradually halted due to impositions of community quarantines. The influx of tourists declined as the Local Government Unit (LGU) enforced a temporary ban on visiting the Basilica, and as a consequence, even the regular vendors were not allowed to sell. The circumstance led her to use her revolving fund to sustain their daily needs. It came to a point where Remie’s family relied on the relief goods and whatever assistance given by the LGU just to survive.
On September 2021, SLP shed some light and brought a glimpse of hope to Remie as she was included as an eligible recipient of the Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG) through the endorsement of LGU Piat. She received a seed capital fund amounting to P6,000 to re-start her livelihood. She used the grant to purchase raw materials such as glutinous rice, peanuts, sugar, steamer and packaging for her pawa venture.
As lockdowns were slowly lifted, the Basilica was re-opened to the public and Remie seized the opportunity to get back to business. She began entertaining requests on a ‘per order basis’, where she is able to produce an average of 200 packs of pawa on a weekly basis. She then distributes it to seven (7) re-sellers, and she caters to walk-in orders from customers. She earns an average monthly income of P15,000.
Through her regular income from selling pawa, she is now able to provide decent meals for her children and sustain their daily needs. In addition, her profits enabled her to purchase an additional steamer, working table and containers. In the future, she plans to put-up a sari-sari store to establish another income stream.
She is beyond grateful for the chance that was given to her by DSWD, saying “lubos ang pagtanaw ko at pasasalamat sa walang sawang tulong at suporta ng DSWD sa tulad kong mahirap. Binigyan niyo ako ng pag-asa na muling maibangon ang aking negosyo at makapagsimula muli. Makakaasa kayo na hindi ko ito sasayangin.”
(I’m beyond grateful for the unending assistance and support given by DSWD to the economically disadvantaged people like me. You have given me hope to revive my business and start anew. Rest assured that it will not go to waste).
As the sun slowly sets and darkness starts to linger, Remie ends her day at the Basilica with a prayerful and joyful heart. Although she has achieved some success with her business, she knows that the struggle is far from over, and she remains to be a mother longing for even better days.
Through the night, she dwells in the very heart of her business to make sets of that soft and sweet glutinous bun that she sells. And with every batch that is freshly lifted from the steamers, the sweet aroma reminds her that as long as she remains diligent and committed, she will always have the pawa to live the life.