As beautiful as
the island of Boracay is,
so are the many beautiful
stories that bloomed here.
Its natural beauty attracted
many tourists from around
the globe, which opened
doors of opportunities to
many entrepreneurs and
generated employment for
Filipinos. The island of Boracay itself has been a gift
to the locals.
Almie Mondoy,
a native of Kalibo, Aklan, embraced this gift.
Almie’s family moved to
Boracay because of her
father’s business in the
island three decades ago.
They fell in love with the
beauty and people of Boracay. Soon after finishing
school, their family established the island’s first talipapa restaurant serving
fresh seafood.
Unfortunate –
ly, their restaurant burnt
down, forcing them to
close its doors. “Despite
the setbacks, life must go
on. In time, everything will
be fine,” Almie stated.
Almie’s mother
began creating necklaces
and bracelets out of sea
shells as her hobby, which
she later turned into a
business. It became aesthetically attractive among
tourists, so they grabbed
the opportunity to earn
from it.
Soon, Almie
made her accessories
and started a business.
In 2007, she took a loan
from CARD Bank to sustain her business production. It also allows her to
rent a space for her souvenir shop. The microfinance-oriented rural bank
financially assists her in
supporting the growth of
her business.
In 2018, the island was shut down to
the public for six months
for its rehabilitation program. Since Boracay is
highly dependent on its
tourists, businesses and
livelihoods were hardly
affected. “There were no
tourists at that time. The
temporary closure was
challenging since it affected our business operations,” said Almie. “I know
things will work out better
if we maintain a positive
outlook.”
Boracay was later reopened to the public,
allowing them to continue
their businesses. The island came back to normal.
So was their way of living.
Then the pandemic came that tested
her faith and character.
Almie’s souvenir shop
was one of the enterprises
forced to close due to the
lockdown. “Those were
difficult times; we didn’t
know where to get money
for our daily needs,” she
said. “But I keep telling
myself that everything will
be just fine.”
When things
were tough, Almie saw
CARD’s helping hands.
She said that CARD Bank
provided them with assistance throughout the lockdown. “When we didn’t
know what to do, CARD
Bank never left us,” she
stated.
Everything gradually returned to normal,
and Almie restarted her
business operation. CARD
Bank helped her to stand
again on her feet. “No
matter what happens, our
business will survive with
CARD Bank on our side,”
she says.
The economic
recovery has given the
island a new vigor. Almie
now earns PHP 10,000
daily and uses it to expand
her business.
Almie also earns
money from her guest
house and ukay-ukay
store in Romblon. “I can
now say that I can thrive in
adversities. I am ready to
conquer life’s challenges,”
Almie concluded. PR
