Maid in HK comes home a magnate
What do you think of a sexagenarian balancing a life of business management and community involvement?
Subjecting her to that question, Agnes Leticia Marrero could be an instant persona of awe and inspiration as, at the age of 69, she manages a throng of family businesses based in the Cordilleras and, on the sidelines, serves her community.
Manang Letty, together with her husband and children, busies her day-to-day life by administering the businesses she established after 15 years of working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong. She now outplaces memories of her cleaning toilets and scrubbing floors with a macramé of good fortune: a dry goods store, a banana plantation, and a three-pool garden resort (with lawn tennis court, playground, convenience store, and picnic cottages).
“When people find out that me and my husband supervise these enterprises, they say it’s indeed awesome,” she shared. “I tell them, ‘It’s all hardwork and perseverance and faith.’”
Life begins at 45
Manang Letty left the Philippines at an age normally peaked for retiring. For a woman already at the prime of her life, to leave her family behind and pursue an overseas work is quite unconventional but she was determined to sustain a living for her family, especially her four teenage children.
“It was a risky decision,” she recalled. “I was already 45 then, and working overseas was quite an unlikely option to take.”
According to Manang Letty, she had to take the risk for all her children to realize their dream of finishing their studies. Their family also needed income to sustain a life amid hard times.
Nevertheless, she takes pride in claiming that her family did not encounter the difficult problems that usually beset families whose father or mother works abroad. The OFW’s absence deterred not her husband, Elpecio, and her children to lead a life as if she was with them.
Staying intact
“We missed each other, yes, but we kept our promise of staying intact regardless of the distance,” she said. “After all, what I did was for the benefit of the family.”
Aside from the established businesses, the Marreros were able to acquire several real estate and chattel properties out of the savings from Manang Letty’s overseas employment. She confirmed that her present savings allow them better opportunities.
Also, Manang Letty was able to send all her children to decent schools, consequently producing professionals in the family. Her first son, an accountant, is a member of the Association of Provincial Executives while the second, who boasts of a BS Mechanical Engineering degree, is a lessor of a computer shop and a sing-along and billiards hall. Marrero’s third child, who worked as a dental assistant in Saudi for five years, is the manager of a dental clinic in La Union as the family’s youngest finished two collegiate courses, BS Animal Technology and BS Education, thus his employment as the Executive Dean of Mt. Province State Polytechnic University. All of her children are now happily married and are leading a comfortable life.
Recently, Manang Letty was awarded as an outstanding Overseas Filipino Entrepreneurs by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, an award given by PCE as part of the Go Negosyo Para sa mga OFWs at Balikbayans.
The Go Negosyo Para sa mga OFWs at Balikbayans is part of the continuing Go Negosyo campaign. Spearheaded by Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship and PCE Founding Trustee Jose Concepcion III, the campaign aims to promote entrepreneurship in the country.
Community worker
Concepcion said of Manang Letty: “Her life manifests inspiration and triumph. Filipinos should learn from her example; keep a positive mindset, take risks, and persevere no matter how pressing times may be.”
Ever since, it has been a dream of the spouses Manong Elpecio and Manang Letty to have a family that can contribute to nation and community building. Manong Elpecio had been a mailman all his life. He was promoted as postmaster of the municipality a few years back. As for Manang Letty, she was a dressmaker and a sari-sari store operator.
According to Manang Letty, her small businesses, which enjoys fair acceptance, helped promote an understanding of entrepreneurship in their community. She added that her livelihoods effected to a healthier relation with her townsfolk.
It is great to note that when she was still abroad and even up to this time, Manang Letty did not cease involving herself in community projects and involvement.
She proved her dedication to community service as she was given recognition in three different occasions—in 1992, 1997, and 2006—for outstanding contributions, one of which is by meritoriously supporting a school project.
As she continues to further the success of her entrepreneurial venture, she carries with her a bigger cause: to make her hometown a warmer place to live in. Manang Letty said, “If I were able to make a notable difference in my own family, why not so in our society?”
(Bylined, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 25, 2007)
