Blog post by Genevieve EstacaanMore from Genevieve Estacaan Thirty-two-year-old Bai was supposed to fly abroad for work when the Philippine Government declared a country-wide lockdown including the temporary suspension of thousands of international and domestic flights. Bai had prepared for her departure for a long time, but all of her plans took a sudden turn when […]

Blog post by Genevieve EstacaanMore from Genevieve Estacaan Ben, 36, is a community organizer with an NGO helping people find jobs and creating sources of income in his hometown, Cotabato City. When the pandemic began, his role shifted to mobilizing Barangays (townships) to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus through hygiene awareness sessions that include […]

Blog post by Ana P. SantosMore from Ana P. Santos The tailors and seamstresses at the Kamuning Public Market in Quezon City are legendary for custom tailoring and couture at off-the-rack prices. They can stitch anything from office and school uniforms to wedding gowns. The Kamuning Public Market was closed last March when an enhanced community […]

Blog post by Genevieve EstacaanMore from Genevieve Estacaan Thoughts of loneliness and anxiety ran through Lynda’s mind as she volunteered herself to enter into self-isolation. What transpired not only disrupted her work, but meant not being able to attend to the child she was breastfeeding. Everything happened fast. Just a few days ago, she had high […]

Blog post by Genevieve EstacaanMore from Genevieve Estacaan Haifa is one of the many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) forced to go back home when the pandemic began. She had been working as a domestic helper in Oman for the past three years. Her contract had expired and the lower demand for OFW domestic helpers made her […]

Blog post by Ana P. SantosMore from Ana P. Santos It started with pineapples. One thousand five hundred pieces of them. Sonny Reyes, 49, had planned the timing of his harvest carefully. He was all set to meet his target of having enough to harvest in March. The timing would allow him to take advantage of […]

Blog post by Ana P. SantosMore from Ana P. Santos The secret to selling fruits is making your customers laugh. “When a customer asks me if the mangoes are sweet, I tell them that it is so sweet that it will make you forget your husband,” laughed Jane Viernes, whose easy smile and witty comebacks make […]

Blog post by Genevieve EstacaanMore from Genevieve Estacaan For Sabel, it was like a scene from a movie. It was around 11:00 in the evening when a police car rushed through their quiet street, waking up the neighbourhood. Suddenly, the police came down from the vehicle and rushed to their house to collect her sisters. “We […]