09/07/2026
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฅ๐: ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐
For many micro-entrepreneurs, a business is not only about earning a livingโit is about building hope for the familyโs future. For Ms. Mary Ann Navarro Ducos, owner of Claudelicious Snack House in Barangay Poblacion, Kiamba, entrepreneurship became a journey of resilience, faith, and determination.
Although officially registered on January, 2025, the business was first established in 2019 as a way to provide additional income for her family. Serving well-loved treats like siomai, graham balls, sodas, and juices, the small snack house started as a highly promising venture. However, shortly after starting, an unexpected crisis threatened to shatter it completely. During the pandemic in 2019, the area where her newly built snack house was located was affected by a road widening project.
As a result, the business had to close before she could even recover the expenses she had invested in setting it up. The sudden closure deeply affected her. She recalled feeling hopeless and discouraged, even crying for days over the loss of her store. For a time, she lost the motivation to start over. Yet, amid the despair, her husband reminded her to hold onto faith, telling her that God might have a bigger plan.
In 2022, a Business Counselor from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Negosyo Center Kiamba conducted a field profiling for MSMEs heavily affected by the health and economic crisis. Mary Ann was one of the local MSMEs interviewed, and this encounter opened doors to various capacity-building seminars and training programs. The ultimate turning point came when she was selected as a beneficiary of the Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG) Program, receiving a livelihood kit worth โฑ8,000.00. For Mary Ann, the kit was more than just physical capitalโit was a divine sign to try again.
Using the livelihood kit as a starting point, she gradually reopened her business. Armed with a renewed spirit, Mary Ann wasted no time and put her pure grit and diskarte to work, expanding her business into a barbecue stall alongside her original snacks. To maximize her income, she started cooking spaghetti, carbonara, and macaroni, aggressively promoting them on social media to reach wider customers. It became a true family endeavor, with her children helping in to prepare the food while Mary Ann managed the strategy and sales. She carefully managed her cash flow, strictly rolling her barbecue profits and store income back into the business to continuously expand her inventory.
The support provided by DTI brought significant improvements to her enterprise, Claudelicious Snack House experienced increased sales, an expanded customer base, and improved efficiency in business operations. More importantly, her store grew bigger, her snack house was revived, and she gained more loyal customers from the community.
The small stall that was once demolished has now grown into a stable enterprise that proudly sustains her family's daily needs. Looking back on her journey, Mary Ann feels nothing but gratitude for DTI, offering a powerful piece of advice for fellow MSMEs:
"๐ฟ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐. ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ค, ๐๐ค๐๐ก๐๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฎ๐. ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ ๐ค, ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐-๐๐ค๐๐ช๐จ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฎ๐. ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฎ๐, ๐ข๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ค๐ข๐๐ง๐จ."
The story of Claudelicious Snack House highlights the importance of resilience, innovation, and timely intervention in empowering MSMEs toward recovery and growth. ๐๐ก๐. (๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ, ๐ก๐๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ข ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐)
