Leonida Gimay

Meaty Blessings

When Allan and Leonida Gimay got married in 1987, they always told themselves that they would earn a living from the meat industry. This was an obvious choice for the couple whose relatives were either into piggery, poultry or meat shop business. This unyielding desire to be in the industry did not come without a cost – it was a journey through life with a lot of pain, sacrifices and sufferings.

Living in the quiet town of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, the couple, together with their four kids, lived in a small shanty about five square meters wide beside the house of Allan’s parents. Dependent along on Allan’s P300 a week income as a helper in the meat shop of Allan’s uncle, meals of shrimp paste or fried fish was common on the family’s table. The couple tried so hard to find other jobs but luck didn’t seem to be on their side. Leonida, who was about to give up on the meat industry, saw that extreme poverty was becoming a detriment to their family especially for the children.

This continued for a little more than a decade until Leonida heard of Project Dungganon from relatives and neighbors in 1990 where a projection meeting was being facilitated in one of the houses. With her utmost curiosity, she immediately investigated and studied what the organization was all about. She was willing to try anything legal at that time since the family really needed money including microfinance. She set foot to join the program and use the money to buy swine that Allan could sell in the meat shop.

They started selling only one butchered pig during the week until they could have more money and keep raising the number of pigs each week. Since the take-off of the business was not drastic, Allan would have down times, an occasion he used to his advantage by doing construction for other contractors. In no time, Allan didn’t have to work on outside gigs anymore so he and Leonida could concentrate on their meat business.

True to their word, they did as they planned with the few loan cycles and with the expansion of the business, the blessings started coming in – school needs of their children were provided for, food was abundant on the tablet and they were able to start their own meat shop business in 1993 in their town’s public market.

“It is the fact that all my children are able to eat good food, study in a university and live in a comfortable house that makes us happy,” Leonida beamed.

Indeed, this was satisfying for the couple who have always wanted to be in the meat industry. As business was doing well, the couple expanded their piggery operations to supply the growing needs of their meat shop and accommodate other requests from customers to supply cow meat, carabao meat and others. Also, Leonida felt that they would be able to market themselves better if they had their own transportation service. Soon after, they were able to purchase a second hand tricycle to serve as their delivery vehicle.

In 1996, Leonida was able to buy an even bigger vehicle – a second hand Ford Fiera that became a rental service to other traders and a sturdier transportation that can be brought to mountainous terrain in other towns to sell other goods and provide other services. In 1998, they acquired a brand new Kawasaki Motorcycle and purchased another second hand Ford Fiera, the year after that.

“I owed Project Dungganon so much. If they weren’t there, we wouldn’t be where we are now. Project Dungganon did not look at our impoverished state. Instead, they only looked at our capacity to be able to repay the loan they have given us,” Leonida said.

The stability of their income was on a steady streak when, suddenly, Allan got mixed up in a motorcycle accident sometime in 2006. The hospital bill ballooned to a huge amount that the income from the business was not enough to cover it. Luckily, Leonida had a foresight – she had been saving money from the income of her business and depositing it with Project Dungganon since the time she started. The amount that grew with interest through the years came in handy for the hospital bills.

With Allan recuperating significantly, it was still business as usual. In spite of the setback, Leonida’s business continued to grow. They would sell an average of 100 kilos of meat a day in their two stalls at the local market earning for them at least P8,000 a week while they continue to operate an ever-growing piggery. They have also invested some of their earnings in a small sugarcane farm and a one and a half hectare real estate where they are starting to build their house.

“If it seems like we are more financially stable now, it is because my husband and I are hard working people, trustworthy and have complete trust in God. You cannot just dream it. You have to work and have complete trust in God. You cannot just dream it. You have to work for that dream to make it happen,” Leonida shared with a smile.

Success would be an understatement to describe this family. Although the word itself is relative, Leonida has gone a long way in reaching her dreams and even beyond that. Now, her long-term dream is to build a house for each of her four children, present them with other properties and continue to teach them the value of saving.

Indeed, a classic story of living out their dream and working towards it. Leonida’s story of hard work, determination and relentless savings is a testament to Warren Buffet’s saying.