Her name is already a household name in Sitio Banago, Brgy. Oyandic, Motiong, Western Samar. For almost two decades, the name Elena Bacaycay –Loyola is synonymous with the sweetness and luscious taste of her ‘kakanin’. At 51, nanay Elena strangely looks ten years older than her present age, her hands calloused and her skin, wrinkled. Her whole body was obviously wilted not just by time but by hard labor. But what was fascinating about her was her childish gesture and spirit of a young girl excited to be interviewed.
Her Bittersweet Beginnings
A brgy. assembly for Kalahi-CIDSS or Pantawid Pamilya is incomplete without the mouth-watering delicacies of Nanay Elena. She makes all kinds of ‘malagkit’ (glutinous rice), from the renowned Chocolate ‘Moron’ to ‘Cassava Rolls’, ‘Biko’, ‘Puto’, down to the sinful sugar-coated ‘Maruya’. When asked why she always bring her kakanin during meetings, she delightfully replied, “Nadiri ak umabsent it amon meeting. Kay nagsusudoy man ak hini, akon na la gindadara. Naka-attend na ak, naka-baligya pa ako [I do not want to miss our meetings. Since I’m peddling these goodies, I just bring them with me. I’m attending the meeting and at the same time, I’ll be able to sell them all].”
Nanay Elena recalled that it was her mother who taught her how to make ‘moron’ and other kinds of rice cake. The ‘kakanin’ business as what she remembered, was not just an ordinary family business. Every one of them depended on it. “Unom kami nga magburugto. Tanan kami maaram maghimu hini kay amu ini an amon la pakabuhi hadto. Nakapalit kami hin isda, papel ngan lapis tungod hini [We were six children in the family and all of us knew how to make these goodies because this was our only source of income before. We were able to buy fish, paper and pencil because of it]”. She admitted that real life was not really sweet unlike their ‘kakanin’. Surprisingly, the sticky quality of the malagkit made their family relationship even closer and stronger amidst the hardships; one of the family values present even in her own family. Like her mother, Nanay Elena taught all her four kids the art of ‘kakanin –making’.
Elena as a Community Volunteer
Nanay Elena joined their barangay’s women organization in 2003 through the encouragement of her sister-in-law. The said organization, through the help of a Non-Government Organization provided technical assistance to their members especially women on micro-entrepreneurship.
She entered Kalahi-CIDSS in 2012 as a PSA (Participatory Situational Analysis) volunteer. “Akon la adto kalugaringon desisyon; waray may nagpirit ha akon bumulig ha Kalahi kay maaram ak may-ada ko hini mahabaruan ngan makabulig liwat ak ha Oyandic [It was my personal decision. No one forced me to joined Kalahi because I knew I can learn something from this and I’ll be able to help Brgy. Oyandic ]”. In 2013, she became the Procurement Team Chairperson. A year after, she was appointed as BAC (Bids and Awards Committee) member. When asked about the reaction of her husband when she joined Kalahi, she narrated that they never had a problem about it as long as she can manage her time as a mother and a community volunteer, her husband will support her all the way. “Bisan babaye ak maaram ako na may ada ak mabubulig [Though I am a woman, I know I can do something to help]”, she added.
An Entrepereneur with a Heart
The whole town of Motiong knows her because of the sweetness of her kakanin, but aside from her chocolate ‘moron’, nanay Elena is also famous for her sweet and big heart. In 2012, she started her ‘Bigasan’ (rice retailing) business with a humble start-up money of ten thousand pesos which came from the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the DSWD. “Mga19 kami adto nga nakahuram hin kwarta ha SLP. Ako an nag-aghat ha iba nga bumulig pag negosyo kay makabulig ini ha amon it amon mga panginahanglan ngan ako man gud an presidente han amon grupo [We were 19 who were granted of a loan from SLP. Since I was the president of the group, I was the one who encouraged them to go into business because it can help us with our daily needs]”. Now, the P190, 000 loan of the group is fully paid and other member’s business is already thriving in Oyandic. But nanay Elena’s ‘bigasan’ was not really founded for profit. She allows her ka-‘barangays’, all 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) members to get rice from her, remarkably at zero interest. “Dire gud man ak naglalanat hit tubo, basta nakabulig ako, ok la [I am not really after the profit. As long as I can help them, its ok]”. Now wives like Mrs. Loyola have less trouble in looking for food for their table.
Now a Leader
Apart from being a Kalahi-CIDSS community volunteer, livelihood association president and Pantawid Pamilya parent leader of Brgy. Oyandic, nanay Elena was also elected as the Pantawid Pamilya Sectoral Representative of the Municipality of Motiong. “Tanan hira bumotos ha akon [They all voted for me]”, she proudly remembered. Now, the ‘kakanin’ maker is no longer confined in her kitchen, with hands soaked in coconut milk and glutinous rice. She now signs proposals and other legal documents.
“Yana, nakig-huruharampang na ak it mga politiko ngan iba pa nga mga lider. Dire na ak naawod. Nakag-yakan na ak ha ira atubangan kun mayda nam meeting [Today, I can already deal with politicians and other leaders. I’m no longer hesitant. I can already speak in front of them during our meetings]”. If there is one quality that Nanay Elena thought she did not possess, that was self-esteem. “Kahuna ko dire ko kaya, kaya man ngay-an [I thought I cannot do it. But I just did]”, she declared cheerfully. One amazing thing about her being a sectoral representative is that, she still brings her ‘kakanin’ even during municipal and regional level meetings.
The concrete pathway of Sitio Banago is a result of Nanay Elena’s selfless voluntereeism and their community’s perseverance. “Proud ak hito nga project kay bulig ak hito [I am proud of that projectbecause I was part of it]”. Aside from the physical project, the DSWD and PAMANA program on sustainable livelihood has transformed Brgy. Oyandic people to become self-sufficient and resilient peoeple. Now, Nanay Elena’s eldest daughter is already a gradeschool teacher, two are still college students, while the youngest is in high school level.
When asked about her message to other volunteers like her, she replied with a childish smirk on her face, “Para ha igkasi ko mga waray gin-adman, an akon masisiring la, ayaw kamo ka awod, ayaw kamo ka-hadlok. Unta ig-igbaw pa naton it aton mga kalugaringon ngan abuton naton it aton hingyap. Kaya naton magbag-o para kaupayan basta mag-urugop kita [To those like me who who had no formal education, we should not be ashamed, we should not be scared. Instead we should raise ourselves up and reach for our goals. We can make a change for the better as long as we are together]”.