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Cruise ship waiter starts mobile palengke amid lockdown: 'Wala po dapat arte... basta kumikita'


A cruise ship waiter found an alternative means of income after his job was affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In Saleema Refran's report for "24 Oras," Zeus Awid started an online and mobile palengke to earn income amid the community quarantine.

It was a huge difference from his job on the cruise, but the 25-year-old father of one is not complaining.

"Wala po dapat arte sa katawan. Di baleng mabilad ka sa araw diyan basta kumikita ka ng pera," he said.

READ: Cabin steward becomes grill king to earn income amid quarantine

Zeus and some of his friends pooled together a capital of P9,000 to start the small business.

They would buy vegetables and fruits in bulk and sell them on retail. In the morning, they would go around subdivisions with their products in a car and then deliver orders in the afternoon.

One of his friends, Roy Vincent Matias, used the subsidy he received from the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) as capital.

"'Yung ayuda ko ginamit ko sa tamang paraan para po hindi po ako umasa sa gobyerno, hindi po ako nagmamakaawa sa gobyerno," he said.

Like many others, Zeus said he was sad to lose his job on the cruise, as it allowed him to provide a comfortable life to his family.

Even so, he keeps dealing with the situation as best as he can.

"Sa mga taong OFW na parang iniisip nila wala na silang magagawa, wala nang trabaho, zero na, hindi pa po dun nagtatapos," he said. —MGP, GMA News

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