DAVAO CITY, March 14 (PIA) – A Filipino medical office assistant could hardly sustain living in Canada with four children and a limited monthly earning from her regular job.
This pushed April Moran, now the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Canada Bayong, to think of better ways to augment her earnings.
“ I came from Bicol. I tried to bring with me 10 bags made out of abaca fabric and sold it to my co-workers. All the ten bags were sold in a week. And that started the business. I increased getting supplies up to 50 bags and had them sold out in a month,” Moran shared.
That was January 2020, the start of the COVID19 pandemic.
While it was the start of the downfall of most entrepreneurs and the closure of many businesses, Moran had seen opportunity of the global situation.
The Filipina entrepreneur started cultivating relationship in communities back home.
She sourced out bags from the community of weavers in Iloilo, Samar, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Davao del Norte, Bicol, Laguna, and Manila.
Moran knew that the pandemic has affected the livelihood of most Filipinos. This further pushed her to help these communities and at the same time promote Filipino ingenuity and craftmanship to the world.
“Masaya sila (Filipino weavers) dahil natutulungan ko sila lalo na ngayong panahon ng pandemya. (They are happy because I get to help them especially in this time of the pandemic),” Moran shared.
The communities, too, felt proud while seeing and knowing that their bags are appreciated and sold abroad.
Moran narrated how she markets these “bayong” or bags to the potential buyers.
“ I always tell them that every bag comes with a beautiful story. It is weaved by the hardworking hands of a Filipino weaver who also aims to feed a family back home. Every bag has a story to tell. And that makes it loved by the buyers.”
Aside from helping communities, Moran was also pumped to do better in expanding the business as she’s inspired to have also contributed in preserving and sustaining the Filipino culture.
She believes that supporting these abaca and banana fiber weavers is her own advocacy in promoting and sustaining a Filipino culture…”pagbabayong” or bagmaking and weaving out of indigenous fabrics.
Canada Bayong, her company name, since 2021 has shared the business achievements by opening it to re-sellers.
From a single base in Canada in 2020, it has expanded to more re-sellers in every province in Canada, and other countries such as USA, Australia, and Italy.
Moran was also proud to share that she will finally be opening her first physical store in Calgary, Canada soon.
With her growing business and growing Filipino communities supported by it, the Filipino entrepreneur takes pride in showcasing and selling Filipino ingenuity through the 500 “bayongs” or bags every month amidst the global pandemic.
“ I see every opportunity as a blessing. I see my “kababayongs” as a blessing the same way as how the communities back home see me as a blessing to them,” Moran said. (PIA XI/Frances Mae Macapagat)
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