Filipino resilience has been some of the common staples for news and bloggers alike during times of crisis and calamity. We see stories of how Filipinos from all over the globe continue to get up each day and face life’s adversities populate both print and online media. This photo story, however, is not one of those. This is a story of perseverance.
Lita Domingo, street pedicurist
In all my years growing up in Davao I’ve seen all kinds of vendors and people outside of City Hall. There were ambulant vendors selling fans, fruits, balloons, stamps, and pens. Some were offering notarial services and some other form of “assistance” in getting government services. As I was walking around City Hall, I chanced upon something that caught my eye. A few women were seated behind improvised protective barriers. That’s when I saw Lita Domingo, providing pedicure services to a customer. Now that is something I don’t remember ever seeing before.
Hi! Can I take your picture?
What made me notice Lita the most compared to the other pedicurists was her unique protective barrier. While the other pedicurists used wooden frames and plastic covers, Lita used a discarded AC grille wrapped in plastic. Instead of having a cut-out hole where customers slide their feet in, she used the opening in the AC grille.
So with my curiosity piqued, I mustered up the courage to approach her. With my rusty Visayan, I inquired if she would be keen to let me photograph her and her customer, and also ask her a few questions. She was a bit anxious at first because she thought I was there to apprehend her. I assured her that I was merely a freelance photojournalist looking for interesting events and people to cover. After showing her my press credentials, she and her customer relaxed a bit and let out a less nervous laugh.
A customer takes off her shoes and socks as Lita prepares her kit for her.
During my conversation with Lita, she told me that she has been in her line of work for over a decade. She started servicing customers outside of City Hall when her daughter was still in kindergarten; with her eyes beaming with pride told me that her daughter is now about to graduate from college. Can you imagine that? Supporting your child’s education from kindergarten all the way to college with just a pedicurist’s income.
Life for people in Lita’s income bracket became doubly hard during the pandemic, but still, she continued doing what she does best. Health restrictions were put in place during the pandemic, and yet she and others like her found creative ways around it. She continued to persevere, and very soon her years of hard work will finally bear fruit for her daughter.
Lita is proof that if our WHY is stronger than our excuses, achieving our goals in life is no longer a matter of IF, but WHEN. If we persevere and put in the work we CAN and we will achieve any goal that we set for ourselves and our loved ones. So even when you feel tired, when you feel like you’re not getting anywhere; rest but don’t quit. As long as you’re trying, as long as you keep showing up, keep grinding…you will get there.
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
-Thomas Edison
