BANGUED, Abra(PIA) — A former security guard- turned local entrepreneur has now a thriving livelihood selling various organic herbal ointments such as shampoo, perfumes, medicinal skin care, leaf ointments, hair grower, and facial toner.
Perlita Ballacillo, a former security guard at the Department of Trade and Industry-Board of Investment (DTI-BOI) in Makati, now owns and manages Emilia’s Herbal Products, based in the municipality of Bucay.
Her DTI career as a stepping stone
While working with DTI, she heard about the Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprise (KMME) Program, one of DTI’s prime mentorship programs, so she took the KMME training in 2017.
Ballacillo said that the KMME training built her confidence to take a leap of faith in starting a local business through her retirement benefits.
“Idi nagsardeng nakon a nagtrabaho, adda metten ideas ko kadagitoyen ta nagresearch nak, in push ko detoy. Idjay ko nga nakita nu kasatnu ti kinapintas ti KMME a mangisuro from zero knowledge. Nagadu ti naadal ko ti KMME through DTI,” Ballacillo said.
[After my retirement, I had ideas about these (herbal ointments) through my researches, I pushed for it. I saw how great the KMME mentored me from zero knowledge and I learned a lot through KMME]
She said that after the KMME training, she also joined a series of agri-preneur training with the Department of Agriculture to further enhance her production capabilities.
How her herbal ointments started?
Through her researches, trials and errors, Ballacillo was persistent to achieve the proper formulations of her products. She said that her products started when her brother used her organic hair treatment after experiencing scalp allergy.
“Daytoy hair grower ti immuna nga product ko ta ni brother ko nag-kalbo, ket aggagatel jay scalp na nu agusar ti synthetic. Isu nga inalok ko suna a padasenna dagiti herbal solution. Nagsardeng met jay anu jay ulo na,”she shared.
[This hair grower was my first product because when my brother experience balding, he used synthetic products and unfortunately he experienced scalp allergy, so I ask him to try my herbal solutions. His scalp allergy was healed.]
Today, Ballacillo is certain with the availability of raw materials for her products which are mostly from plants and are often found in everyone’s backyard.
“Dagitoy mula ti likod ti balaytayo, haan tayo panpansinen ngem adu gayam ti medicinal benefits na kas ti Andadasi, Bayabas ken Aloe vera. Dagitoy payen ti raw materials ko,” she said.
[We ignore most of these plants found in our backyard not knowing their medicinal benefits like Andadasi (Candle bush), Bayabas (guava) and aloe vera. These are my raw materials.]
Ballacillo shared that her business is earning enough to sustain the operations, packaging expenses and personal needs.
While she does not have a physical store yet, she sells her products in pasalubong centers, by-orders, and by participating in trade fairs.
She is one of the participating local businesses at the Department of Trade and Industry-led Christmas Bazaar at the University of Abra. (CAGT-PIA CAR, Abra)
