OFW puts up ‘sari-sari’ in Rome

For many Filipinos, life under the bridge can’t hold much promise. How could a place made mundane and grubby by all sorts of pollution be anything but another tasteless reminder of urban blight?

But for Norma Macalindong, it became the sanctuary for a dream. Macalindong, 47, is one of the modern-day heroes that Filipinos look up to, another intrepid pursuer of a decent livelihood oceans away from home.

What makes her a bit different from other overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is that she has established an international food store in Rome, which by a quirk of fate is located under a bridge.For this venture, Macalindong will be one of the recipients of the Overseas Filipino Entrepreneurs (OFEs) awards to be given by President Arroyo and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III at the Go Negosyo Para sa mga OFWs at Balikbayans fair, the latest leg of the continuing Go Negosyo campaign spearheaded by Concepcion, slated on Dec. 15-17 at Market! Market! Trade Halls A & B in Taguig.

"It all started when I became president of the Mancini Club (organization of Filipinos working in Piazza Mancini)," recalled Macalindong. "We would all spend our days selling Filipino food near Piazza Mancini, there under the bridge, everyday."Named Norma’s International Food Store, Macalindong’s business could be regarded as a typical sari-sari store, offering various goods, from softdrinks to dried goods to husked rice. The only difference is that it caters to a broader public, which according to Macalindong is dominated by South Americans. "Surprisingly, there are more South Americans who buy from the store than Filipinos," she disclosed.

According to Macalindong, a full-blooded Batangueña, she has been exposed to commerce at a very young age. She correspondingly traces the roots of her business skills to the farms of her homeland whence, as a second grader, she would accompany her mother to sell fish.In 1984, Macalindong successfully inched through her erstwhile destitute life as destiny’s hand led her to Italy. She started out as a domestic helper, who during days-off would sell bags in train and tram stations. She said that her vending began as a way to augment her and her husband’s income to support their 11 children, seven of whom are studying in Italy, while the rest are back in the Philippines. Selling soon became the couple’s livelihood."It was obviously a hard endeavor, not to mention encounters with people determined to pull you down, perhaps because of envy," said Macalindong. "But you have to do what you have to do. And besides, it was for my children whom I love most dearly. God’s helping grace and my husband’s support did me well, too."Fourteen years later, Macalindong’s persistence in the working life abroad made her into a seasoned market player. She first vended in Andrea Doria, a well-known marketplace for migrants in Vatican, then moved to Ponte Millo, and finally found "her zone" in Piazza Mancini. Currently, the Macalindongs have started an export business in the Philippines, which is managed by one of Norma’s children. The Las Piñas-based Macalindong Export-Import was set up to chop off the expenses from acquiring products from importers. "We’ve just started; a total of three shipments," Macalindong said. "For now, I’m only supplying our store. Possibly in a few years, I’d accommodate other Asian stores."

Macalindong, who was egged on by fellow Filipinos and other Italian officials to further her service in the community, is now eyeing a political position in Rome as she has filed her candidacy as Consiglieri (councilor).