Cabin steward becomes grill king to earn income amid quarantine

Cabin steward becomes grill king to earn income amid quarantine
June 11, 2020 https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/742257/ca...

A cabin steward in a cruise ship has turned to selling barbecue at home to earn income amid the community quarantine.

According to Corrine Catibayan's report for "24 Oras," Juno Cayabyab returned to the Philippines in March 6 for a vacation but he got caught by the lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

With nothing else to do, he began thinking about how he can make a livelihood amid the pandemic.

"In-encourage po ako ng Tita Hannah ko na mag-business po habang nakatambay ako dito," Juno shared. "Binigyan niya po ako ng 2,000 pesos para po mag-start ng business."

After learning how to work the grill with the help of a friend, he began offering barbecue for delivery on social media.

He sells barbecue for P10 per stick, but an order of 13 sticks only costs a bargain price of P100.

Juno's business has been running for only five days, but his products were getting sold out every day. He is also glad to receive positive reviews from his customers.

"'Yung iba kasi hindi ko talaga sila kilala, hindi ko sila friend," he said. "Pagka-receive nila nung product, pagkaalis ko, bigla na lang silang mag-cha-chat or mag-te-text na, 'Hoy, ang sarap ng barbecue mo.'"

He has earned around P20,000 so far, which enabled him to buy a new grill and pay off some debts.

Juno said he plans to continue barbecuing in the future, but he will still return to his job in the cruise ship.

"Kailangan ko po talagang bumalik ng pagbabarko kasi mas malaki talaga ang kita mo," he said. "Ang goal ko talaga is to provide po para sa family ko. Hanggang kaya ko talaga as in magpapaka-selfless ako para lang sa family ko." —MGP, GMA News