Remedios De Leon Mañago

Legaspi Frame and Art Shop
Galing Ni Nanay 2012 – Masigasig Awardee

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Remedios De Leon Mañago, 43, Legaspi Frames and Art Shop from Legazpi City, Albay, established 2005, employs 5 people, joined CARD Bank 6 years ago and is now on her 13th loan, makes a profit of PhP 400,000 per year (USD 10,000).

Remedios De Leon Mañago has always had faith in her work. She met her future husband when they both served as missionaries, lecturing on health-related topics and selling religious books. After they married in 1995, they used their savings to open a lamination business, later also offering framing services, out of their home. In 2005, the opportunity to manage their own store unexpectedly presented itself.

“We never thought of having a shop that time because we did not have the capital for the rent and for the materials,” she explained. “But a friend of ours, who is an artist, told us he was going to help us to promote our business.”

Family members loaned the Mañagos enough money to rent a small room and buy the materials they needed. Within two years, Legaspi Frames and Art Shop had become a success and she began borrowing money from CARD Bank to expand further.

“It was very difficult at the start, we had only one to two customers a week,“ she recalled. “But we persevered, and in God’s grace, we were able to prosper.”

The business has expanded to a second location and sells to art studios and photographers throughout the region, with supplies delivered from Manila. The five Mañago children help out in addition to a few paid employees, and they all make customer service a priority – even if it means giving a major discount to keep a dissatisfied customer happy.

“We promote to and serve the community, and we treat our workers fairly,” she said. “Our business requires helping each other. When our product does not have a good quality, our customers will never come back again.”

Now on her 13th loan and making a yearly profit of PhP 400,000 (USD 10,000), Mañago hopes to expand Legaspi Frames and Art Shop even more once her children are older, planning for a photo studio to complement the framing business.

“We need to have perseverance and always ask for the guidance of our Lord because nothing is impossible with Him,” she concluded.

~ Remedios De Leon Mañago