In a quiet neighborhood, a powerful story unfolds, one not of instant success but of sacrifice and faith. Leticia Corbita Martinez, once a caregiver in Taiwan, returned to the Philippines not to rest, but to rebuild a life closer to her family. Her decision not to return abroad was the turning point.<\/p>
With her husband\u2019s encouragement, the couple started a modest business \u2014 crafting coffins. With only one carpenter and one painter, and her husband driving deliveries, they worked from home, fueled by hope and the little savings she had brought home.<\/p>
As orders trickled in, so did the potential to grow. Leticia turned to Tagum Cooperative, not just for capital but for support and trust. Every time she completed a loan, she applied for another, allowing her to buy materials in bulk and fulfill increasing orders. \u201cIf you’re afraid of death, you can\u2019t survive in this business,\u201d she says candidly. \u201cBut there’s no shame in honest work.\u201d<\/p>
Their business has grown steadily. From just the two of them, they now employ seven workers, each depending on the business for their daily needs. Leticia takes pride in never delaying salaries. \u201cYou cannot borrow someone\u2019s labor,\u201d she insists. \u201cEven if I have to borrow money to pay them, I do. These workers have families, too.\u201d<\/p>
Today, she no longer just builds coffins, she serves her community. As a Purok Leader, JKK Treasurer, Lupong Tagapamayapa member, Women\u2019s Council President, and active barangay leader, Leticia gives back. For newborn deaths in her area, she provides coffins and delivery free of charge. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a business,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s also a form of service. If someone has nothing, we help. We\u2019ll earn that back in blessings.\u201d<\/p>
Faith is central to her story. She never misses Sunday Mass and prays daily for her family and the co-op that stood by them. \u201cWithout Tagum Coop,\u201d she reflects, \u201cwe wouldn\u2019t have grown. God gave us this opportunity and Tagum Coop was the instrument.\u201d<\/p>
Leticia\u2019s journey is a testament to what courage, humility, and grace can build. She encourages others to join the co-operative that changed her life.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
From Grief to Grace: Leticia’s Life-Building Business Leticia Martinez’s Story of Success with Tagum Cooperative In a quiet neighborhood, a powerful story unfolds, one not of instant success but of sacrifice and faith. Leticia Corbita Martinez, once a caregiver in Taiwan, returned to the Philippines not to rest, but to rebuild a life closer to her family. Her decision not to return abroad was the turning point. With her husband\u2019s encouragement, the couple started a modest business \u2014 crafting coffins. With only one carpenter and one painter, and her husband driving deliveries, they worked from home, fueled by hope and the little savings she had brought home. As orders trickled in, so did the potential to grow. Leticia turned to Tagum Cooperative, not just for capital but for support and trust. Every time she completed a loan, she applied for another, allowing her to buy materials in bulk and fulfill increasing orders. \u201cIf you’re afraid of death, you can\u2019t survive in this business,\u201d she says candidly. \u201cBut there’s no shame in honest work.\u201d Their business has grown steadily. From just the two of them, they now employ seven workers, each depending on the business for their daily needs. Leticia takes pride in never delaying salaries. \u201cYou cannot borrow someone\u2019s labor,\u201d she insists. \u201cEven if I have to borrow money to pay them, I do. These workers have families, too.\u201d Today, she no longer just builds coffins, she serves her community. As a Purok Leader, JKK Treasurer, Lupong Tagapamayapa member, Women\u2019s Council President, and active barangay leader, Leticia gives back. For newborn deaths in her area, she provides coffins and delivery free of charge. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a business,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s also a form of service. If someone has nothing, we help. We\u2019ll earn that back in blessings.\u201d Faith is central to her story. She never misses Sunday Mass and prays daily for her family and the co-op that stood by them. \u201cWithout Tagum Coop,\u201d she reflects, \u201cwe wouldn\u2019t have grown. God gave us this opportunity and Tagum Coop was the instrument.\u201d Leticia\u2019s journey is a testament to what courage, humility, and grace can build. She encourages others to join the co-operative that changed her life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,45,46,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-member-stories","category-articles","category-asides","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21044"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21056,"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21044\/revisions\/21056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mass-specc.coop\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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