Taking on the pandemic is one thing. Getting through it with style is another.

Ernie Santillan, a barber from Navotas City, happens to be an expert in grooming and style for his neighbors and loyal patrons.

While he does not have his own barbershop, he would use any open space and transform it into his very own grooming station.

 “Ang ginagawa ko tuwing umaga, ganito po. Naglalabas na po ako ng gamit, kasi wala naman po talaga akong puwesto. Naglalabas lang ako ng gamit,” he said. “Yung mga customer po, sila na lang po ang pumupunta sa puwesto ko.” 

(In the morning, I would bring my equipment outside because I don’t have my own barbershop. I bring my things outside and my customers would come to my place.)

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Santillan earned between P300 and P500 per day. When the virus hit early last year, movement restrictions forced barber shops and personal care services to close down.

But for Santillan, the word “surrender” did not exist in his dictionary. One opportunity would eventually turn his fortune around.

On August 10, 2021, he was chosen as one of the beneficiaries of former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano’s Sampung Libong Pag-asa program, which seeks to provide P10,000 each to the pandemic-stricken households.