This story is part of Faces of 2020, a series of profiles about people whose stories of loss and survival embody the year 2020.

The night a Luzon-wide lockdown was announced, a heavy-hearted Nowie Potenciano told the 70 employees of his Boracay restaurants to get ready for closure. 

Nowie thought things might get better in 6 months. But 10 months later, things still looked dire for business owners like himself. When Boracay finally opened to tourists on October 1, a total of 35 people came to the island – not enough to sustain even one restaurant.  

“We started realizing that, okay, there’s no hope. There is no light at the end of the tunnel coming soon so we decided we needed to do something else. Our original plan was just to hold on because that’s similar to what we did the last time,” he said, referring to Boracay’s 6-month closure in 2018. “But it seemed like there was no holding on anymore. Our funds were diminished badly.”

That “something else” was to bring all their staff to Metro Manila where they opened up a pop-up of their all-day breakfast place, The Sunny Side Cafe, coconut dessert shop Coco Mama, and a few more food delivery ideas. (READ: Less seats, more deliveries: The future of PH dining)

Nowie and his wife Odette paid for their staff’s ferry tickets, personal protective equipment, and swab tests. They rented an apartment for them so they’d be walking distance from the restaurants.

“We felt better about getting our staff from Boracay even if it’s going to be more expensive. Some of them have been with us for a long time. One of them has been with us for 14 years. We have a longstanding relationship with them so we felt it was important to do that,” he said.

Staying afloat in a pandemic year

It was that, or leave their employees behind in tourist-starved Boracay. Their staff, out of work since March, had received P8,000 in aid from the government for two months and more financial help from the Potencianos. But by August, Nowie knew gratis was not going to be enough to see them through.

The year 2020 was tough on hundreds of thousands of business owners, especially dine-in restaurants, cinemas, theaters, resorts, and really any business that allows people to meet up and have a good time. (READ: Eulogies for the places we lost part 1 and 2)

What Nowie loved the most about owning a restaurant was telling diners about the menu.

“When you tell people about what you have, what you’re proud of, and their faces light up, that’s very rewarding. It’s like, ‘Oh yeah, okay, ube and cereal milk pancakes? Sure! Bacon and mango grilled cheese sandwhich? Okay, I’ll have one of those,’” he said.

He longed to see people actually enjoy his food, a reward that is lost when the dishes are just delivered in boxes to customers on the other side of the city.

“Seeing it pay off with people enjoying the food, having a good time, thinking of your restaurant while they’re in Manila, saying they’ll go back to the island because they want to eat your food – it’s rewarding that way.”

Nowie has it tough but at least his businesses still survive in some form. Others had to close shop completely. Some, like Fe Ortega of Batangas, lost her sari-sari store to Typhoon Quinta, then a week later, lost her entire home to Super Typhoon Rolly.

Daily battle

These days, entrepreneurs like Nowie wake up with the need to hustle. 

“We’re actually busier now because we’re trying everything and seeing what sticks. We’re so desperate now, to be honest. We’re working extra hard just to make ends meet,” he said.

His wish for the days ahead is for the government to “get their act together.” He looked with envy at countries like Vietnam, whose economy is expected to grow despite the pandemic because of their government’s decisive handling of the health crisis.

There are still so many things the Duterte government can do to help struggling businesses, he said.

“I’m hoping for a big bold intervention on the part of the government because these little adjustments just won’t cut it. Can’t they, for example, do away with business taxes for this year and next year?”

It’s been 9 months since he was last in Boracay or saw a beach. His and Odette’s main reason for deciding to start a business there 16 years ago was precisely to have an excuse to always be in the island. 

But with tourism at a near standstill, that dream is put on hold for now.

“We just have to grit our teeth and get the work done. That’s how we’re coping.” – Rappler.com