Just like the clothes and fabrics at an ukay-ukay shop, Santanina Husin Salahuddin is no stranger to tossing and turning because her life is full of it. Born into a poor family, she could only hold on to the fabrics of hope, sacrifice, and perseverance.

A high school finisher worked abroad as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) to give back to her family, as most Filipino children would. She eventually married Jul Sakiran Salahuddin and together, they have shared not only a marriage but a mission to build a better life for their children.

With the little savings she had from working overseas, Santanina and her husband found an opportunity in the form of bundles of secondhand clothes. The couple put up a mobile ukay-ukay store, moving from one municipality to another. They traveled from one place to another, waking up before sunrise to prepare their goods. They endured long hours, waiting patiently for customers who searched through piles of clothes, hoping to find something valuable. Every dress sold, every shirt folded, every coin earned meant rice on the table and notebooks for their children and growing family.

After a while, the Salahuddin family decided to settle in Barangay Poblacion, Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay Province where they live even up to this day.

In 2022, they were registered as beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. Upon their registration in to the program, the Social Workers assessed the family and found out that their level of well-being is at level 2 or Subsistence level.

The program helped the couple in their expenditures especially for the education, food, and health of the children. Santanina and her husband established quite a big family and so this assistance from the government is such a huge aid for their survival.

The cash grants helped lessen school expenses, while the rice subsidy ensured food security when income fluctuated. Some of the money was saved by Santanina and accumulated to 8,000 pesos which she withrew in February 2024.

Meanwhile, they continued their ukay-ukay business while raising eleven children. Though they suffered the painful loss of two children, Santanina and her husband remained strong for the nine who remained.

Years passed, and just like carefully sorting through ukay-ukay items to find the best pieces, the couple slowly found better opportunities. Their small roadside selling gradually grew into something more stable. From purely ukay-ukay, they transitioned into an RTW retail and wholesale dry goods store.

Today, their income from the RTW retail and wholesale store reaches around ₱10,000 monthly, with additional financial support of ₱20,000 from their daughter who works as a nurse in Saudi Arabia. Their youngest child is now in college, a living testament to the sacrifices made through years of selling ukay-ukay.

When they were asssessed again by the Social Worker of 4Ps, some few changes are already visible as signs of progress. Their house was already built with strong materials and equipped with electricity and a deep well for water source. From traveling vendors carrying sacks of clothes from town to town, they are now stable business owners in their community. From subsistence level when they first entered as beneficiaries of 4Ps, they are now at level 3 or self-sufficient level.

From ukay-ukay to an OK life, Santanina’s story shows that even humble beginnings, when handled with care and determination, can be transformed into something lasting, meaningful, and valuable just like every piece of clothing that they sold with renewed purpose.