24
filipino globe
kultura
May 2008
Beauty calls: Gupit kayo ... manicure
They man the frontlines for countless Filipino parlors in Central. As Gabby Alvarado writes, they have their jobs cut out for them
E
very beauty salon for Pinoys
in Central is not complete
without this aide.
The gay hairstylist, manicurist and
facial care specialist, for all their
nakakalokang chika, need someone
in the street – a frontliner, if you will
– to draw customers.
A unique, and arguably
indispensable, tool of the beauty
trade in Central is the caller – that
lady stationed near the steel railings
on Des Voeux Road, just across
World-Wide House, whose main
prop is a calling card, her chief assets
a ready smile and a sweet tongue
that invite passersby in need of a
makeover on a bad hair day.
Sometimes these callers can
persuade to come in for shampoo
and a haircut even those who had no One caller decided to try the trade
intention of visiting a salon at the when she had found life in their flat
start of their day off. boring after seeing her grandchildren
You can spot them from a mile grow up. She used to frequent beauty
away and hear their familiar salons too and was challenged by the
invitation: “Gupit kayo?” idea of standing before passersby and
More importantly, these callers trying to convince them to choose
help customers navigate their way one salon over others.
through the maze that is alley- “Walang masama sa trabaho, kikita
alley and find the beauty salons ka pa,” she says proudly.
which, perhaps owing to steep rents For most callers, the initial hurdle
for commercial space, are often
No self-respecting caller will be caught without
is not the stranger on the street.
inconveniently located. Worse,
the business card that is the badge of her .trade.
Rather, the objections of people they
the buildings which house them are closest to – their families.
sometimes do not allow the salons to “Ayaw talaga nila,” says one
post signs advertising their business, caller. “Sabi ko: ‘Anak, mag-i-stay
making it more difficult to call mga nag-aabang at nagyayaya ng
Di masyadong
patience and guts. A typical working ako sa bahay the whole day. Anong
attention to their existence. gupit. Kasi pag nagpapaayos ako, sa day lasts at least nine hours. Six gagawin ko kundi manood ng TV?
Josie Rodriguez Lau, owner of Intsik.” pagod. Di gaya days a week. Rain or shine. On a Nakakabobo. At least ito exercise na,
Juno’s House of Beauty at Sunny For Josie, loyalty and good street where, apart from the stiff kumikita ka pa.’
House, discovered the need for a personality are important traits that
pag nagtatrabaho
competition one faces from callers “E kung yung call girl di nahihiya
caller soon after opening her salon one needs to look for in a caller. In
ka sa restoran
of rival salons, she needs to dodge sa kanyang trabaho, caller pa? Sabi
less than a year ago. seven months of operations, Juno’s carts of merchandise and recyclable ko: ‘Dapat maging proud ka kasi ang
She invested at least $150,000 on has had three callers.
o dishwasher.
products driven by enterprising nanay mo hindi pasaway. Hindi ako
Juno’s, most of it refurbishing the Their latest, named Cora, of Wan Chinese in a rush. tamad’.’’
space and buying new equipment. Chai, is a perfect fit for the salon. Pag matanda ka But Rosita Leung, 65, a native of South Horizon resident Bella
Josie had found hair stylists, too. All According to Josie, some of their Cagayan de Oro City, relishes the Limayo, 63, who hails from
that was lacking were customers. customers are attracted by 66-year-
na, mahirap ang
job she has been doing since 1997. Camiling, Tarlac, finds an
“Nung nakatayo na ito, hindi pala old Cora’s neatness and even want to
ganung trabaho
“Di masyadong pagod. Di gaya unexpected bonus to the job of a
lalakad kung walang caller,” says copy her hairdo. pag nagtatrabaho ka sa restoran o caller. “Lahat ng tao makikita mo
Josie, managing director of Legacy “Importanteng makahanap ng dishwasher. Pag matanda ka na, dito,” Bella says. “Yung pamangkin
Group of Companies and a resident maayos at mapagkakatiwalaang
ROSITA LEUNG
On her job for the past 11 years
mahirap ang ganung trabaho,” ko saka inaanak sa kasal na matagal
of Hong Kong for the past 26 years. caller,” Josie says. explains the former domestic helper ko nang di nakikita dito ko lang pala
“Di ko pinapansin dati ’yung Being a caller takes a lot of who now resides in Tsing Yi. sa Central makikita uli.
A day in the life of a caller
Mahilig ka bang magpaayos sa regular caller ng mula $4,500
parlor at magmukhang kaakit- hanggang $6,000 kada buwan.
akit parati? Nasasayangan ka sa Napag-uusapan din ang bakasyon.
pera at gusto mong makalibre ng At kung mabait talaga ang may-ari
bayad? ng mapuntahan mong salon, baka
Subukang pumasok na regular bigyan ka pa ng MPF.
caller ng mga beauty salon para sa “Walang quota kung ilang
mga Pinoy sa Central. kostumer ang madala sa parlor sa
Sa ganitong trabaho, libre ang maghapon. Pero siyempre gusto
gupit, manicure at pedicure. Mga mo ding makadami para sulit ang
patay na kuko nabibigyang-buhay, araw mo,” ani Rosita Leung.
ang buhok nanatiling masigla kahit “Pag Biyernes at matagal
maghapong bilad sa araw. pa ang suweldo, suwerte ka
At walang kapalit kahit singkong nang makalimang kostumer sa
duling. Dahil ang caller ay maghapon.”
Dahil kadalasan tago ang
nagsisilbing advertisement din ng Meron ding part-time caller na
puwesto ng mga beauty
mga parlor. nagtatrabaho lang tuwing Sabado
parlor, kailangan nila
Sino ba naman ang o Linggo kung kelan makapal ang
ang tulong ng caller para
maeengganyong pumasok sa tao sa Cenral.
makakuha ng kostumer.
parlor kung ang mga kawani Pero higit na mababa ang bigay
Depende sa sa sipag nito
nito ay hindi malinis sa katawan dito at minsan depende ang
at sa dami ng madadalang
at presentableng tingnan? umento kung ilang kostumer ang
tao sa parlor, maaaring
Sandamakmak naman diyan ang nahahatak nila.
kumita ang caller ng $4,500
mapagpipilian pang iba. Ano pang hinihintay mo? Apply
hanggang $6,000 sa isang
Libre din ang kape saka na.
buwan. Kadalasan Linggo
tanghalian at meryenda kaya Teka, nabanggit ko bang
ang pinakamalakas na araw
walang dahilang magutom o kailangang maging permanent
para sa isang caller dahil ito
antukin sa trabaho resident o kaya may dependent’s
Hindi problema kung suweldo visa? Kung wala ka nito, sorry ka
ang day off ng mga Pinay.
ang pag-uusapan. Kumikita ang na lang. Gabby Alvarado
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