Truly Unlimited: Sun Cellular Retailer Tastes Success

 

When life deals you a bad hand, you either fold, or roll with it.

Iloy is a Sun Cellular prepaid load retailer from Bacoor, Cavite.

This is the story of Iloy.

Romeo Lazaro Sedlario, Iloy, as his friends refer to him, is a Sun Cellular prepaid load retailer from Bacoor, Cavite.

Born to a poor family, Iloy as a child had a severe case of polio that paralyzed him from neck-down.

After therapy, He has been able to use his upper body and arms which help him go around using a makeshift wheelchair.

For more than a decade, Iloy worked as a computer shop assistant, living on a meager daily allowance of P100. But he, and his wife Swing, knew that they couldn’t live on P100 and food given by their neighbors. Add to that the fact that Swing was pregnant with the first of their eventual two children, he would have to make a drastic change.

It was 2006 when he tried to find a livelihood that he could do even with his condition . “Nagtanong-tanong ako sa mga kaibigan ko kung ano ang magandang negosyo na kaya ko. Sabi nila sa akin na maraming naghahanap ng load sa bus terminal papuntang Lawton kapag umaga (I asked my friends for suggestions on what businesses to do. They told me that many people are clamoring for prepaid loads at the bus terminal going to Lawton),” Iloy narrates.

He realizes that this could be his only chance to provide a decent living for his family. As if by chance, he met Bong Sunga of Sun Cellular National Distributor Sales, who willingly assisted Iloy as he started with his loading business.
It was a rough start. Very early in the morning, he would go to the bus terminal, where he would set up his loading booth, and would stay there until the afternoon. Using a cell phone is unimaginably painful for him, given his deformed fingers. He also has trouble pushing the makeshift wheelchair over long distances – his arms and hands tremble as he does so. Despite the pain, he would religiously do this every single day for years.

Iloy at work

“Minsan umuutang pa ako ng load kay Sir Bong Sunga, kasi wala akong pang-puhunan. Uutang ako sa kanya pagkatapos babayaran ko na lang kapag nabenta ko na lahat ng load (I would sometimes borrow load from Sir Bong Sunga, because I really do not have any capital to pay for the load. I would borrow the load and would then pay him back as soon as I sell all of them),” said Iloy.

Inspired by Iloy, Bong willingly obliged and continues to do so up to this very day. And, as a bonus, they formed a wonderful friendship.

At first, Iloy was earning, again, a mere P100 daily. But eventually, as his customer-base grew over the years, he began earning an average of P500 a day, and would sometimes take home more than P1000. Among his many customers is a loyal group of Makati employees who would regularly purchase load from him.

His loading business has given him the chance to rent a home for his family. Now he is able to send his first son to school, and is planning to enroll his second son in school soon, as well. He continues to dream big. “Plano ko pa din na magtayo ng kainan saka magpa-boundary ng tricycle (I still plan on putting up an eatery and a tricycle business),” shares Iloy. “Pero habang wala pa ang mga iyon, ipagpapatuloy ko pa din ang paglo-load ko, kasi alam ko na sa negosyo na ito, mas giginhawa pa ang buhay ko at ng pamilya ko (But until then, I would still continue my loading business, because I know that I can provide a better life for me and my family thanks to what I do),” Iloy adds. 

His good friend Bong Sunga continuous to support Iloy over the years. “Iloy’s story is very close to my heart, and I use it his story to remind my staff how lucky they are,” says Bong Sunga.  
 
“Iloy’s story is truly inspiring and utterly moving,” says Edgardo Razon, Sun Cellular’s Vice President for National Distributor Sales. “We aim not only to spread our products across the country to meet customer demands, but to help people start their own businesses as well, giving them the chance for a better life like Iloy had,” Razon adds.
 

Iloy is joined by his good friend, Bong Sunga of Sun Cellular National Distributor Sales

To be a sun retailer, inquire at the Sun Shop nearest you or call (02)395-8000 if in Manila, or Hotline 200 from your Sun mobile phone.

Sun Cellular is part of the PLDT Group.