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"Baga Queen" made a splash in the internet after she went viral for wearing lots of gold jewelry while selling pigs' lungs in the streets of Carriedo, Manila.
Born Jackielyn, also fondly called Ate Jack, the street vendor runs a shop called "Baga ng Mama Mo."
Before the success she enjoys now, however, she had her fair share of trials.
According to Sunday's episode of "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho," Jackiely got pregnant at 19 and had to stop schooling. This was when her mother tasked her to sell wallets.
"Pinagtinda ako ng Mama ko para may panggastos sa bata. Ayaw ng parents namin na iasa 'yung sarili mong pamilya sa kanila," she said. "Mahirap sa umpisa kasi bata pa kami."
["My mom made me sell things so we'd have money for the baby. Our parents didn't want us to rely on them to raise our own family. It was difficult at first because we were still so young."]
But given her perseverance and hard work, Jackielyn was able to graduate college with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Specialization in Cruise Line Management.
Even after getting her diploma, Jackielyn continued working as a street vendor. And since she loves cooking, she tried selling hotdog sandwiches and on sticks in 2011.
"Hindi pa uso ang mga vlogger is talagang dumog na 'yung tao sa akin. Box office queen ang tawag nila sa akin nu'n," she said.
["Back then, vloggers weren't even a thing yet—but people were already flocking to me. They even called me the Box Office Queen."]
As her family grew, she found that her income started to become lacking. Jackielyn traveled abroad to work.
"Umalis kasi ako ng Pilipinas. Baka sakaling suwertehin. Pero hindi rin," she said.
["I left the Philippines, hoping I'd get lucky. But I wasn't.]
She then tried her hand at selling fruits in Quiapo. Her earnings there helped her survive during those days.
However, the fruit business caused a major loss of money, and Jackielyn fell deep into debt. More bad luck came her way as she was scammed P4 million in 2020. Because of this, Jackielyn mortgaged her beloved jewelry collection.
She also worked at an aesthetic clinic for six months during those times.
Jackielyn then decided to go back to selling, as she was having difficulty raising her three kids.
So for the third time, Jackielyn returned to Quiapo to sell.
By 2022, food stalls in Quiapo became popular as it was always featured in food vlogs. Jackielyn then had a bright idea.
"Doon ko naisip na ibalik 'yung hotdog sandwich ko sa Carriedo. Baka sakaling kagaya noon, tangkilikin ulit ng masa. Ayun nga, nag-boom bigla," she said.
["That's when I thought of bringing back my hotdog sandwich business in Carriedo. I hoped the masses would support it again—just like before. And sure enough, it suddenly boomed."]
However, when a seller named Neneng B became popular, Jackielyn's income took a hit.
"Siya na po 'yung hinahanap ng mga tao. Bumaba po talaga ang kita. Kaya sabi ko, ipagpaubaya na. Ibigay na lang po sa kanila. Maglalabas ako ng matatawag kong sariling akin," Jackielyn said.
["People are looking for Neneng B now. Our sales really dropped, so I said, just let it go—give it to them. I'll release something I can truly call my own."]
She then thought of adding a new menu item, baga ng baboy or pigs' lungs and named her shop "Baga ng Mama Mo."
Baga ng Mama Mo
Jackielyn's family starts their day at 7 a.m., when her husband picks up their supplies in Divisoria, which they chop and turn into adobo for their family.
The remaining kilos are brought to her stall in Quiapo. They arrive at lunchtime and would sell all day.
However, things changed after becoming viral.
Nowadays, their stock is sold out by 6:30 or 7 p.m.
They usually sell 75 kilos per day, and would sell up to 100 kilos from Friday to Sunday.
"'Yung lasa po, sinu-sure ko po talaga na walang lansa, masarap at malinis ko pong niluto," she said. "Pinipilahan na din 'yun. Tapos nagdire-diretso na 'yun."
["I really made sure that it didn't have any unpleasant taste—that it was delicious and cooked clean. People started lining up for it, and from there, it just kept growing."]
Jackielyn's shop continued to grow popular.
With a successful business and a high demand, Ate Jack was also able to hire an employee. She is also able to earn P10,000 a day.
"'Yung pasahod lahat ng tao, siyempre doon mababawas. Siguro half na lang din 'yung maiuuwi mo kasi 'yung mga tauhan ko po, libre ang pagkain nila mula almusal hanggang meryenda. Tapos ang sahod nila is medyo above minimum. Kasi 'yung pagod nila, kailangan suklian natin eh," Jackielyn said.
["There will be deductions from our income, like the salaries of our staff. In the end, we might only take-home half. But our staff gets free meals from breakfast to afternoon snacks, and we pay them slightly above minimum wage—because they work hard, they deserve to be compensated fairly."]
She is thankful for the food vloggers for making her food known. She also makes sure to entertain them when they visit her stall.
Gold jewelry
With her larger income, Jackielyn is slowly able to buy gold jewelry.
"Ang mother ko kasi mahilig talaga siyang mag-alahas. Bata pa lang kami nasanay na kami sa mother ko na pinagsusuot niya kami ng gold," her child said.
["My mother really loved jewelry. Even when we were little, she would already make us wear gold.]
Jackielyn called the gold jewelry an investment.
"Ito 'yung unang-unang mapapamana ko sa [mga anak ko] eh. Hindi ko naman pinapasuot sa kanila kasi sa panahon ngayon talaga delikado," she said.
["This is the very first thing I'll be able to pass on to my children. I don't let them wear it, though—it's just too risky these days.]
More than that, because of Baga ng Mama Mo, she was able to build a home and buy a car. She is also able to send her kids to private school.
"'Yung mga anak ko 'yun eh. 'Yun 'yung pinakaimportante kaya araw-araw ko ginagawa ito. Para mabigyan sila ng magandang kinabukasan," Jackielyn said.
["My children are the most important to me, they are the reason I do this every day—to give them a better future.]
She added, "Tapos 'yung mga kapatid ng ampon ko, kapag kailangan nila ng tulong, sa akin sila lumalapit. Sa akin siya ngayon umaasa para makapagtapos siya ng pag-aaral."
["Even my adopted child's siblings come to me when they need help. Now, she's relying on me to finish her studies."]
Jackielyn said that she defines success as having a surplus of what she needs.
They say Jackielyn can be compared to Diwata, who also rose to fame through selling. On Sunday, KMJS aired that that day Jackie was oblivious that someone would visit her stall—none other than the internet personality Diwata!
"Ituloy mo lang 'yan 'yung pangarap mo, huwag mo intindihin 'yung mga taong naninira sa'yo. Tuloy-tuloy lang. Basta ang importante dito wala kang taong inaapakan at inaagrabyado. Laban lang!" Diwata said.
["Just keep chasing your dream. Don't mind the people trying to bring you down—just keep moving forward. What matters most is that you're not stepping on anyone or doing anyone wrong. Keep fighting!"]
"Hindi ka kinukulang, hindi ka nagugutom. Sa panahon ngayon walang madali sa buhay eh. Kung ano man 'yung gusto mo, pinaghihirapan mo," Jackielyn added.
["You don't lack anything, and you don't go hungry. These days, nothing in life comes easy—whatever you want, you have to work hard for it."] —JCB, GMA Integrated News
