Having “sipag at tiyaga” – these are the traits that an overeseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Italy is continuing to practice to have a healthier life while earning extra for his family back in the Philippines.
Lino Gutierrez Mandigma has been working in Parma, Italy as a domestic helper since 1999, after he left his job as an elementay teacher in his home country.
He brought with him his dream to have his own farm; hence, he converted some small space into a small garden to plant some vegetables where they stay. Later on he decided to rent a vacant lot from the Italian government; the size of which was reportedly around 150 square meters which cost him 90 euros every year (more or less P5,200).
Almost all the vegetables mentioned in the local song ‘Bahay Kubo’ could be found in his garden, including ” talong, kamatis, sitaw, patola, upo, kalabasa, mustasa ampalaya and luya”. He also ha “petsay, gabi, kangkong, sili, saluyot, okra, kamote, malunggay, alugbati, letsugas and pipino”.
His bestseller, however, is ampalaya or bitter gourd. Fellow Filipinos in Italy seek out his bitter gourd! Coming next in his top sellers are onions and garlic.
He said he is able to sell his ampalaya and kangkong for 5 euros per kilo (around P290) while , the bottle gourd or ‘upo’ sells at 3 euros per piece.
Lino shared the best time to plant in Italy is every summer – from June to August. The sun usually sets at 9 in the evening so after work he still finds the time to work on his ‘farm’.
Summer time there, he shared, is similar to the climate in the Philippines. The good thing about having a farm in Italy is there’s an abundant supply of water so he has no concerns on that aspect.
He happily disclosed that in the summer of 2020 he was able to earn 2200 euros (P128,000 more or less) from his harvest. Amazing!
When the climate is cool he has better harvest, he said, as there are less insects.
His latest videos shows him planting lettuce, beans and potatoes. Always on the go!
Aside from earning extra from his farm, planting keeps him preoccupied and lessens his homesickness.
He shares videos of his garden’s harvest through his YouTube channel, Lino Mandigma TV. It would make him happy to get your support via likes and subscription. Enjoy his vlogs!
In a recent video he shared, “Paganda na nang paganda ang ating bahay kubo dito sa Parma Italy.”