Ate Diding, together with her colleagues, also experienced being put to jail by policemen because they were caught giving out leaflets inside a department store without securing the proper permit first.

"Parang nag hide and seek lang kami. Pero grabe yun kasi nakita kami nga gwardya tapos pinahuli kami sa pulis. Dinala kami sa presinto at kinulong! Tinawagan namin sa Luna kaya pumunta agad sya. Una, kinausap muna nya ang pulis tapos eto namang pulis na-in love yata kay Luna. Nakita ni Luna ang pagkakataon, nagpaligaw saya sa pulis na yun para palabasin kami. Pero ang masaya dun, mabilis namin na naibenta ang project na yun."(It was like playing hide and seek. When the policemen caught us they brought us to their station and put us in jail. When Luna learned the incident she immediately went ot see us. She allowed one of the policmen to court her so that we would be released.)

Those were the times when the real estate industry was at its peak. When the industry and the Philippine economy started to fluctuate and eventually fell in the early 1990s she also had her share of problems and pains.

Their tailoring shop closed down and suddenly Ate Diding found herself as the breadwinner. Her husband opted to stay at home and took care of the children. The big burden of earning for the family was then on her shoulders. She had three children to send to school and relatives to feed.

"Dumating na rin sa akin ang time na umiiyak na ako kasi nahihirapan na ako. Parang hindi ko na kaya. Araw-araw nagko-commute ako. Pag-upo ko sa bus tulog agad sa sobrang pagod." (Time came when I thought i could not make it anymore. It was very difficult for me because I had to travel everyday. I always fell asleep once I get on the bus.)

She also had bad experiences with her clients. Ate Diding easily puts her trust on the people she had just met.

"Dalawang beses na akong ninakawan ng cell phone ng mga kliyente ko. Masama ang loob ko sa una pero pagkatapos ng ilang araw wala na. Katulad nung nakasakay kami sa taxi ng kliyente ko. Sabi nya pahiram ng cell phone kasi tatawagan nya ang misis nya. Huminto ang taxi kasi traffic bigla na lang ito lumabas at tumakbo dala ang cell phone ko. Pero 'di bale, kasi nung Christmas party ng mga agents nanalo ako ng washing machine." (Twice I lost my mobile phones to my clients. of course I felt bad. However, I won a washing machine during our sales agents' Christams Party).

Like any other successful person in his/her field Ate Diding had her own little secret formula for making it big in real estate brokerage that she willingly shares with her collegues and new recruits.

First, you must trust in the Lord and believe in yourself. Second, an agent must have patience. This is because you will meet different kinds of people with different personalities. Know how to adapt, be sensitive to their feelings. Third, be honest to yourself, client and company. Fourth, be industrious. Fifth, maintain a good relationship with your client even after you have closed the deal.

She named her group Lucky Star because she believes that she has a lucky star and that she never runs out luck. She believes that she can survive the challenges ahead as she had survived the challenges before because of her lucky star.

About the Author

Fredaline R. Dado is a graduate student of UP taking up MA major in Broadcast Communication. She works as a training officer of a real estate company.