Buko House in Leyte depends on people's honesty for profit
TACLOBAN CITY – After Supertyphoon “Yolanda' devastated Eastern Visayas, 72-year-old Ricardo Cortes Jr. or "Mang Jun" from Baybay City, Leyte, put up a small “buko” (young coconut) stand just outside his home and called it the Honesty Buko House for a reason.
Mang Jun is not there to tend the buko store 24 hours.
Thirsty travelers who want a drink of freshly harvested young coconut juice need only to scoop it from the containers or chop the coconut himself, and drop the payment on a PVC pipe.
Believing in the honesty and goodness of heart of people despite the rampaging coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Honesty Buko House, located in Barangay Hilapnitan, is a self-service store serving its clients 24 hours.
"May tiwala ako sa Diyos at sa mga kababayan ko dito sa Leyte. Nasa tao lang 'yang kung magbabayad ba sila o hindi. Nasa konsensiya na din po nila. Nandiyan naman ang Panginoon nanonood (I believe in the honesty of the people of Leyte. So it’s up to them whether they pay or not. It’s up to their conscience. Anyway, God is watching over),” he said when asked why he decided to open an honesty store.
"Mayroong iba na hindi marunong magbiyak na buko kaya kami na lang ang nagbubukas. 'Yung iba gusto nila sila lang magbiyak ng buko at kapag walang tao sa amin sa bahay ihuhulog lang nila ang bayad sa PVC pipe. Sakto naman din ang bayad nila at open ang aming tindahan 24 hours walang sarado-sarado at nandoon na din sa tadtaran ang 'Sundang' (Some do not know how to open the coconut that’s why we do it for them. But others want to open it themselves. When no one is in the house, customers just drop their payment in the PVC pipe. They pay the exact amount. Our tore is open 24 hours),” he said.
Mang Jun added that his only business is helping him send his youngest of eight children to school.
He also sells papaya, banana, jackfruit, vinegar, shrimp, and other produce from his neighbors so he help them.
Although his income has decreased from ₱400-₱500 daily to sometimes ₱100 due to the lockdown, Mang Jun is grateful that his business has started picking up as quarantine measures are eased in Leyte. A big coconut sells for ₱25, while a smaller one sells for ₱15.
Joggers and bikers such as Vice Governor Carlo Loreto were inspired by Mang Jun's Honesty Buko House.
"Mighty nice to rediscover bits of inspiration and hope along the road. The Honesty Buko House of Mang Jun defies conventional business models. It depends on the honesty of people for its profit. No CCTV cameras or security guards or cashiers to make sure payment is made. Just a receptacle on which customers will drop their payments for the coconuts thus partaken," Loreto shared.
In the past weeks, the Vice Governor has been inviting biking enthusiasts in Baybay and its nearby towns to patronize the Honesty Buko House and help Mang Jun in his advocacies.
A similar honesty store first became famous in Ivana, Batanes.
Another honesty store was put up at the Manila Police District headquarters but eventually folded up.