Unfortunately for Kiko, not his real name, his tattoo shop is not one of them.
“Dati ini-imagine ko lang ’yun. Tapos ngayon ganito. Di ba medyo nakaka-aning ’pag magbu-book ka ng client. Pero wala, kailangan.” Despite this, Kiko says that not everything that has happened to them has been a downer. He says he is thankful the commercial establishment where their shop is located didn’t charge them the P15,000 monthly rent from March to May.
Kiko says he and some of his friends looked for different ways to earn, from selling artwork to applying in graphic design jobs. But having no experience in office jobs, Kiko says he found it hard to compete with other applicants. “ ’Yung mga salon hindi naman hasa sa cross-contamination measures mga ’yan. Kami, may COVID o wala, meron kaming safety measures lagi. Alcohol, gloves, sanitation,” Kiko says.