Loreto Labrador and his story: Experiencing the health benefits of Santé Barley products
Pasig City, Philippines – October 06, 2023—Like any other Filipinos, former garments factory worker Loreto Labrador had once sought the allure of working overseas not for the perks it brings but for the promise of providing a more abundant and decent life for his family. Working for a garments factory for more than a decade had left him without savings and struggling to meet their daily needs.
Loreto made it to the Middle East but life remained hard. Although the pay was comparatively higher, it dawned on him that working in a grocery store abroad was still insufficient and life away from his family was replete with challenges. He decided against renewing his contract after its expiry and came back to the Philippines for good.
Given the hardships, he vowed not to go back to the Middle East. But when the condition of his wife, who was diagnosed with a fungal lung infection, began to worsen and he, too, was found to be suffering from a heart disease, he contemplated on returning due to mounting expenses. By then, they were in and out of the hospital with no relief in sight for his wife even after going under the knife.
“I felt like I was cursed with poverty. Both my wife and I were sick. I was also suffering from hypertension. Adding to our woes was I kept failing my medical exam after I applied for an overseas job for the second time,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
While waiting for the green signal from the recruitment agency, Loreto worked as a full-time personal driver of Santé International’s Chief Product Development Officer, Minette Carag. He was initially the family driver of Carag’s sister, who upon hearing the couple’s health struggles had introduced him to the powerful ingredients of barley grass and the health benefits of Santé Barley.
“My fervent prayer was for my wife to get well. She would take the capsules six times a day while I would drink the pure barley juice thrice daily. I felt better during the first few weeks of taking the products. Same thing happened to my wife. There was a time when our washing machine broke down, forcing her to hand wash our clothes. She said that she neither coughed nor felt weak while doing the laundry unlike before. After experiencing the positive results, I have since then made sure that we would never run out of Santé Barley products at home,” he said.
Since taking the products, Loreto said he and his wife had stopped taking the medicines prescribed by their doctors.
“Before buying Santé Barley products, my blood pressure was 150/100 and it would not go down to normal level despite taking my maintenance medicine. For a long time, I could not get a medical clearance to work overseas because of my condition. While I was taking the product, the recruitment agency called me to say that I was fit to go back to work. My blood pressure that time was 120/80. My agency could not believe it so I decided to have myself checked by another health facility. The result was the same; my blood pressure was normal,” he recalled.
Around this time, Loreto was already introduced to the Santé Barley direct selling business. He was also able to sell Santé Barley products to some of his fellow drivers who were amazed by his story. Loreto confessed that he was at that point having second thoughts about pursuing his plan of working abroad.
“Ms. Minette told me, ‘You wanted to leave to earn more money but now, through this business, you can do it here. You do not need to work abroad but instead share with others how the products have changed your life.’ I took that advice into consideration. In this business, there is no need to hype. You just need to put your heart into it and continuously share the benefits of the products with others,” he said.
Heeding Carag’s advice, Loreto stayed in the country and focused on the business. His big break came when he received a large bulk of orders from a buyer residing in Zamboanga. “The buyer has put up a branch in Zamboanga where I supply the products. Since then, I began to earn more than what I could get abroad. I was able to make P4 million driven by repeat orders in five years… In January 2012, I told Ms. Minette that I am resigning (as his driver) to become a full-fledged Santé Barley distributor.”
Loreto forges ahead and continues his Santé Barley journey with full determination. On hindsight, he considered their medical conditions as a blessing in disguise. “If we did not get sick, we would not be able to try Santé Barley and we would never be introduced to the business. I would never have believed the healing benefits of the products if I myself did not get sick.”
Starting with P4,000, Loreto is earning more than his expectations today. In addition, he is now conducting training and giving talks to inspire others.
His was a life-altering experience and one that he would never tire telling to help alleviate the plight of people who, like him before, are struggling with their health and experiencing everyday hardships. For Loreto, this is now his life commitment.