Pinoy janitor in Australia becomes a restaurateur at 25

A Filipino in Australia became a restaurant owner at 25 years old after working as a janitor.

According to a “State of the Nation” report on Tuesday, John Andrew Dangca was only 19 when his relatives brought him to Australia.

He took on cleaning jobs in hotels, malls, homes, and offices to help provide for his family.

Dangca also juggled his cleaning jobs with his studies.

After completing a diploma course, he applied to work as an assistant at an aged care facility while still working as a janitor.

“Maraming mga pagsubok katulad no’ng nakakatulog po ako doon sa train station. Dire-diretso po ako no’n papunta sa kabilang trabaho, ganyan. Sa bus, nakakatulog po. Parang doon na rin po ako nakakapagpahinga,” he said.

Eventually, Dangca managed to bring the rest of his family to Australia.

Last year, he finally saved up enough money to start his Filipino restaurant in Canberra called “Salu-Salo."

“Hindi po talaga ganoon kadali sa umpisa. Mararansan natin ‘yung mga failures, ‘yung mga challenges, pero sa bandang huli, makakamit po ‘yun,” Dangca said. — Julia Mari Ornedo/DVM, GMA News