When in Zamboanga City, don’t flip if you spot Spiderman cruising on a motorbike. Nah, it isn’t the superhero from the Marvel movies—it’s “Spiderpao,” your friendly neighborhood halal siopao vendor.
Under the Spidey suit is Sayyid Sha-rif Ledesma Daham, who was just a young hustler in Taguig five years ago before he blew up his thriving business in his hometown.
Back in 2018, Daham hit the streets with 20 siopao buns in his bag. Selling those buns was just a way to make ends meet, but little did he know that it would plant the seeds of entrepreneurship in him.
From those initial 20 buns peddled on foot, Daham’s enterprise grew into a small restaurant in
Zamboanga City. The demand was so intense that his joint ran 24/7 just to keep up.
But what’s truly remarkable is that Daham didn’t stop at just making dough (pun intended). He decided to pay it forward by hiring other out-of-school youth (OSY) to help run his restaurant.
“From being an OSY, I have now become a youth champion,” Daham told Inquirer.net during a summit called “Opportunity 2.0,” backed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
After saving up enough cash, Daham returned to Zamboanga City in 2019 selling halal siopao enjoyed by their community. To spice up his marketing repertoire, he suited up as Spider-Man, rebranding himself as “Spiderpao” to draw in non-Muslim customers.
Today, Daham gives back to his community by creating opportunities for OSY to be gainfully employed. Just as fate smiled upon him, Daham is now extending that chance to other young folks with a little boost from USAID.
Through the USAID program, applicants undergo upskilling, and when Daham spots talent, “I will hire them and they will become permanent employees in my business,” he said.
Nancy Wallace, the interim chief of the party of Opportunity 2.0, lauded Daham for staying true to his roots and the program’s purpose.
“He embodies what the program tries to do. He’s been able to take all of his knowledge and all of his experience to grow his business and hire other OSY,” Wallace said.
The USAID’s Opportunity 2.0 program is currently operating in 15 cities across the country, encouraging local businesses to step up and hire OSYs who are leveling up their skills.
