While setting up his tools, he jokes about himself — “Nangangamoy lupa na ako (I smell like the earth)” — a subtle confession of how long he has been making footwear, even as his hands fall into the familiar routine of the craft.
Francisco Casiñas, known among locals of Pateros as “Kuya Jack,” begins his morning the way his body has been falling into routine for years: opening his eyes at roughly 6 am, tucking his folding bed behind his work chair, and starting the day with a cup of coffee and a morning prayer.
“Pasalamat sa Diyos, ‘yan talaga pagkagising, bago matulog. Ganoon naman talaga e. Salamat sa kalakasan,” Kuya Jack said. (I give thanks to God, that is really the first thing I do upon waking up and before going to sleep. That is just how it is. Being thankful for the strength given.)
The 64-year-old has been in the shoe industry for four decades.
His siblings introduced him to the craft in Marikina, back when it thrived as the city’s local legacy, and for the past 20 years, AlphaFootprint — a 41-year-old family business along E. Ragas St. — has been a home for Kuya Jack.
