ILOILO —
“Life isn’t about finding yourself it is about creating yourself”.
This is how Jennelyn S. Panes of Dumangas, Iloilo looks up life in a positive way. Despite hitches in life, Jennelyn has graduated with high honors as magna cum laude in Bachelor of Industrial Technology Major in Fashion and Apparel Technology from the Institute of Science and Technology – University (ISAT-U) in La Paz, Iloilo City only last month.
Her passion in fashion designing has drove her to follow her dreams. Now, she is employed at Cefekur Garments Industry Family in Brgy. Cabanbanan, Oton, Iloilo. She earns P300 a day.
But her dreams do not only stop there. Jennelyn said she will keep some money out from her salary every month because she wants to enroll in teaching next year to achieve her goal to become a teacher someday.
STRUGGLE
Jennelyn is a fifth child among the 10 children of couple Samson and Virginia Panes. However, because of poverty she was separated from her family at the age of four-year-old, to accompany her grandmother in Zarraga, Iloilo – an adjacent town next to Dumangas.
It was then her grandmother served as her second mother where she was trained to be a responsible and independent child.
She was enrolled at Dawis Elementary School in Zarraga, Iloilo. During her elementary days, she enjoyed studying while looking after her lola. Her daily routine was home- school or school- home which she adopted it until now and I made it as a habit. With her perseverance, Jennelyn received 2nd honorable mention when she graduated from elementary.
When she was in secondary level, Jennelyn studied at New Lucena National Comprehensive High School. She said her high school day wasn’t that easy because she encountered so many trials in life. Jennelyn added that there were times that her grandmother can’t support her school needs because of financial problems. But she doesn’t lose hope instead, she always put in her mind that poverty is not a hindrance to success.
One day, she talked to her teacher if she can transfer to other school but her teacher didn’t allow her because she belongs to a star section.
So she decided to stay on her teacher’s house to continue her study. However, she didn’t stay there for too long because of some conflicts. Jennelyn decided to go home at Dumangas where she continues her 3rd year high school at Cayos National High School.
“I encounter a culture shock because of their language. It’s really hard for me to mingle with them but time pass by, I learned how to adjust myself to fit with them,” she said.
Time passes by, Jennelyn wanted to give up because she needs to walk more than two kilometers from home to school every day. Despite of hardship, she sacrificed everything because of her determination in life and willingness to finish her studies. She always put to her mind as what her mother always told her that education is the key to success. Jennelyn has finished her high school as 3rd honorable mention.
BLESSINGS
Financial problem has pushed Jennelyn to temporarily set aside her dream to enroll in college. She stopped for two years and worked as a nanny in New Lucena, Iloilo so she could save some money for her next enrollment.
One day, a family friend approached her if she wants to study in college but she needs to work with them. Jennelyn accepted the offer without any doubt. In 2014, she was officially enrolled at ISAT-U.
In 2015, Jennelyn’s family was luckily included in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program covering three of her siblings. Luckily, she also passed the examinations for the Expanded Student Grand-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) –an educational grant which gives priority to the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) by providing them opportunity to get college education, increase their chance to get better employment in the future and ultimately uplift the lives of their family so that they become contributors to national development.
The ESG-PA is implemented by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Each student grantee is entitled to a maximum of P60, 000.00 as grant per year or P30, 000.00 per semester.
“Now that I already graduated I want to study again and pursue another course to achieve my goal to become a teacher someday. My door is always open for the opportunity that will come,” she said.//dswd6/MGC