BAROTAC NUEVO, Iloilo – Under the scorching heat from the big ball of fire is a child who dreams beyond the horizon of the fields in the town of Barotac Nuevo, known as the football capital of the Philippines.

As one of the four siblings of a farmer couple, Amado M. Panes Jr. shared that they all have experience working in the fields, and this became his motivation to wish for a better future for his family.

In 2001, his father sustained an injury while working in the fields, making their situation harder than before. As the pillar of their home and the main provider of their family, the injury has greatly affected the rest of them, including their needs to survive. But by God’s grace and with the generosity of other people, their father was able to recover and go back to work.

Recalling his elementary days in 2005, Amado said they had to walk several kilometers from their house to school. It was their mother who would wake up at dawn to cook their breakfast and baon for lunch. Sometimes, their lunch packed by their mother is only rice topped with soy sauce and oil. He also reminisced about the times when they had no umbrellas but instead, they would wrap their school belongings with a fertilizer plastic to prevent them from being wet.

This is a representation of how Amado embraced the challenges life would throw at him and his family. It also proved his perseverance and dedication to education amidst challenges and some “embarrassing” moments making him earn a gold medal and graduate his elementary days as one of the dean’s list.

When Amado entered high school, their hardships doubled because three of them were already in high school. Their parents would ask them to gather weeds in the fields, filling their hands with cuts and pricks from the plants. During harvest seasons, they would also take absences from their classes so that they could help their parents with the rice harvest. Experiencing all these has made Amado realize that he didn’t want to work in the fields forever, thus promising himself that he would do well in his studies so that he could give a better life for his family.

In 2012, Amado’s family became a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). Only his younger sibling was able to avail of the cash grant from 4Ps. The assistance from the program provided great help to their family, as it became the source for their school supplies and allowances. Amado’s mother is the one who attends the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

When it was time for him to enter college, he was able to pass the entrance and aptitude exams at one of the prestigious universities in Iloilo City. However, due to a lack of finances, his parents decided that it would be better for him to study at the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U) – Barotac Nuevo Campus to save on boarding house and food expenses. Then, he couldn’t get any scholarships in his first and second years but because of that, he studied meticulously and became an academic scholar and dean’s list at the said university. He also applied as a student assistant in the Office of Student Affairs to augment some of his financial expenses. Amado admitted that there were times when he would skip meals just to study and do several errands.

Fortunately, he became a grantee of the DSWD’s Extended Student’s Grant in Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA), which contributed a great deal to him and became the reason he stopped his student assistance duties and became a full-time student. It became his motivation to do well in his studies to prove that DSWD didn’t make a mistake in choosing him as one of their ESGP-PA scholars.

Amado expressed his immense gratitude to the 4Ps for their help in helping him achieve his dream. After four years of sweat and tears at the university, Amado graduated with a Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) Magna Cum Laude as well as the Most Outstanding Graduate of ISAT University, Barotac Nuevo Campus. He is also ranked 2nd overall in the Most Outstanding Graduate of the entire ISAT-U system.

In December 2019, he passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) and started a job at one of the private schools in the city. He then decided to pursue graduate study at ISAT-U, Lapaz, Iloilo City, with a degree in Master of Science in Home Economics, which he completed on June 19, 2024. On the same date, he is also an Evening Vocational Course Completer majoring in PC Hardware Servicing at the same university.

Currently, he teaches at the Barotac Nuevo Comprehensive National High School as Teacher 1. Amado is a testament to the fact to the fact that dreams come true as long as you persevere amid the challenges. With the help of the 4Ps, a child who once dreamed beyond the horizon of the fields of Barotac Nuevo is now a successful educator who is more than ready to be an inspiration to young dreamers.

“A dream becomes a reality if you work for it and believe in your capacity to achieve whatever you wish in life. Life is a battle that requires strength, determination, and resilience. We don’t always win, but our losses make us stronger and teach us valuable lessons. Life is a series of tests, sometimes easy, sometimes difficult, but with self-belief, hard work, and God’s guidance, we can overcome any challenge” said Amado M. Panes Jr. (Submitted by Barotac Nuevo MOO, Iloilo-Guimaras POO/edits by: Kirstie Ann Jo Esquivel, OJT, BA Journalism – WVSU)