LEON, ILOILO – Borrowing the quote from Pele, a Brazillian Athlete who said “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”

My mantra in life is just like this. I am Rejane C Capulot, the eldest daughter of couple Janeane and Renato Capulot. My mother is a former Parent Leader of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) while my father is a farmer. We are living in Brgy Ayabang Leon, Iloilo. I can’t clearly remember my elementary journey aside from I had gone to two different schools. The first school that I had was too far and we needed to ride a jeepney in order to attend school every day. The everyday allowance for fare and food was a struggle for my parents.

As far as I can remember, we always walk to go to school wherein we need to pass a river every day. Our house was a little bit far from our school and when it rained, it was so muddy and slippery. It was 2009 when our household became a 4Ps beneficiary. As I survived the early obstacle as a learner, I graduated my elementary With Honors.

The most challenging part of my high school days came when I was about to graduate from high school. My youngest sister was hit by a motorcycle. She had her left leg fractured. It was the time when I witnessed how my parents were emotionally and financially challenged. All our domestic animals were sold in order to pay for the hospital expenses. Aside from her medical expenses, my brother and I were also studying. At that time, I also passed the entrance examination of my dream university for college – the University of the Philippines- Visayas. As the eldest, I had to make way and set aside my dream of studying at that university because I knew my parents wouldn’t be able to provide for me and send me to school. It was the time that making a wise decision matters as the first batch of K-12 curriculum, we were the first batch to graduate from six years of high school. I chose to take up the Technical Vocational Livelihood track – AFA strand with a specialization on Animal Production NC II in my Senior High School at Buga National High School and graduated with High Honors.

As I had already given up my hope for studying at my dream university, I chose to enter Iloilo Science and Technology University – Leon Campus taking up a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. In my first year of college, I accepted the offer of one of our former town SB Members to tutor her children. I sometimes taught her children on weekdays during lunchtime and sometimes during weekends. It only lasted for a few months tutoring her children because of my hectic schedule, I stopped. In my second year in college, I decided to stay at the boarding house for the reason that our barangay was a few kilometers away from town the means of transportation were limited especially during the afternoon and the fare was too expensive.

The struggle in budgeting my weekly allowance was my major problem. I don’t know how to budget the money for my food, photocopies of notes, and other expenses in school. As it was a pandemic, all the class was held online. The struggle to have stable internet connections became the challenge that almost all the students experienced. For me, in order to have a better internet connection, I walk a kilometer away from home every day just to attend my virtual class. Aside from an unstable internet connection, the weekly load allowance became a challenge, too. All the hardships and struggles I experienced throughout my education were a reflection of how strong an individual I am.

The 4Ps open so many doors of different opportunities for us. Being a 4Ps beneficiary is a great privilege, why? It is because every time we apply for a certain scholarship program, we are always asked if our family is a member and the 4Ps. As a 4Ps beneficiary, our family is considered as poorest of the poor therefore, in applying for the scholarship, poor but deserving students were put in priority. I was one of the Leon LGU Scholars from Grade 7 until my first year of college. Lately, I have needed to choose between the LGU scholar and the Tertiary Education System (TES) program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) when I was in my first year of college. I chose the TES and enjoyed the scholarship in my first two years in college where I was able to buy my own laptop that was very useful during online classes.

In my last two years in college, I waived my TES as I passed the screening for the Department of Science and Technology-Junior Level Science Scholarship (DOST-JLSS) wherein I was one of their recipients in their R.A. 7687 program. As a 4Ps beneficiary, I enjoyed the three different scholarship programs which made me to be motivated all the time. Finally, on July 13, 2022, I finished my college as Magna Cum Laude. It is just timely because after three months our household had graduated already from the 4Ps due to no child to be monitored by the program.

Struggle doesn’t always win over aspiration; I have always believed that the fruits of our real labor are always the sweetest. With perseverance, there also comes excellence and to all the students and my fellow youths out there, keep on dreaming. Continue to strive harder and always believe in yourself that you can. As long as you are determined enough to reach your goals, never give up and just keep on moving forward.

Presently, I am still reviewing to take a board examination this year. I am praying that God will grant all our prayers. /nc/lrgc/Submitted by Municipal Link (ML) ANDY C GERSBALINO, Leon, Iloilo POO)