Hard work is a master key which can open windows to opportunities and doors to success. Hard work teaches patience in waiting for the correct opportunity, perseverance despite tribulations, hope in looking forward to better days and humility amidst success.
This is the story of Jake D. Patalinghug, a 15-year-old grade 10 student of Ragan Sur National High School from San Patricio Delfin Albano, Isabela. The second to the brood of seven between Ruel and Soraya Patalinghug, he exemplifies diligence and reliability as an elder child and son.
With financial struggles keeping his parents from setting up their own house, they currently live with his grandparents. Being an elder child, he is automatically tasked to care for his younger siblings while his parents are out on the fields to tend to crops or do jobs for landowners. Sometimes, he would also help just so the family income can be stretched to accommodate the needs of their large family.
Yet despite the family struggle, Jake still managed to exhibit extraordinary achievements both in curricular and extra-curricular involvements. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program for him not only provides enough support for him to remain in school, but also opens up opportunities for him to explore without necessarily sacrificing the family’s finances.
Math Wizard of the Year for four continuous years since his 7th grade, he is the school’s representative in quiz bees including tournaments for the MTAP–DepEd Saturday Programs of Excellence for Regular and Talented Students. Encouraged by teachers and friends, he also ventured into other various competitions from news writing to quiz bee.
On November 2018, he was chosen to be part of the Pantawid Program’s Regional Children’s Congress (RCC) representing the province of Isabela in the quiz bee competition. The 4-day Congress targeted exceptional Pantawid Pamilya children beneficiaries between the ages 10-18 who underwent various learning endeavours including topics on physical and emotional changes, children’s rights and other protective laws and anti-bullying.
“Every moment is a fresh beginning and here I am, ready to share a happy memory. Opportunities and happy experiences rarely knock on our doors, this was one of those.” Jake begins his account.
“I remember how anxious I was on that first day because I knew all the other children were exceptional in their own fields and I didn’t want to let any of them down. On the first day, when we played “Find Someone Who” I felt all the shyness strip away after finding out bits of information about by co-participants. I realized that we had some things in common with the other participants and that we could be friends.”
“The days passed by so fast no matter how much I wanted it to stop. I learned a lot of things I was excited to share at home with classmates and friends. The part of the RCC that made an impression on me would be that of the IP Cultural Presentation and the Anti-Bullying campaign. Seeing other IP children preserve their IP culture makes me feel proud to be in a country with diverse groups of people.”
“One of the most important lessons I learned from that activity is to how to be sensitive to my surroundings especially in dealing with other people. I didn’t know before that even seemingly harmless acts of teasing may be a form of bullying and that it has detrimental effects on the person affected. I even started in my advocacy to combat bullying when I was invited to speak in one of our student symposiums, I know that even a simple act of information dissemination will go a long way.” He closes with a smile.
For Jake who comes from a less fortunate family, opportunities are rare, and yet its impact to him shall fuel his determination to be the catalyst for change.
###Story by: Wilma M. Pascua-Nicolas