๐ฃ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ง๐ข๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐, a 25-year-old from the vibrant city of Tuguegarao, Cagayan, once measured her success through the precision of ledgers and the art of baking. A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Cagayan State University, she was a woman of balanced books and blooming business. Yet, beneath the professional awards of a Deanโs Lister and an entrepreneur, there was a calling that had been echoing since her childhood in Caggay.
The seeds of her discipline were planted in the mountains, not the classroom. Growing up in a household led by her resilient single mother, ๐ ๐ฟ๐. ๐ข๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ, and her grandfather ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐, who she calls โTatangโ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ learned early that โnothing worth having comes easyโ. Tatang, a retired soldier, became her first mentor in the art of endurance. As they planted trees and vegetables together, he cultivated in her the patience and hard work that would later define her character.
Her dream was sparked by a simple, honorable image at the age of six, after watching her brother being recognized as a cadet. โ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ ๐ณ๐๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒโฆ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ,โ she recalled. From that moment, her answer to the question of her future never wavered.
However, the climb to that dream was steep. To support her studies at Cagayan National High School and later at St. Paul University Philippines, ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ became more flexible and persevering. She spent her nights baking bread and cakes, delivering orders just as the sun rose, only to rush to her morning accountancy classes. These โ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ป๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐โ did more than just pay the bills, but also built the resilience she would need for the academy.
Before entering the Academy, she had already tasted success as a youth leader and the founder of a food shop that evolved into Klasikoโs Pansiteria. Walking away from these established opportunities was one of her most daunting choices. โThere were moments I questioned myself. Moments I wanted to go back to the life I had already started building,โ she admitted. โBut deep inside, I knew this was where I belongedโ.
Now serving as the ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐-๐ถ๐ป-๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ and a member of Golf Company, she stands as Rank 7 of the ๐ฃ๐ก๐ฃ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ก๐-๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ. Her strength is no longer drawn from just her own determination, but from a deep well of faith and family. Guided by the verse, โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ฒ,(Philippians 4:13)โย she remains grounded even under the pressure of leadership.
For ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐, the true measure of her journey lies not in the awards but in the moments she refused to quit. From the mountains of Caggay, Tuguegarao, to the rigors of Silang, ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ has proven that the hardest road is often the one that leads exactly where you are meant to be.
As she prepares to transition from the hallowed grounds of the academy to a life of service, her message to fellow dreamers remains clear: โ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐, ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด. ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ, ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐. ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐โ.
Source:ย KALASAG-PNPA Corps Publications