9. I believe elders should not be abandoned. I think this would be my main advocacy from now on. I honestly hate those people who thought their parents would be hindrances for reaching their dream job, or dream family. At the first place, they would not reach those achievements if not because of their parents. They didn’t give up on providing us our needs; they should not give up on them in return!
10. I believe in good and bad karma. Every good deed that we do will have a return, as the saying goes, “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you”.
11. I believe in the strong influence of media. Filipinos are very attached to media. We are easily affected by what we hear, read and watch. Especially for younger ones, they are easily influenced by the characters they watched, which sometimes have a not-so-good effect.
12. I believe in the power of words. Sometimes, it is more painful to hear discriminating words than being slapped twice. That is why most of the time, during a group conversation, I seldom talk. I am actually quite afraid of telling a bad joke accidentally.
13. I believe in putting ourselves in other’s shoes everyday. By doing this, we will be able to sympathize more with other people especially the poor.
14. I believe in everyone’s capability to help others. It is impossible that we do not have money or anything to give to a poor street child. We can help, only if we have the gusto in our hearts.
15. I believe in everyone’s right to enjoy life. We are created here not to possess all the burdens of the world. God is good that He will never make each and everyone’s lives miserable.
16. I believe in the power of prayer. We cannot do anything by ourselves; we need the power of the Almighty. Whether we are confident of what we are going to do, God has the only power to make the impossible situation possible.
17. I believe in a stress-free life. Happiness is a choice; it does not depend on the situation. It is our choice to stay happy amidst of the challenges. Worrying would not solve anything.
18. I believe in everyone’s uniqueness. We are unique in the eyes of God; therefore, we are beautiful in our own ways. Many individuals do not stop comparing themselves to others, which make them depressed.
19. I believe our greatest enemy is ourselves. We can be controlled by our fear; it is because of too much expectation from ourselves. Sometimes we need to have an in-depth realization of our strengths and weaknesses.
20. I believe in the Bible’s credibility. I believe in the Lord, so there is nothing that I have to do to question every book in the Bible. Some people believe that what the Lord wants is our happiness. That is why they keep on fighting for same sex marriage, etc. At the first place, it is not about us, it is about God. If we choose to follow Him, we need to have sacrifices for ourselves.
“My Eulogy”
We were the happiest couple as I gave birth to our first child 20 years ago. She’s not that pretty: with wide eyes, wide forehead and dark skin. But for us, she was the most beautiful baby ever born.
Unlike any other child, she grew old as a home buddy. She rarely went out and played with other kids. She’s much comfortable staying inside the house, drawing and coloring. We honestly thought she’s autistic. We became worried, but we were also thankful for discovering God’s special gift for her. We just bought her all the brands of coloring and drawing tools, she was happy just doodling on her bed.
As a teenager, she never had a large group of friends, but I am very grateful that she gained a few but good friends, from school and from our church. She loved them and trusted them like a family. I thank the Lord for giving her God-fearing and sweet ‘barkadas’. Thank you for loving my daughter in spite of her being too kill-joy. Thank you for giving her fun-filled adventures and enormous friendship.
People are always admiring us for being good parents. But honestly, it is the Lord who just gave us a kind and respectful daughter. Every time we have crisis, she never cried. Instead, she was used to telling me, “Ma, God will make a way”. She taught me how to be strong for my family.
She was an angel sent to us. But now she’s gone. Why did she have to go? I miss her. I miss her artworks and drawings. I miss her going back home and telling me about her day. I miss how she was used to save her daily allowance just to buy her brother Mcdo fries everyday. She was a good daughter, a good ate, a good friend, and a good servant of the Lord. I will not see her be a good wife, a mother, and a professional artist. But nevertheless, I will still be her number one fan.
You came back home now, back to our God’s arms. Everyday I will thank Him for being the luckiest mother on earth. I will thank Him for those 20 years that we shared as a happy and loving family. We will miss you, thank you for being our daughter.
Love,
Mama
“Before I die, I want to…”
1. Build a foundation for the elders. Those people actually do not deserve being abandoned by their families. They deserve to have a comfortable haven for the remaining years of their lives. I want to build a foundation to make them realize that they are important, and they are not yet forgotten.
2. Help promote Mt. Makiling so it can attract more tourists. During my Forestry 1 subject, my instructor said that the restoration of the mountain was limited because of lacking of funds: They just rely on fees being collected from hikers.
3. Create an animated film/series with moral values. Children nowadays are getting used to watching not-so-educating TV shows. I want to make cartoons that will catch the interests of the children, at the same time teach them to be good characters.
4. Teach the teenagers of Baybayin, Los Baños about the Word of God. As a Christian, it is my responsibility as the Lord’s servant to spread His Word. The young people in our barangay, I believe, need to have changes in their lives. By means of a retreat or camp, I want to help those teenagers realize what really is a purpose driven life..
5. Build a free workshop for talented but poor Filipino young artists. When I was a kid, I wanted to attend those seminars and workshops about visual arts, but never had the chance because we’re not that rich. I feel for those young people who never have the opportunity to enhance their talents.
6. Have a scholarship program. Every young Filipino deserves to be educated. I want to have a chance to change the lives of those individuals through a scholarship program.
7. Build a foundation for the orphans. Just like the elders, those poor orphans don’t deserve to be dumped.
8. Be a UN Ambassador and visit Africa. I want to be an ambassador not only to be like Angelina Jolie, I also want to give my sincerity to those people who live in one of the poorest countries.
9. Have a livelihood program. Many people here in Los Baños are jobless. I think this program would best help my community.
10. Sell a fictional book that I made and then donate the proceeds. I enjoy doing fictional stories, to be much productive with this hobby, I thought of promoting my book and then donate the money to various foundations.
