As a young boy, my school was the streets. In order to support our family needs and keep from starving, my brother and I would sell bread in the morning, go scavenging in garbage dumps during the day, and sing for money at night in jeepneys and taxis.
Sending us to school was not my parents’ priority. They found an escape from the harsh reality of life through alcohol addiction. My father also turned to drugs and prostitutes. My parents were constantly fighting and even pointing knives at one another. During those dark moments, we were unable to see the Love of God for us. We just tried to survive.
One day, my dad came home drunk and under the influence of drugs. This provoked another fight and my dad hit my mom so hard that she became unconscious. At that moment I thought of killing my father and blamed God for abandoning us. It was then that Bukas Palad entered our lives. In her suffering, my mom would look to them for help.
Understanding our needs, Bukas Palad offered us monthly assistance. They also gave me the opportunity to continue my studies again as a scholar in their Support-at-a-Distance program. Our journey as a family took a different turn. Through Bukas Palad, I discovered how God Loves Us. To reciprocate this love, I focused on my studies. I became a consistent honor student receiving many awards, both in elementary and high school.
My siblings were able to continue their studies. We shared the school supplies that I received from Bukas Palad. My parents tried to support us in their own ways. My mom started a small barbecue business and my dad, who was now weaned away from his vices, began to help her.
After high school my parents asked me not to go on and enroll in college but instead to work so as to help our family. My mom’s business was not doing well and she was into debt. But having been granted a working scholarship by the university, I decided to pursue my studies. At a certain point I had to leave home to focus on my studies since we had no electricity.
While I was away from home, my family fell apart. My mom went back to smoking and drinking. She left the house and became a vagrant and we could no longer find her. My sister became a domestic helper for two male adults in Manila and I could not be sure about her safety. Devastated, I wanted to give up my studies.
I went to Bukas Palad, in tears, to inform them about my decision to stop studying. Someone there told me that “I have no control over the life of my parents and siblings. Stopping my studies would not change my family’s life.” With the help of Bukas Palad staff and their prayers, my sister returned home.
Through the youth of the Focolare, I also learned to live the present moment. So I continued my studies, with my Bukas Palad family supporting me in my journey. They were one with me in my struggles to face the harsh realities of life. I was able to finish my Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Mathematics and today I have a good job. My siblings are pursuing their college degrees.
After finding my mom, we now live together as a family in a small but happy home. This is all thanks to Chiara Lubich and the Ideal of Unity that we have come to know and live through Bukas Palad.
