Modern-day Cinderella #28StoriesofGiving

MANILA, Philippines - Poverty could have easily disheartened her, but the flame of hope to give her family a better future motivates her to persevere in the face of life’s challenges.

Teresa Villacote hails from Hilongos, Leyte, but she practically grew up in Cebu to earn a living for her family and to sustain her schooling.

Her family subsisted on livelihood that people in the barrios are used to. Her father climbed coconut trees, managing an average of 30 trees from morning till noon, and on a good day would take home P150. Her mother did laundry.

Having been born to poverty themselves, both her parents never learned to read or write.

As far as Teresa recalls, her memory of childhood is mired in the cycle of poverty and hopelessness.

“We rarely ate rice. Our meal would usually consist of a few bananas with vegetables and salt. If we had money for rice, we would eat it with salt and ginger,” she said.

She also has no memory of their home ever having electricity. Their house was made of cloth, sack and bamboo.

Sensing that her future would be bleak if she stayed, Teresa left Hilongos at the age of eight, grabbing a chance to stay with an aunt who took her in as a helper so she could pursue her schooling.

“I never experienced what it was like to play,” her recollection goes. As far as she can remember, she was always doing the laundry for her adoptive family and would get a spanking if she played or if she didn’t do as she was told. When she wasn’t washing clothes, she would be busy cleaning the piggery that the family owned, or keeping house.

When asked about her growing up years, Teresa mostly mentions sacrifice and hardship in an endless string of odd jobs to support herself and family. She has had jobs at city hall, in a pharmacy and a supermarket.

When she was in school, she says, she had to give up meals now and then so she could save for school projects or for her parents’ needs. And when funds were scarcer than usual, she often had no recourse but to quit.

Giving up, however, was the farthest thing from her mind.

“No matter how busy I was, I always squeezed in my studies,” she said.

Believing that education is her only ticket out of poverty, Teresa did not just persevere but also excelled as a student throughout grade school and high school.

For every cloud a silver lining, Teresa, now 32, is set to graduate next year with a degree in elementary education from CBD College in Inayawan, Cebu.

Why she chose the teaching profession says much about her spirit.

“I want to be able to impart to others what I know. I went through a lot in life and I would not have achieved anything if I did not persevere. It is my way of helping others,” she says.

Her excitement about the prospect of snagging a job when she graduates betrays the fact that she’s been working all her life.

Although graduation is within her reach, Teresa continues to be hounded by her circumstances. Their ramshackle house was swept away by Yolanda when the typhoon hit Leyte last year. Her father is now crippled and her mother sidelined by a stroke, unable to walk even with assistance.

Teresa hopes that a donor would be kind enough to provide her family the wheelchair that her mother needs.

“I know a wheelchair is expensive, so even a walker would do,” she says.

Describing her life as “far from easy,” Teresa has devoted her life to her family and to becoming the person she never would have been if she simply gave up.

When she graduates, she hopes to find a job and save enough for the teacher’s licensure exam, and to teach in a public school once she hurdles the test. That way, she can truly help her family and take care of her parents as she has always dreamed of doing.

“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials,” so it can be said of Teresa Villacote.

(Editor’s Note: The Philippine STAR’s #28StoriesOfGiving is a campaign that turns the spotlight on 28 inspiring stories of people and organizations who devote their lives to helping themselves or others. Everyone is encouraged to post or tweet a message of support with the hashtag, #28StoriesOfGiving. For every post, P5.00 will be added to The STAR’s existing ‘give back’ anniversary fund. For comments and suggestions to #28storiesofgiving, email [email protected] follow @philippinestar on Twitter or visit The Philippine STAR’s page on Facebook.)