BROKEN

Have you ever been heartbroken like your whole life was shattered into pieces? Joan Ebo, young girl from Barangay Saluyong, Municipality of Manukan, Zamboanga Del Norte, surely did; not once but multiples times.

Her first and probably the biggest heartbreak she encountered yet was when her own father, the very man that she looked up to, left them for another woman. As a young girl, she could not understand why her father was with someone other than her mother and children. It was a strange idea to her because she had always known that a family should stick together through thick and thin. Sometimes she would feel envious of her classmates and friends who have their fathers with them, enjoying the company of a complete and loving family.

“Naa ko sa grade 6 when ako ginikanan nagbulag, si papa gibiyaan si mama agi sa laing babaye (I was in Grade 6 when my parents got separated because of infidelity),” Joan recalled.

Joan’s young heart was devastated seeing that her father loved someone else and chose to leave them. She was even more devastated to see her distressed mother as if she lost hope in life. Joan became her mother’s shock absorber, keeping her mother sane.

Since then, her mother raised the four of them on her own. Despite the heartaches she endured, she made sure that the children were fed and taken care of. Joan made a promise to herself that she does not want to see and feel the same struggle again.

But fate is playful and taunting at times. Just when she started to compose herself and regain her confidence in life, she once again saw heartbreak happen to another of her loved ones. Her eldest sibling went through the same pain as her mother did after being left alone by the man they loved. Joan’s heart was broken for the second time seeing that her sister was enduring the same agony inflicted by loving someone so dearly.

As if that was not enough, another sister fell into the same trap. Joan began to think that maybe this is a curse that is passed on to every girl in their family. Or maybe what they say is true: that there is a 30% chance that when happened to parents happen to their children. It is a probability that she cannot ignore after seeing these things happen to them.

 

BROKE

Not only that their hearts were left empty, but their pockets were also empty too. Back then, the men in the family were the ones that bring income to the household. Women are told to stay at home and take care of the family. When they were left by the men, they became paralyzed for a while.

It became even harder because her sisters, who were also left by their partners, were left with infants to feed. The lost men never extended financial aid to support the necessities of the children. Her mother, at that time, was earning from farming and selling coconut wine (tuba).

“Si mama na ang nahimong mama ug papa sa amoa aning panahuna. (Mom stood as our mother and father at that time),” Joan said.

She wanted to help but she could not because what can a child such as herself do? Her small, frail body was even considered a liability considering the situation that they were in.

The family was literally broke –a millennial term used to refer to having no money in the pocket. This was the time in her life when Joan felt the heavy weight of being a poor individual. Yet again, she made a vow once more. She promised herself that she will do her best to escape this cycle of heartbreak and being broke that run in the family.

“I felt hopeless and cried; day and night, yet I still prayed and claimed to God from His promise”, she also shared a bible scripture that reads, “Call unto and I will answer thee, and she thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).

 

BREAK

Ebo Family’s big break happened in 2011 when they became part of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a condition-based program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that is mandated to provide cash grants to poor families to support the educational and health needs of children. The program’s mission and goal is to invest in the education of children and eventually help them escape the inter-generational cycle of poverty.

Because of this, Joan’s determination and hope were refueled. She is one of the monitored children of Ebo Family who was eligible to receive cash grants from the 4Ps. Her dream was to become a teacher someday. Being a member of the 4Ps helped her see the value of education and so she wanted to extend this appreciation by molding the youth through education.

More opportunities opened when they became part of the program. After completing Senior High School, the 4Ps facilitated Joan’s application to the ESGPP-A or the Expanded Students’ Grant-in-aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA), a program that used to be under the 4Ps to support the tertiary education of 4Ps children. She then became automatically qualified for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) of the Department of Education. This program also provides the students ample privileges that will aid their college education. Joan knew that someday all her dreams would come into reality.

Joan took a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education Major in MAPEH in Jose Rizal Memorial State University in Katipunan Campus. She took all the opportunity to learn not just the lessons though but also how to be strong in facing all the problems in life. Joan became the foundation of her mother and of their family.

After 4 years, Joan successfully earned a college degree. She couldn’t be prouder for hurdling the challenges both in familial and educational aspect of her life. In 2017, she became the first daughter of the Ebo family to hold a degree. She then took the Licensure Exam for Teachers and passed in the same year.

Last 2021, she was appointed as one of the regular teachers in Manukan National High School. Joan now lives the dream. It is now her time to give other families a chance to break the cycle of poverty and escape the unfortunate situation brought about by poverty.

As for Joan, her heart is now stronger than ever, and she learned that heartbreak and being broken depends on how you react to the negative things in life. The scars in her life just made her even more resilient and determined to push boundaries beyond what they expect a woman can.

 

JOAN MATEO EBO, LPT

4Ps Beneficiary from Barangay Saluyong, Manukan, Zamboanga Del Norte

Teacher 1- Manukan National High School