Many children love to play where the water is. In the case of John Michael, it’s the pond. He remembers swimming and jumping in the fishpond in their humble community in barangay Upper Pangi, Ipil, Province of Zamboanga Sibugay. Together with his friends and brothers, they would splash water at each other, accompanied by loud laughter, and playful banters.

For most children, the pond had always been a simple place where children played, elders gathered to talk about the day, and fishermen cast their nets to catch fish. But for John Michael, it was more than just water and reeds. It was his personal classroom, a place of hope, and, at times, a mirror that reflected every possibility life could offer.

John Michael Lanuza Montillano, a fisherfolk’s son, grew up watching life unfold by the fishpond. He saw both his parents juggling multiple jobs. His father had been a fisherfolk, a security guard, a vegetable vendor, and a habal-habal driver while his mother contributed by closing deals as an agent of Avon, Boardwalk, and Natasha. Yet even with their combined efforts, the family struggled to meet their everyday needs.

 

An Early Strike Of Poverty

In elementary, hiking was their means to get to school. His little feet endured the daily walks because he knew of the value of education. There were days when he had to take special exams because his tuition fee wasn’t paid on time.

“When I was in elementary mag hike mi mo adtu school sako ate and our balon is only 3 pesos sometimes 5 pesos pero naa jud time nga naka experience ko nga 1 pesos ra. [When I was in elementary school, my older sister and I would walk to school with only 3 or 5 pesos in our pocket,but there also times when 1 peso was all we had],” John Michael shared.

These may seem usual for a poor Filipino family. But beneath the endurance lies a deeper problem that the country faces. Walking for kilometers to get to school means that a child has to exert almost exhaustive effort everyday before he would receive education and learning. Having 1 peso as daily allowance also meant that a child has to skip recess or snack time just because he has nothing to spend.

As heavy as this may sound to us, this is just the tip of the iceberg. One very striking moment in his life is when he had to leave home to live with other relatives who can afford to send him to school.

“During my stay sako uncle, I was provided with everything even ang mga food lami. But with that whole duration nga nag stay ko sa ilaha dili pud ma ihap ang gabie nga mamata ko nga maghilak because gimingaw ko sako pamilya.. sa akong mama, papa pati mga igsuon. Imagine I’m still 9 years old that time.”

[During my stay with my uncle, I was provided with everything, the food tastes good. But with that whole duration, I lost count of how many nights I’ve cried because I missed my family, my mother, father, and siblings. Imagine I was still 9 years old at that time.]

It was a painful decision for a young boy to live away from family not out of desire, but out of necessity. Every day was a negotiation between his dreams and reality.

“I know that my parents [didn’t] want us to get separated but due to poverty, there are things that just needed to be accepted the way it is,” John Michael said.

 

The Light Of Day

Resilient as he is, these hardships, did not break him. Rather, they molded him.

In 2010, they became part of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a poverty-alleviation program implemented by the DSWD as an intervention to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty in the country. The program provides grants for health of children to ensure that their physical well-being is in a healthy state which, in effect, would affect his performance in school. The 4Ps also provides for the educational necessities of each monitored child that would cover fare, projects, allowance, school supplies, etc.

We all know dili jud kadakuan ato madawat. But sa atoa nga wala jud.. dako na kaayo na nga tabang para maka provide og pagkaon, balon and tuition sa skwelahan.

[We all know that the grants that we receive from the program is not really a large amount of money but for us who have less in life, that grant is a huge help for our food, allowance, tuition and school fees.]

It is true that a child only needs a strong support from his family, will to escape from an unfortunate situation, and aid from government to attain his goals in life. John Michael graduated in high school with a Salutatorian distinction, a feat that marked his great success.

With determination in his heart and faith in Jesus Christ as his compass, John Michael pursued his passion for English education. Inspired by his former English teachers, he enrolled in the Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English at Western Mindanao State University–Ipil Campus.

The 4Ps program continued on with its support for John Michael by enrolling him to the Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGPPA), a program that provided grants for 4Ps members in tertiary education.

“Kani nga money intended for my education is ginabahinan pud nako sa ako mga igsuon nga ga skwela and other needs sa amo balay most importantly ang pagkaon. That time 4 mi ga skwela. 2 college and 2 ka high school and ang work sako papa ana nga time is habal-habal driver while gabantay pud sya ug fishpond.”

[The ESGP-PA grant that was intended for my education was also shared for the needs of my other siblings who are in school and some for our needs at home especially for food. At that time, 4 of us were in school, 2 in college and 2 in high school and my father’s job at that time was a habal-habal driver, all while managing the fishpond.]

And finally, in 2019, John Michael marched across the stage of the WMSU Sports Complex with his graduation cap held high and eyes filled with gratitude. It wasn’t just his victory; it belonged to his parents, his siblings, and every difficult day that pushed him to persevere.

In the same year, he passed the licensure exam and landed his first teaching job. He strived hard and earned his reputation in the institution that he was in. Sure enough, all his efforts were paid off. At a young age, he was designated as School Principal of a private educational institution in the municipality of Ipil in 2021.

Last November 2022, he began his career as Instructor I, a regular position at the Zamboanga Sibugay Polytechnic Institute under the TESDA. He also finished his master’s degree in education majoring in educational administration at Western Mindanao State University, last year. Indeed, he steadily built a career anchored on service and growth.

When asked about his greatest milestone in life and the impact of his successes so far, John Michael shares that this allowed him to support his siblings’ education, a dream he once whispered in prayer while staring at his reflection by the pond.

“One of the things that has impacted me after I started working is that I now have the opportunity to finance my siblings’ education.”

Today, John Michael is not only a teacher; he is a mentor, leader, community servant, and living proof of what happens when hardship meets hope.

From the fishponds of Upper Pangi to the classrooms of Zamboanga Sibugay Polytechnic Institute, John Michael’s journey is a testament to determination and perseverance. His story shines as a reminder that poverty is not the end of the line, rather, it is the beginning of a story worth telling.