While most children are playfully skipping and dancing onto the fluffy fields of dreamland, a 17-year old boy is already awake, testing the gears of his bicycle that would travel along the rough and bumpy roads of Brgy. Sampiruhan, Calamba City, Laguna.

At 3:30 in the morning, Yves Florence Rembon is on the road hoping that he would sell at least 100 pieces of pandesal to secure himself a 20 peso bill. If lucky, his travel could give him 120 pesos selling 600 pieces of pandesal.

These early morning adventures of his started when he finished high school. His mother, a plain housewife, and his father, a jeep dispatcher, cannot provide him a college education.

“Mula nung nalaman kong hindi ako makakapag-aral ng college, naisipan ko nalang maglako ng almusal at meryenda. Ayoko din kasi maging pabigat sa magulang. Mas gugustuhin ko pang mag-sariling sikap para makaipon ng pang-aral ko sa college,” the determined boy said.

Yves didn’t see his work as a burden but instead an opportunity to save up for his college studies. He even doubled up his effort by selling meryenda around the neighborhood every afternoon. The young boy is indeed determined to study and prepare for his future.

The Fuel of Desire

One of Yves’ neighbors, Tita Lot as she is fondly called, noticed his eagerness to study.

“Matalinong bata itong si Yves. Scholar nga siya nung high school. Kaya nung sinabing magkakaroon ng libreng vocational trainings ang KALAHI sa aming lugar, siya agad ang naisip ko kasi alam kong gustong gusto niyang makapag-aral,” Tita Lot shared.

Tita Lot is a volunteer of Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program specifically on the Japan Social Development Fund-Livelihood for Vulnerable Urban Communities (JSDF-LVUC) project. The project provided trainings for high school graduates who are financially deprived to take up college. They give trainings on mechanical, electrical, and technical services as well as dressmaking, beauty care, housekeeping, and food and beverage services.

Yves felt as if everything that he yearned for was given to him. His big fascination and interest with cars match the trainings offered by the program. He then took up Automotive Servicing where he learned car overhauling, under chassis, and power steering.

“Tinuruan pa nga po pala kami ng basic driving. Nakakatuwa kasi na-experience ko na agad mag-drive kahit bata pa lang ako,” Yves excitedly shared.

The vocational training was given by one of the partner schools of KALAHI-CIDSS, the Don Bosco College-Canlubang. Being a Catholic school, Yves gladly shared that they had additional classes on Christian living and personality development where he learned good manners and proper coordination with other people. He learned how to present himself well and talk confidently in front of a crowd.

“Palagi nga po akong napapakiusapan na magsalita tungkol sa experiences ko. Nasanay na rin po ako at hindi na nahihiya. Dahil sa mga natutunan ko, naging self-confident ako,” Yves said.

Driving towards his future

After three months of training, Yves is now a proud graduate of Automotive Servicing vocational training. He then attended the Department of Social Welfare and Development job matching fair at Biñan City, Laguna where he applied at his dream company, Asian Transmission Corporation (ATC). The company manufactures transmission and engine parts of a world-renowned Japanese car company.

Yves shared that he is already excited to work so he can use the skills he learned from the training and save up for his sibling’s college education. His brother, a grade three student, is also a scholar on the same school where Yves graduated high school.

“Ayoko po na tumigil ang kapatid ko sa pag-aaral tulad ng nangyari sakin. Kaya ngayon pa lang ay pag-iipunan ko na ang pang-college niya. At kung kakayanin, pag-iipunan ko rin po ang pang-college ko para makapag-aral pa rin ako ng four o five year course,” aiming high, Yves wants to be a mechanical engineer in the future.

Yves enthusiasm, perseverance, and positive outlook in life may have attracted blessings that made his dreams come true. He held on and believed in the importance of education and how it can change one’s life.

Yves firmly said, “Masaya ako at nabigyan ako ng ganitong pagkakataon dahil naniniwala ako na ang edukasyon at talino ay hinding hindi mananakaw sa atin kailanman.”