AGAINST ALL ODDS: Agta siblings finish college degree

Going out of the community to attend school was not easy for Agta siblings from Cagayan, but they chose to fight for their dreams, and now they are starting to harvest the fruits of their perseverance and determination.

Gerly Ballad, 27, and her younger sister Emely, 24, marked a milestone in their life when they graduated from college at the St. Joseph College in Baggao, Cagayan, on May 23. Gerly completed a degree in education while Emely finished in information technology.

The two sisters, the 3rd and 4th of seven siblings, were accompanied by their proud parents, who were clad in their native attire during the commencement exercise.

“Atuy adiay tagtagibassiten yun nakalpas kamin salamat pala sa inyo. Inan anusan mi [p]ananguy-uyaw da idi kanyami,” the older sister wrote, expressing they used those unkind words thrown at them as a leverage to pursue their studies.

‘Nagsangsangit ni inang idi madik agbasa’

Gerly revealed it took her longer years to finish her studies because she stopped numerous times. She admitted that she did not want to continue to study after completing elementary. Part of the reason was her shyness to interact with people outside their community.

She recalled her mother crying over her decision to stop, and that she had to hide from her for three days to show she didn’t want to go back to school.

“Nagsangsangit ni inang idi naamwan na nga madik agbasbasa, naglimlimmeng nak pay idi ti tallo aldaw ta madik kayat agbasa,” she recounted.

It might have been a bumpy road for Gerly, but she finally graduated at 27 through the help of Father Dave Remudaro, who made her his scholar.

‘Mahirap mangarap lalo na kung wala ka’

In a separate post, the younger sister, Emely, said she had the same struggles as her big sister; the only difference was that she never stopped and attended every school year until she finished her college degree.

“Kung ano ang kwento ni Ate, ganoon din ang sa akin—pero may kaunting kaibahan. Hindi lang ako huminto sa pag-aaral, bagkus ay nagsumikap akong ipagpatuloy ito kahit saan man ako mapadpad,” she said, adding she had to juggle her job and studies since high school that she considered herself lucky when she gets at least an hour of sleep.

The road to her degree was not easy, particularly for someone like her who has nothing but dreams.

“Mahirap mangarap, lalo na kung wala ka. Kailangan mong magsakripisyo, maghintay, at magsumikap nang husto para lang maabot ang mga inaasam mo sa buhay,” she said.

Just like Gerly, Emely was grateful to all the people who were instrumental to their success and helped them in every way. She also paid tribute to their parents, who were both supportive and provided what they could for them to pursue their dreams and have a better life and future.