MANILA, Philippines – Some attendees became emotional during the graduation ceremony when the class valedictorian, who graduated from elementary school in Davao del Norte, delivered a speech revealing the hardships of their life.
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| Photo courtesy: Screenshots from Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho (KMJS) YouTube video |
In an episode of the top-rating and award-winning magazine show "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" (KMJS), the 13-year-old Jenilyn Maylas from Sitio Linayapan in the mountains of Talaingod, home to the indigenous Ata-Manobo, was introduced. She gave the speech for her graduating batch. From the beginning, tears flowed from the teachers and guests as Jenilyn mentioned that they almost always ate cassava and boiled bananas due to the scarcity of rice.
Jenilyn's intelligence and determination in her studies are admirable because at her young age, one can already see the depth of her thinking, as evidenced by her speech.
“Isang malaking karangalan po ang makapagsalita sa harapan ninyo," she said in the opening part of her valedictory speech.
“Kamoteng kahoy, saging at kamote ang aming kinakain minsan. At kahit sa mahirap na pamamaraan mabuhay... nakuha pa rin namin na mamuhay nang masaya. Dahil ang buhay ay hindi lamang puro kasiyahan, kakambal din nito ang sakit…”
Out of the 20 students in Grade 6, Jenilyn stood out among those who graduated from Malapanit Primary School Linayapan Extension. According to her teacher, Jenilyn has a naturally outstanding personality and gets along well with everyone. Her favorite subject is Math, and someday, she dreams of becoming a doctor.
Every school day, Jenilyn needs to cook or boil sweet potatoes for her breakfast, which she also brings to school. Since she doesn't have a bag, she wraps the sweet potatoes in banana leaves and then puts them in plastic. If she sees a classmate with a bag, she asks if she can place her food in the bag until they arrive at school. Rice is considered like gold in their area because they don't have enough money to buy it.
As a result, aside from those who heard her speech, netizens were also moved emotionally by Jenilyn's inspiring story. Netizens hope that Jenilyn achieves her dreams as long as she continues to maintain her positive outlook in life despite life's challenges.
