VIRAC, Catanduanes – When 58-year-old Elena dela Rosa Satairapan expressed her desire to pursue a college degree, all she got from her husband was a chuckle.
“Bakit daw ako mag-eenrol, eh matanda na ako. Kaya ayaw niya. Pero hindi ako nagpa-pigil sa kanya. Tapos 'yun, nalaman din niya pero wala na siyang nagawa. Tumawa na lang siya (My husband asked me why do I have to enroll? You’re old. He didn’t want me to. But that didn’t stop me. I enrolled and he could not do anything about it. He just chuckled,” she said.
Another issue was the fact that Nanay Elena and her husband, together with their five children and 15 grandchildren, have been living in a shanty in Barangay Catagbacan, a remote village in San Andres, this province, since their house was destroyed by super typhoon "Rolly" last November.
But Nanay Elena’s burning desire to pursue her dream eventually prevailed after she recently finished Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management at the Catanduanes Colleges.
Money was naturally an issue for Nanay Elena’s family but her ability to spread whatever money they have helped them tide over their difficulties.
“Nung hindi pa nagkakaroon ng pandemya, P70 ang aming pamasahe, back and forth na 'yan. Nung nagka-COVID, P500 ang pamasahe, balikan na 'yan,” she narrated.
It helped Nanay Elena a lot that she got a monthly P2,000 support as one of the provincial government’s scholars. She also sells food early in the day before focusing on her studies, full load at that, in the afternoon.
“'Yung ginagawa ko kasi nung first year ako, P12,000.00 'yung babayaran ko sa school. 'Yung pang entrance, inutang ko muna 'yun. Minsan pumupunta ako sa mga pulitiko para humingi ng pera, pumupunta ako sa DSWD para humingi ng educational assistance, kung saan-saan (When I was in first year, I had to pay P12,000 to the school. I borrowed money for the entrance examination. I had to approach politicians, the DSWD to ask for educational assistance, anywhere who is willing to help),” she narrated.
“Kung anuman po ang nakukuha ko, hinahati ko pa rin sa pamilya ko at pang-gastos sa eskwelahan. Minsan, wala akong pagkain pag pumasok sa eskwela. Tiyaga lang talaga. Malayo din kasi bahay namin sa school (Whatever I received, I divided it with my family for school and household expenses. Once, I even had to go to school without any food. I had to persevere. Our house is far from school),” added Nanay Elena.
With the onset of the pandemic that forced schools to implement online learning, Nanay Elena had another challenge to hurdle.
“Hindi ako puwede sa online kasi wala akong smartphone. De-pindot lang cellphone ko saka wala pang signal sa bahay. Kaya pinili ko, nag-module na lang. Kada katapusan ng linggo, pupunta ako sa bayan para i-submit ang module ko (I can’t study online because I don’t have a smartphone. I only have a keypad cellphone and there is no reliable signal in our house. So I had to study through modules. At the end of each week, I submit my modules to the school),” said Nanay Elena.
After achieving her dream, Nanay Elena said she is now preparing to apply for a job.
“Opo, mag-apply po ako ng trabaho. Pero sabi ng asawa ko, dito lang daw sa Catanduanes. Kasi alam mo na, pag malayo, mamimiss ko siya (Yes, I will apply for a job. But my husband told me I have to apply for work only in Catanduanes. He’ll miss me when I work far),” she said.