Antipolo City Traffic Enforcer Francis Allit Caballero switched from holding a radio and traffic violation tickets to a toga and diploma after successfully finishing his college studies while serving his community.
Francis Caballero
According to Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares, Caballero is the seventh of nine siblings that their parents try to support through farming and copper harvesting which are the family's primary sources of income.
"Bata pa lang, namulat na siya sa pagbabanat ng buto para makatulong sa kaniyang mga magulang. Suntok sa buwan ang makapag-high school sa kanilang probinsiya dahil sapat lang ang kanilang kita sa pang-araw araw nilang pangangailangan. Ito ang nagtulak kay Francis na lumuwas para sa pangarap na edukasyon (Ever since he's a young boy, Francis helped his parents in earning for their family due to poverty, making it close to impossible for them to enter high school due to their financial situation. This forced him to go Manila to work and earn for his studies)," Ynares said on Thursday, May 9.
While living in Manila, Caballero worked as a carwash boy and service crew. He also helps his aunt in cooking and selling barbecue during weekends. Caballero also sold fruits during Christmas.
He also helped in cleaning the houses of his teachers for extra income so he could send this to his family in the province.
"Dahil batid ni Francis ang laki ng matrikula sa pagkokolehiyo, naisipan niyang magtrabaho sa ating lokal na pamahalaan bilang isang traffic enforcer sa ilalim ng Office of Public Safety and Security o OPSS. Ibinilang din natin siya sa ating Scholarship Program (Understanding the cost of his college tuition, Caballero opted to work in our local government as a traffic enforcer under the Office of Public Safety and Security or OPSS. We also included him in our Scholarship Program)," the mayor explained.
"Sa umaga, nasa paaralan siya para busugin ang kaniyang isipan ng dunong at kaalaman. Sa hapon, pagtapos ng eskwela, nasa kalsada naman siya para pamahalaan ang daloy ng trapiko sa lansangan (In the morning, he studied diligently in school and immersed himself in all the knowledge and skills being taught to him. In the afternoon, he would don his traffic enforcer uniform and help in managing the flow of traffic)," he added.
On April 30, Caballero finally achieved his life-long dream after finishing his Bachelor of Science in Criminology studies at the ICCT.
"Congratulations, Francis! Your OPSS Family and the City Government are so proud of you! Patunay ang kwento ng iyong buhay na walang pangarap ang hindi kayang abutin kung sasamahan natin ito ng determinasyon at pagsusumikap. Saludo kami sa 'yo! (Congratulations, Francis! Your OPSS Family and the city government are so proud of you! Your life story proves that nothing is impossible as long as you have determination and perseverance. We salute you!)," Ynares stressed.