PANDI, Bulacan—Life drastically changed for Venus Hermosa when her father was abducted and killed during the war on drugs in 2017. She was just 12 years old at that time.

Three years after and with the family increasingly finding it difficult to make ends meet, Venus had to start working to be able to support her studies, and she found work at a “lugawan” or a shop that sells Filipino-style porridge.

"Kasi nahihirapan na po talaga si nanay [na buhayin kami] (Our mother was already having a hard time supporting us)," she told Manila Bulletin when asked why she decided to get a job at an early age.

When her father, a jeepney mechanic, was still alive, she said, he never failed to provide financial support for his family’s daily needs, as well as for the children's education.

But after his death, Venus said, she was left to fend for herself, just like her three siblings did for themselves.

Venus was actually born as Darence Castillo, before she committed to a change in gender at an early age.

Now 20, Venus rues that she had been among the collateral victims of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s deadly campaign against drugs.

While she did not totally discount the possibility that her father might have really been engaged in activities involving illegal drugs, Venus still could not get over how her father had been so supportive of her – from her education to even her gender preference.

"Siya pa nga po bumibili ng palda ko eh (He was the one even buying skirts for me)," she recalled.

On Jan. 17, 2017, Venus heard her mother and her father talking about moving to Cebu as they already feared for the latter's life. That time, drug suspects were killed almost every day, either by police during operations or by other criminals who had their own version of justice. They were called victims of extrajudicial killings.

A day later, her father received a call and was asked to go to a nearby barangay to supposedly repair a damaged vehicle. But upon his arrival, he was immediately taken into a van and abducted. Venus' family tried to report the incident to the police but nothing happened—a helplessness similarly felt by families of drug war victims.

On Jan. 19, 2017, her family received information that a body was found dumped at a nearby waterway.

They went, and saw it was his father's 6-foot-2 frame—bruised, with gunshot wounds to the head and body, with obvious signs of torture.

Who did it? Who stole their father away from them? Until now they do not know.

Venus finally decided to stop studying after finishing Grade 12.

She said she could no longer afford a college degree from earning only P400 a day, a wage even lower than the provincial rate set by the government.

She hopped from ‘lugawan’ to another. Her usual hours of duty were from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., the peak hours for customers, especially in Bulacan.

When there were no customers, she would lay down on a mat she set-up on the oily floor of the non-air conditioned shop to get some rest.

She thought selling rice porridge was the only job she would qualify for without any tertiary education.

But one midnight in mid-2025, a coffee shop owner, her regular customer at the ‘lugawan’, asked if she wanted to apply as a barista, an opportunity she never expected she would be offered.

Her pleasing personality, her kind of customer service and the manner she dressed, which were not typical for the more austere confines of a ‘lugawan’, made her more than qualified for the job.

She now looks back and notes that the position offered her was usually opened only to college graduates in Manila.

"Pressure po 'yung naramdaman ko. Kasi hindi mo naman inexpect, biglaan nalang, na parang puro lugaw lang hinahawakan ko dati (I felt a bit of pressure because it wasn't expected and it came as a surprise. Before that, I was just used to serving congee)," she said.

She knew working at a coffee shop was still far from her dream of becoming a flight attendant. But her career shift boosted her confidence that she can aspire for more.

"Parang mas tumaas na tingin ko sa sarili ko dahil nakatungtong na ako sa ganitong stage ng trabaho na maganda, okay okay. Maganda sa pandinig ng tao (I started looking at myself with high regard because I was able to get this kind of job)," she said.

Her cousin had reminded her that without education, it would still be hard to land a professional job, which she admits. But she keeps dreaming.

"Sabi ko, ayaw ko mamatay si nanay na wala pa akong nararating sa buhay. Basta may sipag at tiyaga ka, kahit walang napag-aralan, kaya naman po (I told myself I don't want to see my mother die without my not achieving anything. I said to myself that as long as you keep persevering, although you do not have any education, you can still make it)," she said.

Today, Venus earns more. From serving ‘lugaw’, she now serves coffee, in a workplace she finds "more comfortable."