“Sa lahat ng pagsubok sa buhay, mayroong solusyon at mayroong tutulong (In every challenge that life may bring, there will always be a solution and an aid),” said Axel Getalada, a former 4Ps child beneficiary from Compostela, Cebu.

Axel shared that his life was never a smooth ride, but like they say, padayon, or keep moving forward, as he faced all the challenges that came his way.

His father, Alfred, works in a factory, while his mother, Farrah Mae, attends their small sari-sari store and works in the barangay as a Gender and Development (GAD) desk officer. Their combined income would not be enough to sustain their daily needs, pay their debts, and fund their children’s educational expenses. Both of them were not able to finish their studies.

Aside from Axel, he has an elder sister, Glenda Mae, who already stopped going to school, and his three (3) younger siblings, Alfred Jr., Alkent, and Almy, who are currently in senior high school, junior high school, and grade 5, respectively. Alfred Jr. and Alkent are the presently 4Ps monitored children of the family.

As a former 4Ps child beneficiary, Axel is an academically inclined student and a consistent honor student. He won various school competitions like quiz bowls, spelling contests, science quizzes, and poster-making contests, to name a few.

He also joined some school organizations and was elected president of these organizations.

“I was active in school because I want to excel in different co-curricular activities and achieve that dream that someday I will support my family and lift them out of poverty,” underscored Axel.

Axel was the first monitored child of the family under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

“The cash grant we received every payment period helped us a lot, but since I have younger siblings who are also studying, my mother had to divide the money, but it would not be enough to buy all the school supplies needed. Later on, my younger brothers also became monitored children of the program, and it increased the education grant that we received,” shared Axel.

Axel shared that he had a happy childhood, but it was not all fun, as he always remembers his parents arguing most of the time because of financial difficulties. For this reason, his mother decided to work abroad as a domestic helper to augment their income. She became one of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).

After two (2) years of working in Qatar, Farrah Mae did not extend her contract and came home. Axel added that they were ecstatic to hear the news and thought they would never have financial problems anymore, but he was wrong.

Their family still struggled financially. At an early age, “I already understood and appreciated the hardships and hard work of my parents,” Axel shared.

To help his parents, Axel resorted to selling food and school supplies to his classmates and went from house to house in their community to sell the food cooked by his grandmother so that he could have an allowance for school and save some in his piggy bank.

In one of his class discussions, he asked his teacher the reason behind the saying, “Education is the key to success,” and the teacher calmly explained to him that through education, you can become a professional and land a good job that will eventually earn a living for your family.

“This motivated me to study hard and focus on my goals. I also do not want to waste the education grant received from 4Ps because it has helped me and my family,” said Axel.

Faced with challenges, Axel managed to get several school recognitions and has consistently been a class officer. It is his way of telling his parents that they have a son who is a fighter and does not easily give up on the different challenges of life.

“Almost all of my classmates in high school were also 4Ps student beneficiaries like me. This made me realize the importance of this program for disadvantaged families in augmenting their income, especially for their educational needs and buying other essential things,” said Axel.

When the old house of the Getaladas got damaged during the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda in 2013, the family fixed it using part of the cash grants they received and bought new sets of uniforms and shoes.

Student Leader

As an active student leader in school, he grabbed all opportunities that came his way, like joining the four-day Regional Innovation Camp in which he was awarded a silver medal and a certificate for user-centric design for his innovative product using scratch material, and he also joined a Chemical Engineering Contest where their group won 5th place.

“Being president of the supreme student government and child protection leader, I introduced advocacy and innovation during my term. One of the most successful proposals I made was the Project EducTV: Empowering Education, One Screen at a Time, a project that proposes to put television in all the classrooms on our campus. Through the SSG funds, school funds, and monetary donations from the parents, we purchased 29 televisions, which were enough for all the classrooms on the campus.

Axel’s most memorable experience as a student leader was being able to join an international immersion in Malaysia for seven (7) days. The owners of Green Rose Center for Academe, Inc. generously shouldered more than half of the expenses. His family had to pay the remaining fees every month.

The cash grant from 4Ps and the solicitations from his relatives were used for his pocket money while traveling in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Malacca. Through the immersion, he met people from other countries and got to know their culture, livelihood, education, and technological innovations. He also had to deliver an instant speech during the awarding ceremony because he got the highest grade during the immersion program.

“Representing my school and the country was a huge honor and a privilege. As a poor student, it was already a big achievement that I will treasure forever. Being able to interact with international students and share my life experiences makes me proud to be a Filipino, as it enables me to raise the name of my school and our Philippine flag,” said Axel.

Axel was also recognized as one of the Haligi ng Karunungan awardees by the Federation of Association of Private School Administrators, Inc. (FAPSA). The award recognized his academic excellence and active leadership in school.

Axel’s journey has been rough and bumpy, but he knows he still has a long way to go to finish his studies and be able to help his parents.

Dreaming to become a medical doctor someday, he applied for an academic scholarship and passed the University of Cebu (UC) nursing admission examination. Now, he is a first-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing student.

“Ganahan jud ko og medicine tungod kay ganahan ko og science, math, anatomy, and physiology na mga topic. Gipili nako ang nursing kay nindot ni siya nga pre-med course. Inig maka work nako, plano nako magtigom para akoa mapaeskwela akong kaugalingon og medicine (I really like medicine because I’m into Science, Math, Anatomy, and Physiology topics. I chose nursing because this is a good pre-med course. If I already have work, I will save money for my studies in medicine),” said Axel.

“For a family who has faced a lot of tribulations like me, the 4Ps is a reliable companion along the way. It provided us a fighting chance to pursue our dreams and never stop chasing that dream, no matter how challenging it could be. I am thankful for the support given to me and my family, and I hope my story inspires other students to never give up on their dreams,” said Axel. ###

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