27 July 2013
One of the real-life heroes who took the spotlight in the State of the Nation Address of President Benigno Aquino III once roamed the streets of Rizal vending balut (fertilized duck egg).
Emerson Paguia lived in Zambales, but had to go to Manila to look for job. He had tried various odd jobs, but what he earned was not enough to fend for his family.
"I was willing to take on any type of job. I don't wany to be idle," he said.
To have additional income, Paguia sold balut at night. The little money he earned from it was used to help him with his daily expenses.
"I finished high school, and I heard that some call center companies accept high school students, but I realized that my weak communication skills would not afford me to land in such job," he said.
Paguia, who is in his late 20s, knew he was also keen on technical matters and would like to pursue training on a course related to information technology.
Although financially hard-up, he always saved a few pesos for a trip to the internet shop to look for job openings and training opportunities. That was when he chanced upon the announcement for a Web Development scholarship with Informatics on Facebook.
The training was under the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) of the agency in partnership with Informatics.
"The information on the website said they will give us training on data programming and PHP server site encryption. It's one course I want to specialize on, but the free website tutorial were not very helpful. I did not let pass the chance to learn this through TESDA and Informatics," Paguia said.
Getting in the training was not the end of Paguia's woes. The challenges of sustaining and attending his classes were no easy task. Money was again the problem. To save on transportation expenses, he sometimes walked to the Informatics College at Eastwood in Quezon City. It was no easy feat as he lives in Angono, Rizal, or a three-hour walk.
And after class, he continued selling balut to get by. He said it was difficult, but he knew the scholarship was one-in-a-lifetime opportunity he should not let slip away. Each day in school was a step closer to his dreams, Paguia said.
After completing the program, he emerged as one of the top scholars in the class. Discovering his potentials, Informatics immediately hired him in its web development team.
Paguia is now embarking into his first big IT project - the school's online student portal.
He has since left the streets and has retired his basket of balut, but always mindful that this represented his humble beginnings.
Emerson Paguia's leap from being a balut vendor to an IT expert hopes to inspire as one of the real-life success stories mentioned by President Benigno Aquino III in his 4th State of the Nation Address.
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