Former OFW and Refrigerator & Air-condition Technician,now an LPT and Topnotcher

I am Ronald Cabrera Lazo—a TLE teacher and rank 7 of the 2016 Licensure Examination for Teachers- Special Professional Licensure Board Examination (LET- SPLBE). I was born in my father’s place at Balanga, Bataan, and was raised up in my mother’s place in Alcala, Pangasinan. We are a family of five with my mother, me as the eldest son followed by my sister Nora, my brother Jorge, and my younger sister Marilyn. I said five because at the early age of six, my parents got separated.

     My nanay left my tatay’s hometown bringing with her me and my siblings. During those times, at a very young age, I was forced to labor in order to help my nanay for our basic needs. The schooling years of my life were so tough that I struggled a lot in my studies. The standardized procedure of education never succeeded in me because of many disadvantages brought to me by my family’s circumstances; nevertheless, I was interested to finish my study way back then; however, my journey was not easy. I was not given a chance to attend any of the extracurricular activities like sports, boy’s scout, and Citizen Military Training (CAT). Even the happiest moment of a high school student—the Junior-Senior Prom—was also sacrificed.

     Finishing a bachelor’s degree was also my dream, but when I went to college, a vocational course was the only schooling fitted for my education’s budget. I worked in my relative’s place in Valenzuela City just to support my studies’ financial needs.

     After finishing my Refrigeration course, I was luckily employed to a shop where I took my on-the-job training (OJT) in Marilao, Bulacan. I was very happy during those days, especially when I received my first salary which is 300 pesos for a week or six days of work.

     Time runs so fast, it got to the point that my brother and sisters need to go to college. That is why at a young age of 21, I faced the biggest challenge in my life: being an OFW in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There was a mixture of culture shock, stress, heartbreaks and many other strange feelings I encountered in that place. From there, I earned a chance to receive a salary that is not so big but is a better compensation that is enough to support my sibling’s schooling needs. It was an advantage that I already enjoyed and forgot to go back in college to fulfil my deficit in the academics. I was pleased to help my family that it made me forget my own ‘happiness’, but I do not regret it at all. I learned from those hardships. I always pray that my experiences should not influence the way how my family raised me.

     I am now 49 years old, living with my wife and daughter who is currently taker her college schooling.