LAST week, I had the opportunity of meeting two great women. One is at the prime of her youth, the other at the sunset of her life. Each one has a very inspiring story to tell.
I met the first woman on May 11, at the 6th graduation ceremony of Mabalacat City College. She is part of the biggest graduating class - 709 strong- since the school was established by the City Government of Mabalacat ten years ago. She is Abigail Gramonte, the class valedictorian, a BSED student who graduated Summa Cum Laude.
As Abigail walked up to the stage for her valedictory address, I thought it would just be one of those typical thank-you-parents-teachers speeches. I was wrong. As she started her speech, my attention was immediately caught by her perfect English and excellent diction. As she went on, my ears were glued to her story.
Abigail was the daughter of a tricycle driver and she was not ashamed of it. Having lost her mom when she was young, she was exposed to sufferings at an early age. She has to stop schooling for five years due to financial difficulties, taking on odd jobs to help her father support the family.
Then the opportunity came for her to pursue a college degree. The Mabalacat City College offered free tuition fees for academic performers. She did not let the opportunity go. Her student life was saddled with difficulties. She, and her sister who also enrolled, sometimes have to go to school with empty stomachs, skipping breakfast and lunch to save money for their school projects.
All her sacrifices paid-off. She not only finished her degree, she was at the top of her class. Offering her success to her father, she said: “Papa today is also your graduation”. As she finished her speech, almost everyone in the audience, including me, were wiping tears in our eyes. We all stood up to give her a standing ovation. Indeed, poverty is not a hindrance to success.
The other woman is Mrs. Luz Escalante-Sabas, who at age 84, is still active in environmental work. Last May 12, I went to the University of the Philippines’ Bahay Alumni, to join my colleagues in the Zero Waster Recycling Movement of the Philippines (ZWRMP) and other environmental NGO’s in witnessing the launching of her book “Towards Zero Waste”.
Manang Luz, as we fondly call her, is the founder of the ZWRMP, the NGO who pioneered solid waste management advocacy at a time when garbage is not yet a big problem. I joined the group in 1998 and later became one its officers. I saw the dedication of Manang Luz in advocating zero waste.
In her younger days, Manang Luz was a UP scholar, finishing Nursing as Cum Laude and class valedictorian. She topped the Board exam for nursing and placed 3rd in the civil service exam for Nurses. In 2013, she was conferred the UP Alumni Association Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award.
Now in her 80’s, she never stopped preaching zero waste. She calls her new book a recycled version of her Masteral Thesis in 1979 entitled “Four F’s of total Recycling”. The book is still relevant today, as it was 38 years ago.
Manang Luz is a highly respected person in the field of solid waste management, so much so that the newly appointed DENR Secretary, Sec. Roy Cimatu, graced the book launching and delivered the keynote speech.
Abigail and Manang Luz – two women whose inspiring stories will forever be etched in the annals of history.