BEING the eldest in the family and having seen how difficult it has always been for her parents to make both ends meet, Rhea Mae Ongkit made sure to put her heart into her studies every single day.
Ongkit, 21, saw how her father, a forklift operator at Pier 1 in Cebu City, worked hard to provide for them. “I would see how tired from work he was every time he came home every Sunday. I know what he earns is not enough for the family. That is why I strived to find ways to continue going to school,” she said.
Rhea Mae C. Ongkit is a native of Sitio Ilaya in Barangay Cawayan, Dalaguete who finished Bachelor of Elementary Education in the University of the Visayas-Dalaguete.
She credits not only her parents for the degree that she earned but also the government, which supported her through the Department of Labor and Employment’s (Dole) Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES).
With the meager earnings of her father and with a stay-at-home mother, Ongkit said it was always a challenge for her parents to send her and her three siblings to school, but education remained a priority.
Fortunately, she said, she was able to avail herself of Dole’s SPES, which had been supporting her with her school needs for the past three years.
“As soon as I received my stipend, I made sure to buy all my school requirements and whatever money I had left was turned over to my parents to help them with our needs at home,” she shared.
As a SPES beneficiary, Ongkit received a one-time stipend every May or June for the work she rendered for 20 days every year.
Ongkit said she was motivated to finish her studies so she can help her family, especially her siblings who also need her help with their education.
After graduating in March 2018, she took the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) on Sept. 30 of the same year. “The news surprised me. I could not believe it. I thought it was fake news because I didn’t even think I would pass the exams,” she said of the board exam results that were released last month.
The news that she did not only pass the exams but also made it to the Top 10 LET passers with the highest scores completely stunned her and her family.
Ongkit ranked seventh among the Top 10 examinees all over the country. “I was elated. I did not expect to make it to the Top 10 but it was God’s will and I’m so grateful. All the hard work paid off. It felt surreal but it was really real!” she exclaimed.
She thanked the Dole for implementing the SPES program. “The SPES had been a part of my journey. Had it not been for SPES, I would not have been able to make it. I hope there will be more people who can benefit from the program,” she said.
When asked about her plans after passing the board exams, she said she might consider teaching at the University of the Visayas-Main Campus after she got an invitation from the school.
“This is also my own way of giving back and perhaps inspiring others to do their best and work hard and pursue what they want to achieve in life,” Ongkit added.
Dole 7 Regional Director Johnson G. Cañete lauded Ongkit and the rest of the SPES beneficiaries for putting a face to the SPES, a reputation which he hopes would ignite sparks of courage among students who have less in life.
Ongkit is one of the 3,650 SPES beneficiaries that Dole Central Visayas produced in its implementation of the SPES. As of 2018, it recorded 14,763 beneficiaries from all over the region. Contributed Article