POVERTY inspired him to be successful.
Jose Marie Poblete, a 54-year-old civil engineer and lawyer, said hard work, dedication, perseverance and his undying faith in God were his weapons to overcome the challenges he faced throughout the years.
Being the eldest of seven siblings, Poblete said, he never had the chance to fully enjoy his childhood.
Instead of doing what normal kids did, Poblete said, he would go fishing to help feed his family.
His father worked for a shipping company while his mother took care of the household chores.
Even then, Poblete, also known as “Jomar” to friends, showed exemplary performance, graduating as a valedictorian in elementary and high school.
Despite the hardships, he never lost hope that their lot would improve.
After completing high school in his hometown of Padre Burgos in Southern Leyte, Poblete moved to Cebu City to study civil engineering at the University of San Jose-Recoletos.
When he arrived here, a friend from home helped him so he could enroll.
All pitching in
“Most of the time, my family had a hard time paying my tuition. My brothers and sisters had to make sacrifices. One stopped going to school while another raised pigs to help pay my tuition,” he told Sun.Star Cebu in Cebuano.
There were times he would only eat once a day so he could save to pay for his boarding house and tuition that amounted to around P4,000 that time.
“Sometimes I slept without (eating) dinner, I would just drink water. Sometimes, I would wake up hungry around midnight and I’d sneak into the kitchen to check for leftovers),” Poblete said in Cebuano.
When he was in fourth-year college, Engr. Renault Ricardo, who now works for the Department of Public Works and Highways 7, pawned his watch and lent the money to Poblete so the latter could continue his studies.
It was also in college that he met his future wife, Annabel Bornados-Poblete.
They have three daughters--Johanna Hamia, a doctor of medicine; and Mae Jonabelle and Ron Michelle, who both pursued a law degree and took the bar last November.
Because of hard work also, five of his siblings were also able to finish college, while one finished a two-year program.
Years after he graduated from engineering, he also took up law.
Poblete is the current chief of Cebu City’s Department of Engineering and Public Works.
Prior to that, he was city administrator from 2010 to 2013.
When he first joined the Cebu City Government, Poblete was assigned at the project management office of the South Road Properties. He was later transferred to the City Legal Office after he passed the bar exams in March 2003.
But even with two degrees, Poblete said he still encountered many challenges.
Starting out
When he started his law practice, Poblete said, there were times his poor clients couldn’t pay him.
“Many would say that once you become a lawyer, your fortune would start (to build), but it was not easy. My clients were looking for justice while I was looking after my practice. And I didn’t mind it if they couldn’t pay because I knew how it was to have no money,” he said in Cebuano.
There was a time, Poblete said, a client from Carcar City paid him with chicharon, ampao and bocarillos.
“My children got used to eating the city’s delicacies because I would get these as payment during the hearings,” he said.
But with his strong faith in God, Poblete said he was able to surpass obstacles.
“It is my belief that all that I have now and what I have become is due to the grace of God. I believe that in believing and serving the Lord with whatever time, skills and talent you have, be it in the church or in the community, you will earn God’s grace and mercy,” he said.