Breath of fresh air
You must have come across the story of Erwin Macua on Facebook. Or read about his incredible journey in the newspaper. Or seen him on TV.
To those who don’t know, he’s the guy who recently received his diploma for a baccalaureate degree in General Education, cum laude, from the St. Theresa’s College (STC). So why has he been garnering much attention? Well, you have the school’s students and alumni to blame for that. They’ve been heaping praises on the man they call Kuya Erwin in social media.
The father of three is a security guard at the school for 17 years. In the last three years, he juggled work, manning the school gates from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and studies, going to his classes from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On the eve of his graduation, Macua even worked the night shift.
He admitted that he was tempted to quit many times, but his wife Irenea and their children made him persevere.
Macua credited his passion for teaching “to the lessons he learned from observing the diversity of students in school, which had him looking forward to having his own advisory class in the future.”
I hope Macua will get the same recognition as that other fellow, who shares his passion in teaching.
Jay Kummer “Dodoy” Teberio, too, has been hogging the social media headlines. Almost two weeks ago, he graduated with an education degree at the University of Cebu. And like Macua, he did it the hard way.
To help pay for his studies, he sold water on the streets after school. He did this from Grade 6 until his senior year in college.
But that’s not why the 21-year-old attracted public attention. To anyone who has stopped at the red light at the corner right before that big mall in the North Reclamation Center, he was a sight to behold; a blend of kitsch and chutzpah, who weaved in and out of traffic in a loud shirt and a straw hat. He was a head-turner, especially to first-timers, who would crane out their necks from the inside of jeepneys to check out this street apparition, who blurted out funny nonsense. But guess who’s having the last laugh? Dodoy has received rewards in kind and in cash from private groups and the Cebu City Government for his hard work. Not only that, he has been chosen as brand ambassadors of the potable water he has been selling and of a bakeshop.
Macua has not been doing too bad either. Although he has received job offers from private and public schools, he will continue to man the gates at STC while he prepares for the licensure exam.
Macua and Dodoy are roses among the thorns of drug suspects, gun-toting brats, corrupt government officials and political turncoats. And the public needs to recognize that.