A Glimpse of the Past
I am Mr. Rey S. Juaton, born to a family of four children in a typical family in the province of Bohol. Being raised on a poor family, I learned what others referred to as the “taste of life” living each day struggling to earn a living to provide for the daily needs. We had a small farm, growing crops like corn, cassava and sweet potato on the hills. We were also involved on making handicrafts locally known as the “amakan” which people used as walls and ceilings of their houses. These were main sources of income for our family.
The Value of Education
At my young age, I realized the value of education in my life. My parents always reminded me to go to school and to study hard so that when I grow up, I can finish a course and get a stable job. And I did.
I went to the nearest elementary school in my place, walking 3 kilometres from home to school to attend my classes, trudging along the rough and winding road. Oftentimes I felt my feet ached especially if my slippers were worn out. There were times I dreamed of having a bicycle, like my other schoolmates did however even how hard I am going to save with my 1 peso as my “baon” each day, I cannot come to that amount. So I realized I must study harder, to get the best grade I can have so that in the future I can buy the things I ever wanted.
I graduated elementary as salutatorian. That was indeed a good start.
My high school years were tough, even harder than before. I studied in a newly-founded public high school in our place located 3.5 kilometres away from our home. That was a hard time for a student like me before. Our school had limited chairs, classrooms and reference books at that time. I ended my high school years on the year 2002. I was the valedictorian of the 4th batch of graduates in our school.
Luckily, I was given the privilege to become a scholar and I took up Bachelor of Secondary Education, major in Mathematics. Living with my dreams in life, I pursued it hard and finished as Magna cum Laude. I was indeed very happy at that time.
Not the End, but the Beginning
However, the journey did not end in graduation. I realized that that was yet the beginning of the real battle in life. A lot of questions raised in my mind. How prepared am I? How can I face these challenges that lie ahead? What will be my future?
I took the board examination and passed. While applying for my career, I worked in one of the government offices in our province as a casual employee.
Call to Duty
I started my career on October 31, 2007. I never forget this memorable date. At last the long wait is over. Now I can make my dreams into a reality. I can now buy the things I wanted to have. First day of duty was very special, filled with excitement especially when I received my first salary.
Dreams Realized?
Having a job provides me the opportunity to buy some of the things I wanted to acquire and also the responsibility towards my family and relatives. I repaired our house and bought a motorcycle and other things which I thought to be “assets”. I also send my other siblings to college.
However as I run across these things, I found myself being stacked on loans. I noticed that my expenses were climbing higher and higher while my income is fixed. And then I realized I had a hard time earning a living even if I have a stable income. Definitely I was not able to realize my dreams.
The Need Often Unnoticed
It was in the beginning of the year 2011 when I come across with the man who changed my financial idea. Reading the work of Robert Kiyosaki particularly the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” enlightened my mind about financial literacy. He said that if we learn how to harness the power of money, then we can achieve financial freedom. On the other hand, if we don’t know how to handle it well, then we will find ourselves struggling hard earning for a living for the rest of our lives. However, financial literacy was left unnoticed in the minds of the people. It was not taught in school nor was clearly emphasized at home. Parents only told their children to go to school, get good grades and find a job. This left no idea to the child’s mind about financial literacy as a result he will grow up though educated but financially illiterate.
“There is a Need”
Our society needs people who are financially literate, whose mind are equipped with the knowledge and the skills on how to handle financial situations of our time. Our country has a lot of economists and educated leaders, however we are still drowned with debts, and these debts continually grow from time to time that even a newly-born Filipino has already a debt placed upon his head.
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