Our Journey Through the Broken Path

<p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>April and Juhan are the daughters of the only son of a former Barangay</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>Captain and a Tagasa-based businessman. Their father came from a family</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>of seven siblings and used to be a College Varsity Basketball player and an</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>Electrical Engineer. Unfortunately he faced deteriorating mental health</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>triggered by substance abuse after the birth of his children.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>Their mother originally from another part of the country crossed paths</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>with their father during her visit to his town for the town fiesta celebration.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture she pursued a career as</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>an Agriculturist in Cebu.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>At an early age the two sisters found themselves escaping their</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>grandparent's residence with their mother marking a pivotal moment that</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>altered the course of their lives. Constantly relocating to ensure safety</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>from their troubled father they navigated a transient existence during their</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>formative years due to the nature of their mother's work. They forged new</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>connections in each new locale all while being raised by a single parent.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>Their circumstances seemed poised for improvement when their mother</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>secured a stable job in her field at the city office. However fate took an</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>unexpected turn when their mother became pregnant by a co-worker. The</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>ensuing journey led them to their mother's family in a distant part of the</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>country far from their paternal relatives. They all hoped life would be</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>easier there only to find that reality is more cruel than they anticipated.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>Despite the myriad challenges they faced the siblings exhibited resilience</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(29 34 40 1)>both successfully earning degrees. </span><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>The elder daughter graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management while the younger one attained honors and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education majoring in Physics and Chemistry. Both daughters are now living in the United States together with their families.</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>