Pinoy Buzz: Inspiring Story

VIDEO: Brothers living in a cave in CamSur inspire netizens

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Two young brothers living in a cave in Camarines Sur have earned praises from netizens after their inspiring story was shared on Facebook by their teacher.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC6WYQetwFfnM0IfiH_gerEX2hBEgK6SySck-6B_rEFSmD4YGPiL2MZpT8q55sOfaubcL1pZ-PnFsuwWSKigS30eS2gVVWrdDHpolDL480aCTip_jDDluEFHBQoTGLaUHsM-LsVIJZWYC/s1600/brothers-vave-camsur.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Believe it or not, the Garaña brothers are modern day cavemen. " border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC6WYQetwFfnM0IfiH_gerEX2hBEgK6SySck-6B_rEFSmD4YGPiL2MZpT8q55sOfaubcL1pZ-PnFsuwWSKigS30eS2gVVWrdDHpolDL480aCTip_jDDluEFHBQoTGLaUHsM-LsVIJZWYC/s640/brothers-vave-camsur.jpg" title="Believe it or not, the Garaña brothers are modern day cavemen. " width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Believe it or not, the Garaña brothers are modern day cavemen. <br />PHOTO CREDIT: YouTube/ABS-CBN News</td></tr></tbody></table>Jayson and Juan Garaña Jr. are grade school pupils at Manangle Elementary School in Sipocot, Camarines Sur. But unlike other regular students, the Garaña brothers had to endure a long walk towards their “home” at the peak of a hill. Unknown to many, these young boys live inside a cave with their father.<br /><br />According to a report by ABS-CBN News, the family had no choice but to find refuge in the cave when their small hut was devastated by the typhoon Glenda in 2014. A small lamp lights their unusual home which has a small bedroom, a cooking area and a dining table.<br /><br />Most youngsters entertain themselves at home using TV or gadgets, but the two actually spend their free time playing an old-school Pinoy game, holen or marbles.<br /><br />Their teacher, Luningning Bagatua, discovered the boys’ condition during a home visitation last January 23. Although Bagatua and her co-teachers initially took pity of the brothers, they couldn’t help but admire the boys.<br /><br />“Masigasig po silang mag-aral kasi alam ko po malayo ang lugar  nila pero araw-araw po sila pumapasok maliban na lamang po kung may sakit,” Bagatua told ABS-CBN News.<br /><br />(I know they study diligently because even if they come from a far place, they come to school everyday except when they are sick.)<br /><br />Because of Bagatua’s viral post, which has earned over 16,000 shares as of this writing, several good samaritans pledged to help the brothers. In fact, someone has agreed to sponsor the snacks of the boys.<br /><br /><center><div id="fb-root"></div><script>(function(d, s, id) {  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;  js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3";  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://web.facebook.com/ning.bagatua/posts/1251433278204604" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://web.facebook.com/ning.bagatua/posts/1251433278204604">please read po in the name of ou Lord. during our home visitation last sat. jan. 23, 2015. kasama ko po ang mga kapwa ko...<br />Posted by <a href="https://web.facebook.com/ning.bagatua" rel="nofollow">Ning Bagatua</a> on <a href="https://web.facebook.com/ning.bagatua/posts/1251433278204604" rel="nofollow">Sunday, January 24, 2016</a></blockquote></div></div></center><br />The two boys, who aspire to become soldiers someday, would like to live in a more comfortable shelter in the future. <br /><br />Watch their inspiring story below.<br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iGpO-jXst5g" width="560"></iframe></center><br /><b><i>-Mini/The Summit Express</i></b></div>

VIDEO: Brothers living in a cave in CamSur inspire netizens

MANILA, Philippines - Two young brothers living in a cave in Camarines Sur have earned praises from netizens after their inspiring story was...

Working student who waited a decade to graduate from UP inspires netizens

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines- A University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman graduate’s heartwarming story is inspiring netizens, particularly students who have to work just to support their studies. His Facebook post on January 11 has gone viral amassing 890 shares and at least 5,000 positive reactions as of this writing.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FUA-hLZOv-ETO3aiBR9fDswCtN0aQX2TpFCwlRwQy-xtxgCK-t82kPfTBEds93bLfWtlGGuEhc9YgfcLIYsXrBCXbEjszvrlnp57TUB-cjJf-ifp0ntaYQkkMS9DKom-dKGHRPG6aVJm/s1600/jay-torres-solitana.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Facebook/Jay Torres Solitana" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FUA-hLZOv-ETO3aiBR9fDswCtN0aQX2TpFCwlRwQy-xtxgCK-t82kPfTBEds93bLfWtlGGuEhc9YgfcLIYsXrBCXbEjszvrlnp57TUB-cjJf-ifp0ntaYQkkMS9DKom-dKGHRPG6aVJm/s640/jay-torres-solitana.jpg" title="Facebook/Jay Torres Solitana" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“Ten years. Yes, it was a looong wait but I don't care because I did it in UP!!!” <br />PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook/Jay Torres Solitana</td></tr></tbody></table>Unlike other students who usually spend four to five years in college, Jay Torres Solitana waited 10 years to earn his bachelor’s degree. It was a decade filled with challenges as Solitana struggled to finish his studies while providing for his family.<br /><br />Coming from a family with a limited income, Solitana knew back then that entering college was close to impossible. <br /><br />He wrote on his Facebook post: “I had to strive hard to finish high school to help the family but my hopes of earning a college degree remained, at least in my dreams.”<br /><br />In 2006, Solitana failed to qualify in the University of the Philippines College Admission Test, commonly known as UPCAT. At that point, continuing his studies became dubious as all the public universities in the country had already carried out their respective entrance examinations. Luckily, Mr. Alfredo N. Sarabusab, his high school research adviser whom he also considers his mentor, pushed him to pursue college. <br /><br />Sarabusab even paid for his fares and examination fee just for Solitana to get a scholarship for a nursing degree at the Far Eastern University (FEU). <br /><br />However, Solitana was forced to stop from schooling two years later as his parents didn’t have enough resources to support his education. Although Solitana was devastated by his situation, he never blamed his parents as they were also “deprived of their rights to education.”<br /><br />In 2008, Solitana was able to turn his family’s life around when he started working. The experience allowed him to pay the bills, learn to budget his money, and let his family live a comfortable life.<br /><br />With all the hardwork, Solitana realized he should reward himself. He was certain that earning a college degree was the best gift he could give himself.<br /><br />With his savings, Solitana paid his remaining balance in FEU in order to transfer to UP, his dream university. He finally got accepted in 2012. <br /><br />“I love my course. I had fun the entire time while learning so much. But it was not a smooth road. It was really hard being a working student,” Solitana recalled.  <br /><br />Fortunately, Solitana’s hard work and sacrifices paid off. After years of struggle, Solitana finally earned his degree in Speech Communication with the help of a lot of people. <br /><br />See his full story below.<br /><br /><center><div id="fb-root"></div><script>(function(d, s, id) {  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;  js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3";  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207318888521835&set=a.1487610201594.2066700.1574117682&type=3" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207318888521835&set=a.1487610201594.2066700.1574117682&type=3">Ten years. Yes, it was a looong wait but I don't care because I did it in UP!!! Growing up in a family with a limited...<br />Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jay.solitana" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jay Torres Solitana</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207318888521835&set=a.1487610201594.2066700.1574117682&type=3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Monday, January 11, 2016</a></blockquote></div></div></center><br /><b><i>-Mini/TheSummitExpress</i></b></div>

Working student who waited a decade to graduate from UP inspires netizens

MANILA, Philippines- A University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman graduate’s heartwarming story is inspiring netizens, particularly students...