Former “Palaboy”, now owner of three schools
A former street child and now owner of three schools shares his story of hope and perseverance.
Armando De Guzman who grew up without a father is the youngest of all 10 siblings. He was seven years old when his mother who had cancer left him in different orphanages.
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“There were times na nasa infirmary ako lagi, lagi akong may sakit kasi… tapos ‘pag nagigising ka, nagagalit ka bakit ka pa nagising, nakuha mo ‘yon?” De Guzman told ABS CBN.
De Guzman suffered emotionally for six years before he decided to flee the orphanage at the age of 13. Without a place to call home, he became a street child. However, he didn’t let go of his dream of finishing school and, with the help of the people who believed in his capabilities, his dream of graduating became a reality.
To give back to people all the blessings he received, De Guzman saved money to establish a single classroom with the aim of helping less fortunate kids.
“Ang ginawa ko una kailangan makaipon ako ng enough fund to start this. Siguro ‘yung pinagsama-sama kong trabaho ‘yun nga pati paglalako ng manga, pagtuturo ng swimming, pagtitinda, after 3 months, nakaipon ako around P600,000 so sabi ko, ‘Uy, it’s time for me to start the school!’ So nag-rent ako d’yan ng isang maliit na classroom, doon nagsimula,” De Guzman said.
“I started with preschoolers so with 15 students ako lahat nagtatrabaho… hindi lang ako nagtuturo,” he added.
Today, De Guzman has three schools under his name and he continues his mission to influence more kids to dream big and to follow their dreams.
Source: ABS CBN
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