MANILA -- When Mailyn Esquelito Akoy finished college from Sultan Kudarat State University last March, she, like many of her peers, took to social media for the obligatory graduation post.

But the 21-year-old didn't just get the usual "likes" from friends. Her heartfelt graduation post dedicated to her “kargador” father on Facebook touched the hearts of many Filipinos and went viral as it was shared nearly 100,000 times to date with at least 3,600 comments.

She narrated how she saw her father carry 40 kilos of cement every day on her way to school just to make ends meet but she never once felt ashamed of her father’s job; instead, she was proud of his noble job.

“Oo, anak ako ng isang kargador. Oo, mahirap sa tingin ng iba ngunit kahit kailan hindi ko ikinakahiya ang kung ano ang trabaho ng aking ama,” Mailyn proudly declared.

Her father, Tumagantang “Tammy” Akoy, 49, has been a “kargador” for 24 years with no guaranteed salary. He gets between P300 and P500 a day and there were times when he didn't earn a single centavo because there weren't any products that had to be moved.

In the Philippines, the job of a porter is often looked down upon because it is low-paying hard work; however, Mr. Akoy still persevered to provide for his family.

According to Mailyn, her father was once injured in a traffic accident and had to undergo an operation. Despite this, he continued to work, often under the scorching heat, just to be able to feed them.

“Kahit mahirap kung hindi ako magtatrabaho, wala [kaming] kakainin sa isang araw,” he pointed out.

As a young boy, Mr. Akoy was taught by his parents to strive for the things he wants in life -- but they also warned him that nothing in this world comes easy.

“Simula bata talaga ako itinuro na sa akin ng aking magulang na magsikap. Pinagpapaguran ko ang mga bagay talaga,” he said.

Asked if there were times he wanted to stop working as a “kargador,” he said that he simply cannot quit. “Simula pa lang noong maliliit pa ang mga anak ko nagta-trabaho na talaga ako, hindi na mawawala sa akin ‘yun. Mahirap huminto dahil sasakit ang katawan ko dahil nasanay na.”

He advised parents like him who are also struggling to think of their family in everything they do so that they can endure the tough work.

Inheritance of a lifetime

Mailyn learned about the harsh reality of life early on. When she reached third-year high school, her older brother died for reasons still unknown to them. They were not able to help him since they didn't have the money to have him diagnosed.

At a young age, she already bore the responsibility of providing for her family alongside her father. She would tutor, do projects for other students and pack chicharon to earn extra money and help her family.

There was a time she had to stopped school. However, she still persevered and enrolled in Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to study Computer Literacy, while waiting to go back to school.

Despite the challenges in life, Mailyn remained optimistic and never forgot the values her father gave to her.

“Hindi ko naramdaman na nalugi ako sa buhay dahil kung ano man ang mayroon ako ngayon ay blessing ‘yun. Kahit ganito kami ngayon, naniniwala ako na lahat ng paghihirap ay may bungang maganda,” she said.

She believed that even if her father was not able to shower her with material things, she would always remember his wisdom.

Mailyn said she used her post as a chance to share to the world her life and to tell the youth to love their parents and appreciate their efforts.

“Hindi lahat nabibigyan ng pagkakataong makapag-aral. Dapat nagsisimula mismo sa iyong sarili ang lahat dahil hanggat nakakasama mo pa ang iyong mga magulang, hangga’t may lakas pa silang magtrabaho para paaralin ka,” she said.

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