Send Vulnerable Filipino Children to School

        One of the innate traits we observed in Mary Rose when she joined FPVI in 2018 as a senior high school student was her intensity and singular focus on her academic studies. When a school project was assigned, it had to be done, and done well, to the detriment of other tasks or concerns. With an in-built deftness, she wrote, polished and completed all her assigned work with maximum effort. In short, a perfectionist to the core. That was Mary Rose to her FPVI batchmates, to her junior colleagues, to us at FPVI and, as it turned out, to her family, as well. We worked with her to modify a desirable but dangerous behavior pattern that when carried out to the extreme could cause imbalance in her general well-being.

        Born to parents who depended on agriculture work for livelihood, Mary Rose is the eldest of five siblings. She brought on to herself a sense of responsibility towards her siblings and to her family early on. With the way she carried on with school work, her father, proud as he was with her achievements, was concerned for her health. His accident in the farm field, rendering him partially disabled and compromising the source of family income, heightened her concern and sense of responsibility.

        Mary Rose learned to relax a little when she participated in FPVI activities not directly related to academic demands such as Open Mic, Theater Arts (role play) and art-making.  She also continued to write her evocative sidays, verses in Waray, the local language, showcasing her skill and talent in writing in the vernacular. In all these, she was immersed in the friendships she forged with her FPVI cohort.

        Mary Rose’s intensity saw her through her senior high school, graduating with highest honors and garnering the most medals. She continued on to college and graduated with a degree in Accountancy, with Latin honors. The pandemic years saw her reverting to her no-stone-unturned study habit that extended when she started preparing for the board exams in accountancy. She came out of it triumphant, passing the board in October 2025, and becoming a Licensed Accountant.

        Emerging from her months of focused self-review, Mary Rose happily rejoined the FPVI family in early December 2025 for a day of camaraderie and shared meals, and to say goodbye as she prepared to leave soon for Manila for job interviews. She left with everyone's good wishes paired with a gentle reminder, in jest perhaps but also in all seriousness: that it is perfectly okay to be imperfect!

        She started 2026 far away from home with a new job as a Junior Auditor in a reputable accounting firm in the nation’s financial capital!

We dedicate this ebook with profound appreciation and gratitude to all our FPVI benefactors, friends, supporters and well-wishers.

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FPVI celebrated Christmas 2025 with a special focus on the home front. The idea was meant to complement the photo exhibition commemorating the 76^th founding of the Municipality of Tunga in the lobby of the municipal hall. Moved and inspired, the FPVI students wrote about their personal reflections on Tunga and painted local places and sceneries having a special connection to them.

The art pieces were mounted on display towers made from amakan, a traditional Filipino woven mat made from split bamboo and popularly used as wall panels in rural huts.  The opening of the exhibition was graced by parents/guardians, teachers, volunteers and friends of FPVI who, unsure what to expect, viewed the artworks with surprised delight and pride. 

Following the viewing of the exhibit, the students read their written personal reflections on Tunga to raucous laughter, though a snivel or two could be heard in between the readings. Over merienda cena, the students and guests reflected on what they presented, seen and heard, probably an uncommon way of celebrating Christmas but everyone had a wholesome time!