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Japanese Guy Marries Badjao, Helps Provide Livelihood for Community

People from the Badjao tribe are often shunned by the public, mostly because of their penchant for begging in the streets of the big cities or asking for money while swimming in piers or ports at prime destinations across the Philippines.

But one Japanese guy sought to understand the Badjao culture in Cebu City – and he became their hero.

Photo credit: Koichi Kuwabara / Facebook

Meet Hiro, a Japanese guy who specifically traveled to the Philippines to live with the Badjao and understand their community, in hopes of finding answers to the many questions he had in mind about the ethnic tribe’s way of life.

Hiro discovered that the Badjao lived a better life several decades ago when fish was abundant in the seas. Fishing was their primary way of life, but as the waters became polluted, there was less fish to get near the shores.

Photo credit: Koichi Kuwabara / Facebook

Seeing that they can earn some money through begging, the Badjaos had a shift in their livelihood.

Saddened by what he learned, Hiro shared the story on his social media page where he received a lot of help from many Japanese who took pity on the Badjao. With money equivalent to about Php800,000, Hiro created jobs for Badjaos so they could earn money instead of begging.

Photo credit: Koichi Kuwabara / Facebook

He hired the Badjao to build a guest house for tourists.

Training them to deal with tourists, providing them with boats and other means of transport for their livelihood, the Badjao community is now thriving as tour guides for Japanese tourists instead of asking them for money!

Little by little, Hiro is changing this Badjao community to be self-reliant and becoming hard workers instead of depending on alms from other people to feed themselves. Hiro has become their real-life hero!

What’s sweet is that Hiro found the love of his life in a lovely Badjao girl he would soon marry. They now have a cute little kid – and together they are making a difference in their community.

Watch their story here:

Japanese man who got married with Badjao バジャウ族と結婚した日本人

【Japanese married to Badjao】Buckle up!His story is so inspiring on so many levels that it's gonna change your life.I hope you enjoy watching this video, like I enjoyed making it! Thank you Hiromu Matsuda!!If you wanna contact with him, here's his facebook link.https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003064773932「セブ島に来たら、彼と会わなければ!」それぐらい彼、松田大夢(ひろむ)くん(Hiromu Matsuda)は有名だ。「世界ナゼそこに?日本人」「グッと!地球便」などテレビ番組をはじめたくさんのメディアで露出がある。しかし!フィリピンの語学学校の先生に彼のことを話しても知っている人がいなかった。なぜなら、日本語で検索すれば彼の情報はすぐに出てくるが、英語では全くなかったからだ。ということでフィリピン人に彼のことを知ってもらうために、動画を英語で作りました。みなさんぜひ彼の活動のご支援お願いいたします!ヒロム基金はこちらからhttp://hiromumatsuda.hatenablog.com/entry/2016/02/23/144747**********************世界中で平和の種を植えるためにフリーハグをしています。よかったら 桑原功一 Koichi Kuwabara のFacebookをフォローしてね。Facebook▶︎ https://www.facebook.com/freehugs4peaceインスタやツイッターもよろしく!Instagram▶︎ https://www.instagram.com/freehugs4peaceTwitter ▶︎ https://twitter.com/freehugs4peace撮影機材リストスーパー万能コンデジ(ほぼこれだけで撮影している)https://amzn.to/2YGF83W一眼カメラ(フリーハグ撮影用) http://amzn.to/2twv4eKお気に入り広角レンズ http://amzn.to/2stuobmトライポッド http://amzn.to/2stlavRマイク http://amzn.to/2st959Vフリーハグ用遠隔マイク http://amzn.to/2st9OIb海外大活躍ドローン http://amzn.to/2twcFPb

Posted by Koichi Kuwabara 桑原功一 on Wednesday, August 14, 2019

What are Badjao?

The Badjao are an ethnic group known as sea gypsies who were originally living in the vicinity if Sulu and Celebes Seas as well as other coastal areas in Mindanao.

Photo credit: Koichi Kuwabara / Facebook

Sadly, due to conflict in the area, many of them have migrated to other parts of the Philippines as well as to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Inspiring

SHS Student Brings Photos of Late Parents on Graduation Day

A senior high school (SHS) student brought framed photos of her late parents on her graduation day, touching many hearts and making netizens cry.

Her story has gone viral, with many netizens cheering her on and praying for her success in life…

SHS Student Brings Photos of Late Parents on Graduation Day

Graduation day is one of the best days in a student’s life, but it’s not always the happiest for all.

Some also experience a bittersweet moment because their loved ones aren’t with them. While many are due to having OFW parents who can’t be home for the special, others are because the parents have already passed on.

SHS student Juvelyn Dela Torre Eugenio, 18, of North Cotabato made netizens cry after she carried her parents’ framed photos as she marched and posed on stage to receive her diploma.

Photo credit: Juvelyn Dela Torre Eugenio

She explained that during recognition days and other special events when she was younger, it was always her mother who would accompany her on stage.

She wants to share her success and milestones with her parents, but they’re no longer around.

They lost their father to heart failure in July 2020.

In 2022, the siblings decided to let their mother enjoy a vacation with her older children in Manila, only to discover that she was sick and already in the terminal stages of a stage 4 battle with the Big C. They lost her shortly thereafter.

Photo credit: Juvelyn Dela Torre Eugenio

Juvelyn shared that losing their parents took a toll on her mental health, especially because she had to stand as a parent to her younger brother.

On graduation day, she vowed that she wouldn’t cry despite seeing all the other students with their parents.

But she broke down on stage when a concerned teacher asked her about her parents and offered words of consolation after she showed her their photos.

Despite the challenges, Juvelyn plans on continuing her journey as she dreams of becoming a lawyer someday.

Photo credit: Juvelyn Dela Torre Eugenio

How to Become a Lawyer in the Philippines

  1. Complete a 4-year Bachelor’s Degree in Arts or Sciences.
  2. Pass the PhiLSAT (Philippine Law School Admission Test)
  3. Complete law school.
  4. Complete the law internship.
  5. Pass the bar exams.

Did you know that lawyers in PAO (Public Attorney’s Office) with an entry-level position (Public Attorney I) earn a basic salary of Php95,000 (salary grade 25)?

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Inspiring

Elementary Students Praised for Playing “One Day” Using Ukuleles

Elementary students at a school in Mindanao earned praise online after playing “One Day” using their ukuleles for a presentation.

Many netizens were impressed about their skills, with some commenting that it’s a difficult piece to play on a ukulele, yet most of them nailed it! Wow.

Elementary Students Play “One Day” Using Their Ukuleles

A lot of people these days have this mistaken notion that kids are only fond of using cellphones and no longer enjoy playing with traditional toys or learning how to use a traditional musical instrument – because you can find lots of options for those online or with their phones.

But a group of students from Dipolog Pilot Demonstration School impressed netizens with their skills in playing the ukulele as they presented “One Day” for the school’s 100-year celebration.

Seated on the steps of their school, the kids played the musical instruments seamlessly, except for a few issues.

Photo credit: Kung Taga-Oroquieta City Ka

And while some netizens pointed out that one of the kids appear to be struggling with the proper chords and kept shifting around during the entire performance, the overall presentation is still quite impressive!

Many netizens even commented on the post of the Facebook page “Kung Taga-Oroquieta City Ka” that they were deeply touched by the kids’ presentation and were crying while watching. Awww.

A lot also praised the coaches who made this possible – and others felt proud of the children even if they had no idea who these little ones are.

It’s also quite impressive to see that the class had so many ukuleles. It is unknown whether the kids own the musical instruments or if the school provided them, but what’s clear is that their presentation is truly admirable.

What’s a Ukulele?

A ukulele is a type of string musical instrument that’s smaller than a guitar. It usually has nylon strings as opposed to the metal used in standard guitars.

The instrument also has four strings but isn’t considered a “kid’s instrument” only. Instead, it can be played by kids and adults alike.

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Inspiring

Proud Vendor Dad Offers Free Taho after Daughter Passes Board Exams for Teachers

One proud vendor dad offered free taho for everyone when his daughter passed the LET (Licensure Examination for Teachers).

Netizens were even more impressed to learn that the young lady passed after doing a self-review.

Truly amazing, right?

Vendor Offers Free Taho after Daughter Passes Teacher’s Board

Passing the board exams is truly a milestone that everyone can be proud of – and most of the time, the parents are their children’s proudest cheerleaders!

Of course, spouses and kids also feel the same thing. For example, a taxi driver offered free rides after his wife passed the LET.

Photo credit: Rose Torallo

The proud parents of a student who passed that same LET are also offering free taho to their customers.

Bobby and Rose Torallo happily got a tarpaulin up to celebrate the success of their daughter, Rosebel Cielo Torallo. The young woman had graduated cum laude from Baao Community College in Baao, Camarines Sur.

Photo credit: Rose Torallo
Photo credit: Rose Torallo

Apparently, based on her mom’s post on Facebook, she had also self-reviewed for the licensure exams – and this made her success even sweeter for the family.

In the post of her mom, Rose, it showed that the family’s main source of income is from selling taho. It was through this that the parents were able to send their kids to school.

Photo credit: Rose Torallo

Rose lamented that there were times when people looked down on their because they are “just” taho vendors.

Thankfully, the family didn’t mind what these people are saying. Instead, they persevered and put their faith in God.

She thanked all her kids for cooperating and striving hard to succeed in their studies even if their parents are only supporting them by selling taho.

Photo credit: Rose Torallo

How to Celebrate Passing the Board Exams

There are many ways to celebrate passing the board the exams. Some of these are:

  • Throwing a party
  • Buying cake
  • Going on a trip
  • Treating your family, friends, or even strangers to something (such as a free rides from taxi drivers or free taho from vendors)
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