Tamayo said she can no longer imagine what her life would be if she didn’t join Palihan.

Perhaps, I would just stay at home, watch television and withdraw from people my age, she said.

�My experiences in Palihan helped me a lot to gain self-confidence,� Tamayo pitched in.

While Tamayo dreams of pursuing architecture, Patalinhog says she plans to follow her father�s footsteps as a dancer.

But not in Japan, she added.

Decade

THIS year, Erda Tech celebrates a decade of its Palihan program, which has been holding classes every night for teens like Tamayo and Patalinhog.

Erda Tech is a unique school because it doesn�t charge tuition, getting funds from donations to the Jesuit community.

Martinez claims that in the past ten years, around 70 percent of those who took part in the program were able to get employment.

The remaining 30 percent, however, Martinez is not giving up on.

�Part of your future is also in your hands. It’s not just in the school. We have to help each other,� she added.

Indeed, Tamayo and Patalinhog show the motivation to reach their goal of graduating from the Palihan.

They�ve endured the nightly four-minute boat rides over the murky and waste-scented waters of Pasig River to get to Erda, located on a chip of land near the depot of oil companies in Pandacan.

Tamayo and Patalinhog said they are optimistic that their on-the-job training as employees of an Internet caf� chain could help them land jobs in the computer services sector.

The duo is now on the third phase of a four-phase Palihan program, composed of recruitment, screening, and orientation (phase 1); training proper (phase 2); in-plant training (phase 3); and, recognition, awarding of certificates and evaluation.

In a few months, Tamayo and Patalinhog would be ditching their white blouses and blue skirts �the uniform of Erda Tech students� and go out through the plants and trees sprucing up the school entrance, to the world they try to picture when they daydream in class.

And here, in the world where labor export �disrupts the way families and communities are traditionally organized,� as they would try to make their dreams come true. OFW Journalism Consortium / (davaotoday.com)