MEET PUSONG PINOY SCHOLAR...NORIEL ALQUERES KATIGBAK

BY PP COORDINATOR FLORENCE O. TEMPORAL

A VERY TALENTED ARTIST - NORIEL WITH HIS PAINTING

One cannot help but admire Noriel’s candidness. Throw him a few questions and he will give you answers that are deep, insightful, from the heart. Born the fifth child from a brood of nine children, Noriel has learned early on about the struggles of providing for a huge family. His father, Danilo, is a stay at home dad, tasked to look after Noriel and his siblings while his mother, Belinda, works as a domestic helper overseas.

Noriel and his family reside in Lipa, Batangas. He describes his neighborhood as bustling, noisy, but happy. He recounts that his childhood was a typical one albeit marred with hardships and sorrow once in a while. He recalls a time when he stopped schooling for one year because his grandmother got sick and needed treatment in Manila. He refused to go to school because he would rather accompany his mother as his grandmother sought medical help.

Noriel has always been an honor student. When he was younger, he wanted to be an astronomer because he finds everything that surrounds the Universe so mysterious. He also said he wanted to go to the moon. Perhaps he was doing just that – shooting for the moon – when he took the exam that would qualify him for a Pusong Pinoy scholarship. He said at first he had no plans of going to De La Salle Lipa but now he believes that destiny has brought him there. He does not regret taking that first step that eventually opened so many doors for him.

He is happy in DLSL. He is active in his school organization, Bulik. It is there that he learns a lot about journalism. He wants to take up law in college and counts Social Studies, Science and Filipino as his favorite subjects. He says it is in DLSL that he can show his true self and express his true potential.

Despite his adversities, Noriel describes himself as positive and he believes that every problem has a solution. He knows that the hardships he and his family are going through are only temporary. In the future, he aims to be the family’s breadwinner. He wants to be a lawyer so he can liberate them from poverty.

Noriel has been a Pusong Pinoy scholar since June 2010 and he is grateful everyday for this blessing. He has met his Pusong Pinoy sponsor, Beng Dizon, and he wants her to know that he is thankful not only for the material blessings that she has channeled to him but for the life lessons as well. He is aware that he is among the many that are always in need but because of people like Ms. Dizon, he now knows how it feels to be loved and accepted for who he is.

Noriel avers that before becoming a Pusong Pinoy scholar, he thought the world was not fair. Some are rich, but many are poor. But now he understands why things are. He has no bitterness about the fact that he was born poor; he is a stronger person because of it. He is driven by these words, “It is not your fault if you were born poor, but it is your fault if you die poor.” Therefore, he says he will try his very best to achieve his dreams.

To Pusong Pinoy, he expresses his deepest thanks for being the light that dispelled his darkness. Words are not enough he says but perhaps someday when he is older he will become like the heroes of Pusong Pinoy who go beyond themselves to help others. He is, as he says, proud to be Pusong Pinoy!

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"Donasyon Para Sa Edukasyon" (Donation for Education) is Pusong Pinoy's Annual Scholarship Project for Saint Brother Jaime Hilario FSC Learning Community at De La Salle Lipa, one of the country's prestigious educational institutions. It is a five-year program that provides secondary education to highly motivated and qualified students whose economic conditions hinder them to acquire quality academic formation.

Our scholars went through DLSL's screening process and are well-deserving of this scholarship. They worked hard all year long and are considered to be among the best in their class. In 2011, Noriel was named the top student in his entire batch.

For more information about our scholarship project, please email us at pusongpinoyorg@gmail.com