It was supposed to be just another ordinary day for 44-year-old Manuel Baybayon, Jr., an electronics technician In Jubail, Saudi Arabia. But it proved to be one of the happiest days of his life – perhaps, the proudest. On that day, Manuel received news that his son, Cederic, was graduating summa cum laude.

I could not explain how it felt that time. I was really proud of my son,’ says Manuel in the vernacular; ‘I remember bragging about it to almost every single person I met that day,’ According to Cederic, his father was so happy knowing that all his hard work has paid off. ‘I am glad to have made him proud. He said that all the sacrifices that he made while he was away have never gone to waste,’ he shares. When Cederic was 11, his father had to fly to Saudi Arabia to support the family. ‘He had to leave because of our financial situation,’ he says. ‘Before he left, he used to work in a chocolate factory However, his salary then wasn’t enough to support the needs of our family since my mother only stays at home.’

The young Baybayon felt both happiness and sadness upon learning of his father’s plan to work abroad. ‘I was excited because I knew a better future awaited us but I was worried about him being away from us. And there was no assurance of his security.’

Manuel says, ‘I was sad because I had to leave my children. They were very young at that  time. Whenever I miss them, I would just look at their pictures. Whenever I knew they were sick, I also felt ill.’

He said that life as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) is not as easy as some people think it is. The fact that he cannot see his loved ones nor hold them in his arms is painful enough for him. But what really brought Manuel to tears was when typhoon Ondoy wreaked havoc in their hometown in Marikina in 2009. ‘I cried because of helplessness. I was not there to protect them,’ recalls Manuel,

‘It was hard growing up without a father by your side. I especially missed him during times when I needed to make big decisions,’ quips Cederic, ‘I wished he was with me during times when I needed advice especially in my love life. I know that as a guy, he could better understand me than my mom. But I also asked my mom for nuggets of wisdom on certain things.

The value of education

My father, even if he’s not physically present, taught me the value of education. He told me that education is one of the ladders that I could use to reach my dreams. And that I should devote myself to activities that contribute to the good of the whole family and the community,’ says Cederic, a Computer Science graduate from the National University.

Although his’ father is an OFW, the family could not afford to pay for Cederic’s college tuition fee. His mother, on the other hand, is a cashier at a lodging house in their hometown. Prior to his high school graduation, the young lad was becoming more and more worried as to whether he could continue on to college or not, So, when given the opportunity to go to college for free,  Cederic immediately grabbed it.

‘When I told my father about SM College Scholarship Program, he was very happy to see that I was already helping our family at a young age. My parents did not have to worry about additional expenses because they don’t have to pay for my college tuition anymore,’ says Cederic, He received free tuition and miscellaneous school fees as well as a monthly stipend. ‘SM Foundation has provided me the means to realize my dream to finish college. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity.’

‘My falher’s sacrifice to be apart from us to give us a good life inspired me to do my best in my studies,’ says Cederic, ‘Before, I would see this as his fulfillment of his obligations to his family, But I realized later on that he sacrificed because he loves each and every member of his family.’

‘Opportunities like this are a big help to underprivileged families like us because instead of a large portion of my salary going to his college tuition, we can use it on other expenses,’ says Manuel. ‘That’s why I am thankful to generous institutions that offer scholarships because they give hope to parents like us who, even if we’d like to, could not afford to send our children to college.’

On May 30, Manuel will have another proud moment when he shares his story at the 17th Presentation of SM Scholar-Graduates Batch 2013 at the SMX Convention Center. On this day, he will surely brag about his son’s achievements to every single person in the room. After all, this OFW dad has reasons to.