There’s a quote that goes, “Home is where our story begins…”
For a bleak time in Bernalon Pacete’s life, that was exactly what she didn’t have: a home.
She remembers how her elder sister Bernalyn and mother Elizabeth were in desperate need of shelter.
Having lost their father when Bernalon was just a year old, life was tough.
Her mother didn’t earn enough for rent, and at one point, they had no choice but to live in their stepfather’s tricycle.
Nowhere to go
“The greatest challenge I faced at that time was seeing my mom struggle. I was still young and didn’t know how I could help her. There were only three of us—my mom, my sister, and I. We struggled to earn enough money for food and to find a secure place to sleep,” recalls Bernalon, who is now 19-years old.
Having three people live in a tricycle was so unendurable that their mom’s aunt allowed the two girls to stay at her house once in a while so they could have a safe place to rest.
But the worst was yet to come.
In 2009, Elizabeth was forced to leave her children at the Bahay at Yaman ni San Martin de Porres, an orphanage run by Fr. Boyet Concepcion in Bulacan.
Bernalyn was 6, while Bernalon was just 4.
Looking back, the teen remembers how much she missed her mother who only got to visit once a month.
“’Yung naging adjustment ko po nung nandun na kami is yung napalayo po ako kay mama dahil hindi pa po ako sanay no’n na mawalay sa kanya, lalo na po at bata pa ako. (The biggest adjustment I had to make when we were already there was being far from my mama because at the time, I wasn’t used to being far from her, especially since I was just a child then), she explains.
Orphaned at 9
The sisters would find out that their mother was sick.
Tragically, Elizabeth would pass away soon after when Bernalon was 9.
The silver lining was that Bernalon would be among the many CFC ANCOP sponsored students of San Martin.
Today, she is in the last semester of her sophomore year in college at the Bulacan State University-Malolos Campus.
Looking at the slim and winsome teen, one would never guess the heartbreak that she has gone through.
Like any other Gen-Z her age, she loves sharing stories with her friends, singing karaoke and recording it.
How does she do it?
Bernalon credits her CFC ANCOP family and its influence on her.
She shares: “[One of the top] changes that being part of ANCOP has brought to me and my family … [is it has] helped shape me into the person I am today.”
‘Truly grateful’
Bernalon says she is “truly grateful for [ANCOP Australia’s] support” and looks forward to graduating from her public administration course.
“I chose public administration because I want to manage public services and programs that directly affect the community and society at large,” she explains.
Indeed, with the help of people even from across the globe, dreamers find home, family, and purpose.
