4Ps Beneficiary Tops Naval Architect and Marine Engineer Licensure Exams

Born to a poor family, 21-year-old Joseph Vincent Y. Satura of Labangon, Cebu City, have all the excuse not to go to school and just complain about how difficult like can be, much like what many people do these days; yet this young man knew that he could still change his destiny.

Joseph’s 46-year-old mother, Rosalinda, was too poor to send him to school. But Nanay Rosalinda used the money she gets as 4Ps beneficiary (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a conditional cash transfer program of the Philippine government) to support her son.

Living in a very small house with his many siblings, Joseph wished to become an engineer so he could build them a big house in the future.

“Living in a communal house in Labangon, Cebu City with my family and other relatives and being the eldest of four siblings, I dreamt of building our own house and experiencing what it feels to be able to provide something big for my family. So I planned on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, believing that it would help me realize my dream house,” the young man shared.

But he was only able to receive scholarship from Tsuneishi Foundation (Cebu) Inc., a ship-building company. Engineer was not on the list of courses the foundation will support.

So, Joseph took up Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Cebu (UC).

Photo credit: Sun Star Cebu

Though he had nothing to worry about in terms of paying for his tuition fees, he only receives a meager allowance. He had to budget Php50 per day for his food, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses, yet this did make him feel bad. While every day was a constant struggle for the student, he did his best to focus on his studies.

Though struggling financially, he was able to sustain his grades and even represent the school in many contests, including the Worldwide Safety Ferry Association Design Competition in Thailand in April 2017!

Last March, Joseph graduated cum laude from his course – but he would make his mother and alma mater truly proud when he topped the Naval Architect and Marine Engineer Licensure Examination held in October, with a score of 92.20%.

“I didn’t expect to be on top because what my friends and I wanted was only to pass the exam,” he happily shared.

While he will soon be working with the ship company that helped make his dreams come true, Joseph still longs to be the one to design the dream house for his family, so he could take his mother and siblings out of poverty and into the house they had only wished for in the past…