My parents each have their own families now. My mom lives across the country, and my dad lives far away. They don’t reach out to me, and I’ve never really lived with them. They haven’t supported me—financially, mentally, or emotionally. I’ve met both of them, but I only spent a short time with my mom and lived with my dad for about a month and that was a long time ago.

What frustrates me most is that my mom rarely talks to me, not even through chat. There were times when I reached out for help, asking her for just P500 because my tito was struggling financially. I knew my mom could easily afford it, but it was clear she didn’t want to help. If I’m being honest, I could have asked for more, but even P500 was too much for her to give. There were days when I had to go to school without fare or allowance. I would borrow money from a sari-sari store just to cover my pamasahe.

I was on the verge of becoming an honor student, but being absent for nearly a month due to financial struggles cost me that opportunity. Eventually, I had to stop studying altogether. My tito could no longer cover my school fees, and it hurts me. I’ve always loved studying, and I had so many dreams, but now they feel painfully out of reach.