Mr. Clean: The story of a Divisoria janitor who became a college graduate

Who is Joey Padilla? He is a recent graduate of Enderun College, holding a degree in International Hospitality Management, with a major in Hotel Administration. Unlike most of his classmates, Joey doubles as a housekeeping supervisor for the school, and used to work as janitor at a Divisoria mall, rewashing garbage bags day in and day out.

Humble beginnings

The 5^th among 10 siblings in a family of Pangasinan farmers, Joey had to postpone his dreams of finishing college so that three of his younger siblings could take on the opportunity. Such is life, he says, where sacrifices must be made for the sake of family.

About 13 years ago, Joey stopped schooling and decided to move to Manila and work as a busboy at an upscale café. It was there where he was able to hone his English speaking skills, with the help of a regular customer who saw his potential. Unfortunately, he has lost track of her whereabouts since.

Just like this mystery customer who Mr. Padilla calls his God-sent angel, opportunities present themselves in the most unexpected ways. In his case, his knowledge of English got him a housekeeping job at Enderun, which was a newly opened school back in 2005. He took the initiative to enroll at a nearby school in 2009 even if it meant that his typical day would last for 15 hours – 6 am to 3 pm for work, 3:30 to 9:00 pm for school.

His supervisor eventually took notice and arranged for him a scholarship opportunity to finish his studies at Enderun instead. Six years later, he finally achieved his lifelong dream.

He mentioned in his graduation speech that it is simply not enough to have a dream. In his words: “Be prepared to fight for it. We all have garbage days, but don’t let these break you.” Despite his initial struggles, his resilience helped him endure all the curve balls and low points in life. He never lost sight of what he wanted, and instead, focused his energy on obtaining education as a way out of poverty.

Education for everyone

Stories like Joey’s may seem like a rare gem, but Filipinos don’t have to look far for similar feats. Students across the country will be given a similar opportunity for a better future with the recently signed Free Education Law. Formally launched and implemented by The Commission of Higher Education (CHED) last March 26, 2018, the government will shoulder the tuition and fees of students enrolled in 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs), 78 local universities and colleges (LUCs), and duly registered technical-vocation (tech-voc) education and training programs registered under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act also includes provisions detailing how students can avail of loans and other subsidies to help fund their tertiary education. The all in one website is a helpful resource that has a listing of more than 13,000 local and international schools to aid incoming students with their choice.

For a listing of the local and international schools that qualify for scholarships, visit www.edukasyon.ph.

You may also visit this website to learn more about the Free Education Law.

Watch Joey’s commencement address below: