A Filipino businessman who was adopted as a child by a poor family has revealed that he has gifted his parents a beautiful new home as a sign of gratitude for everything they have done for him.
Jayvee Lazaro Badile II is now a manager at a financial company but his life now is a far-cry compared to the conditions he grew up in as a child. Adopted by Maximo and Maria, a poor couple living in Bulacan province, Jayvee is in fact their nephew, born to Maria’s sister. When he was born, Maria was too poor to look after him and had decided to put him up for adoption, but despite Maximo and Maria being very poor themselves they decided to take the child instead.
The extended family of nine lived in a one-bedroom house and were often without food, living on loans and perpetually in debt. Jayvee and his extended family would often go out and steal in the night in order to make ends meet.
Both Jayvee and the family knew that education was the key to escaping their current situation and he worked many jobs to continue his studies, including as a dishwasher and a waiter.
His first real job was with a soda company after which he eventually built up a financial company using the money he had saved and the connections he had made in the business world.
He told reporters of his struggle to the top and about building a new home for his parents. He said:
"When Nanay and Tatay adopted me, it wasn't a good life. Nanay is a vendor, Tatay is a porter. Now that I have the chance to give back to them, I will make sure they will live their dreams better than what they could ever imagine. Twenty-eight. This is the number of years my family and I lived in a small shanty in Bocaue, Bulacan. We rented the house for a Php1,000 (about $20) a month. Often, floodwaters entered the house, and we didn't even have our own water supply."
"Our electricity was also often cut because of poverty. Nine members of my family experienced living in a cramped, dirty, and hot space, with no proper sleeping or eating area. We didn't have our own proper bathroom and toilet. Our home was the picture of poverty, but also that of a family that worked hard to reach their dreams. I paid for the house in cash and it was built in a year. It has seven bedrooms, and we didn't bring anything from the old place except the TV I bought for my family as a Christmas gift earlier… I want to give a message of inspiration, of impact, and of influence to other people. I want everyone to understand that whatever it is they are going through, it is temporary, and if they work hard, and they stay close to the Lord, then they'll reach whatever they want to achieve." 1
[Based on reporting by: Positive Outlooks]
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