While many ignore those families and individuals living on busy city streets, one young man’s life changed on the very pavements he used to call home.

After enduring extreme hardships, Stefano is among the individuals in street situations who got his second chance in life and a renewed sense of purpose.

“Isa pang pag-asa para sa marami. Bibihira, sa dami ng tao nasa kalsada bakit kami? Bakit sila yung na-reach-out, kasi sila yung mga nabigyan ng pagkakataon at isa na ako doon sa nabigyan ng pagkakataon para magbago ‘yung buhay na kinagisnan ko ngayon,” Stefano told the Pag-abot Team.

Dark chapter in streets

The path Stefano took before reaching his current state was fraught with deep tragedy.

At the tender age of 13, the innocence of his youth was violently shattered when Stefano witnessed the brutal murder of his parents in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro.

With only Php4,000 in his pocket, his aunt left him at a pier in Calapan under the pretense that he had a sibling waiting in Tondo, Manila. Stefano boarded a ferry bound for Batangas, and upon his arrival, he searched for a ride to Manila.

Stefano eventually discovered the painful truth: the person was not his relative, but merely a child his mother had once cared for. With nowhere else to go, this marked the beginning of his life wandering the streets.

Left orphaned and completely alone, Stefano’s dreams slowly faded away as he was thrust into a life of pure survival. Instead of finding relief and care from his aunt, Stefano was brought to Calapan and abandoned with barely enough money to survive, leaving him trapped with no way back home.

“Halos three-fourths ng buhay ko sa kalsada ako. Sa edad kong trese, pinatay yung mama’t papa ko doon mismo sa harap ko sa Mindoro. Tapos yung tita ko, imbes na alagaan ako, dinala ako sa Calapan, tapos yung pera ko na dala that time ay sakto na lang, hindi na ako makabalik ng Mindoro,” Stefano recalled.

With no clear direction, Stefano wandered aimlessly until he reached Luneta, where he learned to use solvent just to cope with the hunger and the biting cold of the streets. It was sheer survival instinct that kept him alive, but starting over seemed difficult for someone without an education and without anyone willing to trust him.

Helping hands that offer change

A glimmer of light pierced through his dark reality when social workers from the Pag-abot Team found Stefano sleeping near Christ the King Mission Seminary in Quezon City.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reaches out to vulnerable individuals living on the streets to provide them with necessary interventions. Through the Pag-abot Program, Stefano was given a genuine opportunity to leave the harsh street life behind.

Stefano was deeply moved by the explanation of the staff at the processing center, assuring him that he would not be abandoned.

The Department offered him a comprehensive plan that included returning to the province, securing a livelihood, and ultimately turning his life around. True to his word, Stefano never returned to sleeping on the streets.

“Sobrang saya ko ngayon ma’am, kasi sabi nga ‘smallest thing has the biggest impact on others e’, which is totoo naman talaga. Sobrang liit lang ng bagay na ginawa nila, pero ang laki ng impact sa akin, and may mga taong naniniwala sa akin magbabago ulit ako—ginagawa kong inspirasyon,” Stefano emphasized.

Planting seeds for the future

For Stefano, the initiative did not just offer material assistance, but it gave him a community that welcomed and embraced him when his own relatives turned their backs.

Today, Stefano channels his energy into cultivating crops like sweet potatoes, bananas, and calamansi, determined to correct his past mistakes before it is too late. He promised himself that he would not waste the second chance given to him by the DSWD’s Pag-abot Program.

Stefano’s journey serves as a powerful testament that even in the most despairing situations, a single act of intervention can rewrite a person’s destiny. The program stands as a vital stepping stone for individuals like him, proving that the road to success is still accessible for those who are willing to rebuild their lives.

“Five years from now ma’am, gusto ko maging successful ako, gusto ko tularan ako nung ibang magiging benepisyaryo at ng ibang benepisyaryo ng Pag-abot. Para po sa akin ma’am, ang Pag-abot is pag-asa kasi sa dinami-rami ng tao sa lansangan, kami yung mga napili na mabigyan ng pagkakataon upang ayusin yung buhay,” Stefano pointed out. (KI)