Sailing the waters of adversity

There’s no such thing as not being able to learn. But first you have to be willing to do it. 

Who says one’s disability can hinder a person from helping his family?

Not for 48-year old Anastacio Pandoro who works from day ‘till night.

“Good morning, sulod mo (come in),” he said greeting the team from Cebu Daily News just as he was about to finish a body massage on his male customer.

CDN caught up with Anastacio at a massage center located inside the Argao Nature Park in Barangay Poblacion where he and his visually-impaired wife, Estrella, both work.

They opened the massage center in 2009 with the help of the local government unit (LGU) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Both earn P150 per hour from their massage clients; but for Anastacio, who is, himself, blind — one job was not enough to provide for the needs of his family.

To augment his income, he ends his day fishing with his sons.

Accompanied by his children, Anastacio rides his banca and drops his fishing net into the sea at 5 p.m.

The Pandoros then wait for an hour.

At around 6 p.m., the father and his sons check on the net to know if they had caught enough fish for the day.

Most of the time, they are able to catch ‘kitong’ (rabbitfish), octopus, and parrotfish which they sell at P160 to P180 per kilo.

Asked by CDN if he was scared of the waters as he moved around his small boat in total darkness, Anastacio said that he was more afraid of starving.

“Dili man. Ang akong kahadlokan kay mapasmo (No. I am afraid of going hungry),” he answered.

Anastacio began to lose his eyesight when he was in grade four and went into total blindness at 17 years old.

Because of extreme poverty, he had no chance to see a doctor and had to give up hopes of ever seeing again.

He also gave up his dreams of becoming a lawyer someday.

Growing up with six siblings, Anastacio said he shared ‘ginamos’ (fermented fish) with his family everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

“Bahinon pa ang ginamos kay sa kadaghan namo. Pito me ka mag suon, apil pa amo mama ug papa. Siyam me tanan (We would have to share the fermented fish because there were nine of us in the family including my parents),” he told CDN.

Anastacio recalled that he learned to fish from his father when he was 14 years old.

Back then, he only had a hook and line and used earth worms for bait; until one day, he found an old fish net discarded by his neighbor and thought of fishing to help earn a living.

Determined to earn more for the family, Anastacio asked his uncle to look for a lending agency that could help him buy his own fish net and a banca.

The decision to buy his own equipment turned out to be for the best as he began to catch not just fish but octopuses and squids.

Anastacio’s big dreams

Anastacio met his wife, Estrella, during a massage training at the DSWD vocational center in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.

They now have three sons: Fabio, 26; Raymond, 23; and Victor Dave, 17 — all sighted.

Although Anastacio was unable to go to college, he dreams that his three sons would be able to finish their studies and each earn a degree.

Fabio is currently taking up Information Technology (IT) at Cebu Technological University (CTU) in Argao while Raymond and Victor Dave are in grade 11 and 9, respectively at the town’s Talaga National High School.

Like Anastacio, Estrella wants their children to grow up to be responsible members of society.

“Puro ra ba sila lalaki. Sila gyud mo buhi sa ilang pamilya (Since they are all boys, they have a responsibility to take care of their families),” Estrella said.

Aside from giving his children a good education, Anastacio said he works doubly hard each day to be able to provide good meals for his family.

Anastacio believes that building one’s character is the key to surpassing challenges in life.

Those who always think negative will end up weak, he said.

“Huyang na sila. Naa sila sa negative nga pang huna huna kung manarbaho sila walay mo dawat (Those who are weak always think negative. They think that they cannot find work),” he said adding that with a strong will power, anyone can learn to do a job.

“Wala may dili maka mao basta lang buhaton (There’s no such thing as not being able to learn. But first you have to be willing to do it ),” said Anastacio, his blind eyes squinting as he raised that thought.