Jhaine Bleszel Baclay knew she made a wrong turn in life. But she still persevered. And she graduated with 16 special awards, capped off by being the class valedictorian. | contributed photo
Cebu City, Philippines—Since grade school, Jhaine Bleszel Baclay was a consistent honor student and dreamt of working in the media someday.
But the drive towards this dream hit a roadblock when she had to stop her schooling because she got pregnant in 2016.
She was 16, and a Grade 10 in a private school in her hometown in Liloan when her life took an unexpected turn.
“Grabe ang burden sa akong mama. Nahugno ang iyang kalibutan pagkahibalo sa nahitabo sa akoa. Dako man gud sila og salig nako,” Baclay told Cebu Daily News Digital.
(It was a huge burden to my mom. It seemed like her world fell apart because of what happened to me. It’s because they [my family] had a lot of faith in me.)
Jhaine is the eldest of three children. Her mother, who works as a factory worker, is raising them alone since her father passed away four years ago.
On June 9, 2016, at 16 years old, Jhaine officially became a mother to a baby girl, whom she named Jhermione.
“Nihilak ko kay kanang nakuyawan ko. First nako na baby unya bata pa kaayo ko pero I have to embrace it, I am already a mother,” she said as she recalled the first time she saw her daughter.
(I cried because I was nervous. She is my first baby. I am young but I have to embrace it. I am already a mother.)
It was a challenging pregnancy for Baclay since she was diagnosed with anemia. She had to take a lot of medicines to have a healthy pregnancy.
She named her daughter Jhermione since she was a fan of Hermione, a character in the popular movie, “Harry Potter” portrayed by Emma Watson.
“Pag una nakong basa sa name (Hermione) niya, naka ana ko nga mao ni akong ganahan nga ipangalan sa akong anak,” Baclay said.
(The first time I read her name, I said I wanted that to be the name of my daughter.)
Being pregnant at a young age was not easy for Jhaine. And being a young mother also had its fair share of challenges.
But she didn’t back down to the challenges.
“Una, masayop pa ko og change sa iyang diapers. Pero ma dugay makat-on ra man sad,” she said.
(At first, I did not know how to change her diapers but later on, I started to learn.)
Sometimes, she only has three or five hours of sleep every day to attend to Jhermione’s needs.
Accepting the mistakes
A year after Jhermione was born, Baclay decided to continue her studies.
She admitted that going back to school after what happened was one of the greatest obstacles she had to overcome.
“Akong dream is to finish my studies na wala’y hunong. Lain kaayo kay honor student ko unya na ing-ani lang,” she said.
(My dream is to finish my studies without any breaks. They look up to me as an honor student and this happened to me.)
The most hurtful remark she got from people was, “Bright lang unta wala lang mag huna huna.”
(She is smart but she did not use her brain.)
“Sakit kaayo. Gi judge ko nila. Kahibalo ko nasayop ko, pwede i-accept ko ninyo and give me a chance to redeem myself again?” she said.
(I was hurt. People judged me. I know I committed a mistake but can you at least accept me and give me a chance to redeem myself again?)
Jhaine said she gained back herself again after she participated in Bible sharing. She is a Born Again Christian.
With her confidence back, Jhaine managed to prove that there is a second chance after all as she graduated last April and was the class valedictorian. She topped it off by receiving 16 special awards.
“Ako kay I look up to education. Ganahan ko nay mahuman. Naka decided ako mama nga kinahanglan ko makahuman sa akong skwela. Luckily, I am on the top of the class,” she said.
(I really believe in education. I wanted to finish my education. I have decided with my mother that I have to finish school. I am so lucky that I am at the top of the class.)
She accomplished this feat despite having to balance her time between being a mother and a student.
Again, it wasn’t easy. But she still succeeded.
“Lisod gyud usahay kay dugay ko maka kaon kay unahon og atiman siya,” she said.
(It’s really difficult because sometimes, I eat late because I have to attend to my daughter’s needs first.)
After graduating with flying colors, Baclay is ready to move to college and pursue her dream of being a journalist. She is planning to take up Mass Communication in a university in Cebu City.
“I can’t wait to finish my studies and provide my daughter’s need in the future,” she said.
At present, her ex-boyfriend who works abroad is providing their daughter’s needs.
After all that she has been through, Jhaine proved that age does not matter in being a mother.
“It depends on how you deal with the situation. Age does not matter. What is important is you learn the process of being a mother and you also accepted yourself,” she said.
Last May 10 was Jhaine’s third year in celebrating Mother’s Day. She believes, even at a young age, she deserves to celebrate Mother’s Day.
“Yes, teenage mothers also deserve to celebrate Mother’s Day because we have our own stories of sacrifices. They do not know the real story, like everything that really happened,” she said.
And for those who are going through the same experience as Jhaine’s, this is her advice: “Even if you have your own children, this is not a reason not to pursue your dreams. Stop thinking on negative thoughts.” /bmjo