Single mom in Cebu: How she became a school’s ‘mother of hundreds’

Photo by Jay Baa

How did this 61-year-old grandmother, a farmer’s daughter, a high school graduate, and a single mother ended up as a dorm manager of a Cebu university?

Was it her caring and passionate nature that has left a lasting mark on her image among those whom she has served at the university?

Was it her dedication to serve that started her journey at the university 30 years ago as a clerk, then got promoted several times ending up with her current post as a dorm manager?

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For Zenaida Tabucanon, the current dorm manager of the University of Philippines Cebu, these could be among the few traits that guided her on her 3 decades of journey that brought her here as a dorm manager.

This single mom has not only been taking care of her four children and six grandchildren, but also of hundreds of dormers at the university.

Tabucanon has been in this dorm manager role for five years now. 

“Dako ang responsibility, labi nag naay masakit … unya madisgrasya pero kalooy sa Diyos, God is good to me kay iya ra sad ko tabangan. Basta naay mga problema ug naay mga issue issue bahin sa mga dormers,” she said.

(It is a big responsibility, especially if there is someone who is sick … then have an accident but through the will of God, God is good to me because he helps me. It is just that if there are problems and if there are issues with the dormers.)

A dorm manager’s job requires Tabucanon to care of dormers, who fall ill or are involved in accidents, adding a personal touch to her professional responsibilities.

Aside from the hundreds of dormers that she has to take care of, she also has to take care and bond with her family, which she also considers a blessing.

She would always find time to balance her responsibilities as a grandmother, and she would visit her family in Minglanilla town on weekends.

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Zenaida Tabucanon receives a loyalty award for her 25 years of service to the University of the Philippines Cebu. | Jay Baa

Single mom in Cebu: Gift of life

“Support sila sa akoa bisan wala ko didto. Lipay sila nga ako kay happy ko sa akoa life, and ako satisfied sad ko sa ako salary. Usahay muabot kog Saturday then mauli ko Sunday sa buntag kay church unya gamayng bonding sa akong mga apo,” she said.

(They support me even if I am not there with them. They are happy for me because I am happy with my life, and I am satisfied with my salary. Sometimes, I will be here until Saturday, then I will go home on Sunday morning because there is church and then a little bonding with my grandchildren.)

And at 61 years old, Tabucanon sees every morning when she wakes up as a gift of life for her. And this is one of those things that she has to be grateful for everyday.

She also seeks and prays for God’s guidance, especially now that she is a dorm manager.

But overall, she attributes her successful balance of mothering duties and service to being a God-fearing person and her humility.

But after serving 30 years at the university, Tabucanon plans to retire next year.

And with this, she cannot help but look back from her humble beginnings in Minglanilla town in southern Cebu as a farmer’s daughter to her 30-year journey at UP Cebu.

Zenaida Tabucanon, University of Cebu dorm manager, poses with dorm students at a university event. | Jay Baa

Tabucanon’s humble beginnings

Zenaida Tabucanon was raised by her farmer father and was part of a large family. Due to the financial challenges the family faced, she decided to stop her college education and find a job to sustain her needs.

“Gamay ra man income so wala jud. Nakahuman kog high school unya nag-eskuwela kog 1st year college. Unya nagkuan ko working student ko, nagpromo ko, pero nakahuman gyud kog one year pero pagsecond year wala nako naglisod nako di nako makaya,” she said.

(My income then was not much. I finished high school and I went to school to 1st year college. And then I became a working student, I did promo and finished 1 year but when it came to second year, I could not anymore do it. It was just difficult.)

In 1993, Tabucanon stepped out of her comfort zone, left her hometown Minglanilla, and went to Cebu City to look for jobs.

She was seeking jobs that would accept her educational background as a high school graduate with a subprofessional civil service attainment. 

Her journey brought her to the University of the Philippines Cebu, where she felt an immediate sense of belonging.

She was first accepted as an Emergency Clerk II from 1993 to 1994. Just a year later, she was promoted to University Clerk II, a position she held from 1994 to 1997.

She was then promoted again to University Clerk III from 1997 to 2004. This role helped her support her children’s needs.

In 2004 she was recommended as the new Admin Aide VI, and served the post from 2004 to 2012. She then became an Administrative Assistant for seven years, from 2012 to 2018. 

During this time, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Office Administration through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) at the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U), achieving another milestone in her life.

Additionally, she also received a loyalty award for her 25 years of service at the university. 

Dorm manager

When the position of dorm manager opened up, Tabucanon took a professional-level civil service exam, passed it, and applied for the job.

In 2019, she was appointed as the dorm manager, a position she has held for five years. Recognized for her exceptional service, she received an award for her 30 years of invaluable service to the university.

Jhon Dustin Gabutan, vice president of the University of the Philippines Dormitory Association (UPDA), expressed his appreciation for Tabucanon’s service and dedication, especially upon learning that she had worked for 30 years at the university.

“To know nga daghan na siyag nabuhat sa UPC, to think also nga dugay jud siya here and at the same time wala gane reklamo about here. This just shows nga kuan jud siya iya jong ginadedicate iyang pagserve sa atoa,” Gabutan said.

(To know that she did so many things at UPC, to think also that she worked for a long time here, and at the same time she did not complain about the work. This just shows that she really is keen in dedicating and serving us.)

Being in her early sixties, Tabucanon prepares for her retirement next year.

This is her advice for current and former UP Cebu dormers: “I know mga UP graduate man gyud mo, and makakita mog nindot nga trabaho puhon. Pagbinuotan lang gyud mo and mapasalamaton kay ngara jud na magstart ang positive things in life.”

(I know that you will be UP graduates, and you can get good jobs in the future, God willing. Just be good and thankful because that is where positive things in life will start.)