A painter, a musician, and a father of two was how he described himself 25 years ago.
Eduardo Ligalig was a happily married man who painted movie billboards for theaters in Antipolo, Rizal and sang in a band to support his family until 1990 when he met an accident that resulted in his disability.
His leg was broken when a speeding tricycle hit him while he was crossing a street in Manila. While he was recuperating, he lost his job.
His disability made it difficult for him to fulfill the engagements his band had arranged.
The sight of his wife and two children eating meals of rice mixed with hot water and sugar troubled Ligalig no end as he was the family’s breadwinner.
He then tried selling garlic in the market but the income from that venture was not enough for his family’s needs. His eldest son was still four years old at the time and the youngest was still an infant.
It was not long after the accident that his wife decided to leave him and bring their children to Davao City to seek her family’s help. He last saw his children in 1998.
Since then he has been living alone.
His father died when he was ten and his mother is already old and could not help him with his finances.
Ligalig’s friends would bring him to different provinces to compete in billiard tournaments or perform in gigs just so he could send money to his family in Davao.
In 2000, he decided to go home to his hometown in Bohol. Someone gave him a violin and he used it to serenade guests in different resorts in Bohol.
“Sometimes guests would give me P50 or P70 but most of the time nothing. It’s not also everyday that there are guests,” he said in Filipino.
At a resort where he made music on his violin, the owner encouraged him to enroll at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). Once enrolled in Florance technical school, he chose the bartending course.
“I like wine. I have friends and I like mixing drinks,” he said.
After his graduation, he applied for an on-the-job training in a resort and he was absorbed by the company as the bartender.
At his new job, his boss and coworkers helped him find his children on Facebook and for the first time in many years, he was able to talk to them.
“My children are my priority now that I have a job. For a long time, I was not able to support them and I want to give them financial support even how little,” Ligalig said.
Just this month, Ligalig’s success story won as the best story (school category) in the Tesda video making contest Year 2.
The winners were chosen from over a hundred entries and were recognized at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Ligalig received a cash prize of P15,000. He then used it to pay most of his personal loans and sent the rest to his children.
“My happiness is my children. I am happy that they were taken care of by my wife. They are both honor students. My eldest is enrolled in Criminology.
My youngest wants to be a teacher. Next time, I will really save up for fare to Davao and see them all,” Ligalig said.
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