Despite an accident that left him blind in his left eye, 43-year-old garbage collector Edwin Jabagat never gives up on his responsibility to support his family through thick and thin.
Married to his 40-year-old wife Evangeline for two decades, Jabagat still supports his 21-year-old daughter Mary Grace Jabagat who has a 3-year-old son and 20-year-old son Mike Vincent Jabagat, who will soon become a father like him.
A resident of sitio Kasia Lorega, Cebu City, Jabagat has two other children with Evangeline; Mae Jabagat, a Grade 4 student and Michael Jabagat, a Grade 1 student both enrolled in Zapatera Elementary School in Sikatuna St., Cebu City.
“Nabagsakan ako ng apoy (I got injured in a fire),” Jabagat said of the accident that cost him his left eye while working on SuperCat fast craft in 2001. He said the firm helped him get medical treatment but didn’t renew his contract.
Before the accident happened, Jabagat had plans to work abroad.
Overcome
He went back and forth to Manila to complete his requirements.
When the accident happened, he got so depressed that he dropped his plans after medical expenses increased.
Evangeline struggled as the lone breadwinner at the time, doing laundry for a living.
“Kung wala akong labada, tinda-tinda ko na suruy-suruy ma kaon, sud-an. Sa awa ng Diyos, nakakaraos sa hirap (If I don’t have laundry work, I sell and wander looking for food. By God’s grace we overcame our hardship),” Evangeline said.
She learned how to make detergent powder from her sister and sells it to her neighbors for extra income.
Afford
Jabagat said he tried to help out by working as a masseur-on-call at his neighborhood.
He managed to find work as a garbage collector through the Persons With Disability (PWD) program of Cebu City Hall’s Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) in 2003.
A few years after being employed, Jabagat became the president of the PWD, Lorega Chapter. Jabagat earns P5,000 a month and has PhilHealth coverage.
Despite a PWD ID that gives him discounted rates in fast-food outlets and stores, he said he can’t afford to use it.
“Naa ra mi sa dagsa-dagsa palit. Pero okay lang basta may trabaho (We just buy from wherever we can afford. It’s okay so long as there is work),” Evangeline said.
Provide
Jabagat said his two older children still ask money from him.
“Pag may sweldo, mangayo sila. Taga-salo talaga ako kasi tatay ako (If there’s money, they would ask. I provide for them because I am the father),” he said.
The Jabagat couple pay P50 each to their children Mae and Michael for their education at Zapatera Elementary School which is within walking distance of their home.
They relocated to their present home after their house in barangay Lorega-San Miguel was consumed by fire that caused 7,000 persons to lose their homes on March 18 last year.
The Jabagat couple said they are thankful that their neighborhood is relatively safe for their children, unlike in their previous home where they see men drinking on the streets at night.
On the eve of Father’s Day, Mike Vincent is thankful to his father for supporting him now that he will become a father himself.
“Salamat sa iyong suporta, sa tanan (Thank you for all your support, for everything),” he told his father.
To which Jabagat responded by saying “Anak ko silang lahat. Suportahan ko sila kung saan sila masaya (They are all my children. I will support them where they are happy),” he said.
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