Alex and his wonder bayong reach his goals never laid over.

Instead he became more

Sherwin T. Pazzibugan and Carl Antolin
You cannot classify genuine gems if they are
mixed with others. Pots of gold aren’t easily found at the
end of a kaleidoscopic rainbow, seen in the shore of a sea,
or on a bargain in a stall, for they all glitter and deceive
the naked eyes. You can only decipher the real ones if you
go beyond the abyss of their traits.
The school is a melting pot of diverse
personalities, flock of students having myriad yet
inspiring stories to tell. In the modest institution of
Tumauini, one student relates an extraordinary story, an
18- year old lad named Alex Mabborang, Grade-12 section
Alexandrite of Tumauini National High School, a lad who
finds life challenging yet fulfilling.
persistent that someday, somehow, he will also be relating
his success story to someone battling impoverishment
and inspire people specially the youth that poverty is just
a state of the mind we are poor because we see ourselves
as poor.
Alex is just one of the ordinary Filipino youths
who battle life’s circumstances at a very young age, his
“bayong” contains a lot of inspiring stories to tell and
experiences worthy to be emulated, his ordinariness made
him a special individual, refined by his experiences,
chiseled by time and grounded by his determination to
turn his “ bayong” a beautiful success story.

Alex is the only son among the four children of

Paulina Rico Mabborang and Miguel Jervoso Mabborang
both natives of San Mateo, Tumauini.

Lex as earnestly called by his classmates is a

perfect epitome’ of a son and a brother, despite struggling
financially, poverty doesn’t make him economically
vulnerable for at a very young age he helps his parents and
provide his needs in the school by selling Filipino
delicacies such as “suman” (steamed cassava wrapped in
a banana leaf), “turon” (ripe banana wrapped and deep
fried), “kwek-kwek” (orange color coated quail eggs) and
fresh vegetables from their small backyard.

He diligently manages his time in academics, co-

curricular activities and having small time business at the
same time. He wakes up at 4 a.m. to steam suman in their
dirty kitchen using the traditional clay pot and firewood,
fry kwek-kwek and turon and pick available vegetables
from the vegetable garden that he and his father planted.

Alex carries all his products in a “bayong” without

feeling conscious or distressed about what other people
might say. Yes, it looks peculiar for an 18- year old
student to swallow his self- esteem, carry commodities
and enthusiastically sell it in faculty offices and
classrooms, disconcerting as it may seem but for him this
encumbrance will lead him to the realization of his
dreams and his way of selling in the school doesn’t make
him less of a man.

Alex was nominated as the classroom president

of Grade -12 section Alexandrite, he is also one of the top
students in terms of academic standing, a kind hearted
and genuine classmate, a courteous and soft spoken
student, a compassionate brother and a loving son to his
parents.

Alex doesn’t have things with high rates or price

tags but, he gathered the admiration of his teachers and
school mates in TNHS that despite being time pressured
both in academics and work, financial shortage, label in
the society that “without money, no future” his journey to