by Evangeline Serrano
Evangeline Serrano
My name is Evangeline Serrano. I was born and raised in Makati City. It is also where I obtained my
primary and secondary education. I took up Education in college but was not able to finish due to financial constraints. Being the eldest in the family, I chose to quit schooling so my other siblings can go to school, too. Eventually I became an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) to be able to help my family. I worked in Saipan as a domestic helper for seven years. It is also where I got married and gave birth to a son.
My mother always got sick. Because of this I returned to the Philippines with my son, and stayed with my parents in Makati. We lived in a house beside a river. And while it was not the nicest house to live
in, we had this constant sense of stability because of relatives and friends who lived nearby, and who
were always ready to lend a hand in times of need. Access to social services was easy: a hospital and
a school were near our place that we did not have to spend much for transportation. Life was fine, until
we were informed of a demolition.
It was in 2000 when the government relocated us to Kasiglahan Village I in Barangay San Jose, Montalban, Rizal. Twelve years ago, they said we had to relocate because of the government’s Pasig Rehabilitation Program that intended to clean up the Pasig River. Read more…
