VP 2019-07 DARREN ESPANTO DIGITAL

FAMILY FIRST
Yong also made history as the first Tausug housemate
in Big Brother’s house. His representation of his
community is greatly needed in the media nowadays.
But greater than this, the love for his family is what the
general public should see and appreciate.
Being in a family with 17 siblings in total, Yong
strives to live up to his title:
“Pag-A-Son ng Angkan ng Zamboanga”
He may be living here in Manila with a sibling and
some of his cousins, but there will always be one
place he will call home.
"Mahalagang mahalaga ang pamilya ko sa akin,
kahit magkakalayo kami, nagsusuportahan kami sa
isa’t isa.”
Coming from a big household, he did not have a
hard time mingling with a bunch of new faces —
thanks to the lessons he learned living in a one big
happy family.
“Kasi ang dami niyo, iba-iba kayo ng ugali, matututo
kang makisama at rumepeto kahit minsan hindi
kayo pare-pareho ng opinyon kasi parte pa din kayo
ng iisang pamilya.”
Before joining the reality show, Yong knows how
to do things on his own. As he put it into words, he
learned it the hard way. He grew up helping his late
father in feeding and taking care of their chickens.
He also worked in a water station, and he did all of
these things to ultimately help his parents.
You can call Yong, in layman’s term, a family guy.
Even if the opportunities are greater here in the
city, the one thing he can’t trade for this luxury is his
mother in Zamboanga.
“Ang pagkakaiba lang nandoon ang nanay ko,
pamilya ko.”
There will always be pros and cons wherever you
chose to stay. But, what’s more important is you are
rooted to the core of your being, knowing where
your heart should always be.
TRAVEL• LIFESTYLE• ENTERTAINMENT
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