My nickname is ElChapo, 23 years old, I live in Mabolo, Cebu City. I want to share with you the testimony of my life.
Since I was 10 years old, I have been going to school. One day in fifth grade after finishing my class, I went back home but an incident hurt me so badly, I started to do bad things. That is the reason why I am always doing bad things. My mother came to my school at noon to bring me food. She told me that this time when I go back to our house, it might take her a longer time to come back. I used to see my mom and dad when going back home to eat at night. After eating, I would go to bed and I could not sleep without my mom and dad.
On the evening of the incident, it is 8 o'clock in the evening, my dad and brother are wondering where my mom is. Why has she not come back yet? We start looking for my mom when my sister receives a text from my aunt saying that mom ran away and went to Manila because she cannot take my dad's vice anymore. Everything changed for me on this night, since my mom stopped guiding me.
I was discouraged by my father because he was always bad in front of me with his friends. I learned from a very young age to sustain myself by getting involved in illegal/immoral activities. My mother left and never came back. After that, I stopped going to school. One day, I called my mother and told her that if she did not come back, I would go to prison or die. She told me no matter which university to go to, she would pay for me, but I still did not do it right.
When I was 17 years old, my girlfriend got pregnant and I got arrested in Cebu City. The police put me in jail. When I turned 18, they transferred me to Cebu City jail. After being imprisoned for one year and one month, I was released. My son was 7 years old at that time, and I wanted to give him a good life. But I could not find a decent way to provide for him and continued to sell drugs.
In 2019, I got arrested for the second time. I am now imprisoned in Lapu-Lapu. I have not been free since then. I am happy that I participated in the LP4Y program because I learned a lot. Now, I know how to manage my time and I have a plan for my life. Thank you very much!