Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Cherry Rondina has yet to deliver the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball title to University of Santo Tomas but she has already provided her family a forever home.
Rondina fulfilled her role as her family’s ultimate breadwinner, buying a house for her loved ones in her hometown of Compostela in Cebu.
“Basically, I embraced the role of breadwinner and I don’t want my family to be left behind,” said Rondina. “If they want something like this and I’ll give it to them, if they want to eat this food I’ll give it to them.”
“I’m too family-oriented so I set aside my wants first and focus on what my family needs. If I don’t need this or that then I won’t buy it. What I really want in my life is to give back to my parents because I love them so much.”
Rondina’s new two-story house was built in a well-off area in Compostela and she said they will move to their new home by December.
The Season 81 MVP added that it was almost a risky move for her to invest her earnings from her club team Petron in the Philippine Super Liga to buy the house and land.
Nevertheless, it was her vow to provide for her family and giving them the home they deserved was the least she could do to give back to them.
Rondina said she made it a point for herself that when she moved to Manila for her schooling, it was also her duty to lift her family up.
“I went here to Manila to prove a point that even though I grew up poor I will show to everyone who are losing hope that nothing will happen if you don’t work,” said Rondina, who led UST to a 1-0 series lead over Ateneo in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball finals on Saturday.
“You have to do it with effort. You just can’t do something for the sake of doing it. And before I arrived here I told myself ‘we won’t ever experience hardship ever agin.’”