Tribeswoman becomes Aeta community's first civil engineer

A 23-year-old indigenous tribeswoman became the pride of her Aeta community after she passed the  2017 civil engineering board exams last November.

Ezel Joy Manzano was the first woman civil engineer of the Amianan tribe, which had been moved to the Iram resettlement area near Olangapo City after the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption.

"Ako po si Ezel Joy Pablo Manzano, 23 years old... proud civil engineer, November 2017 passer po," Ezel said on GMA 7 news program "24 Oras" on Tuesday.

"Pag tingin ko po, pang-3,596 ako tapos nakita ko 'yung pangalan ko," she added, particularly noting that she had succeeded on her first take.

"Meron pa pong mga time na umiiyak na ako kasi hindi ko na naiintindihan 'yung inaaral ko. Ibuhos na nila lahat kasi minsan lang sila mag-board exam," Ezel said.

Manzano's path-to-success was full of  hurdles. She recalled that she had to quit school for one semester because her family ran out of money.

She nevertheless overcame this and fulfilled, not just her dreams, but her father's as well.

"Pangarap 'yun ng tatay ko, kaya 'yun po talaga ang nagpu-push sa akin na i-pursue 'yun," Ezel said.

The Manzano family was overjoyed over Ezel's success.

"Tuwang tuwa talaga ko kahit wala nang tatay, hindi siya nagpabaya sa kanyang pagaaral," Estrelita Manzano, her mother, said.

Ezel was also grateful to all those who had helped her along the way.

"Gusto ko din po silang makapag-aral, makamit nila 'yung pangarap nila. Sabi ko nga po gagamitin ko 'yung profession ko para makatulong sa iba," Ezel said. — Anna Felicia Bajo/DVM, GMA News