Touching graduation photo goes viral 

After his touching graduation photo taken by his parents' graves went viral on Facebook, Kevin Villanueva has become an inspiration to students.

 

"I just want to express my love to my parents, pero grabe, grabe ang naging reaksyon ng mga tao na sobrang nakakatuwa," he said, adding that his friends believed this was his parents' way of showing their love for him.   

Villanueva shared that it was difficult to go through college without his parents. "Mahirap isipin na wala na sila. But then ang ginawa ko na lang is that I did not think of it as a burden but as an inspiration for me to finish my studies," he said. 

 

Villanueva's mother committed suicide in 2002. "She had a nervous breakdown every time she forgot to drink her medicine. Doon nagti-trigger 'yung sakit niya," said Villanueva, who was 10 years old at the time.

 

His father died when Villanueva was in his freshman year, taking up Information Technology in Colegio San Juan de Letran Manila.

 

With both his parents gone, Villanueva said his friends served as parental figures. "They are the ones who saw my four years of hardship sa Letran," he said. His aunts, Maria Teresa C. Jalbuena and Jacqueline V. Calumba, were the ones who put him through college.

 

"Without them hindi po siguro ako nakapagtapos," he said. 

 

His advice to students in difficult situations is to pursue their dreams, no matter what. 

 

"If there are problems, convert it as your inspiration to reach your goals in life. Determinasyon, tiyaga at inspiration ang kailangan natin to be a successful person. One person has a choice to go the bad way or good way, but in my choice I do it in the good way, kaya nararanasan ko itong pagmamahal na to," he said, adding that he did not expect his photo to reach so many people. – KDM/BM, GMA News  Photo courtesy of Kevin Villanueva's Facebook page.