My name is Lucita Certeza Maybituin. My family, friends and acquaintances call me “Luchie“or “Luch”. I was born on June 25, 1970, in a Barangay named Talim Point. Our barrio lies at the southern tip of Talim Island, in the middle of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines. The hilly island is within the boundaries of the Province of Rizal, under the jurisdiction of two municipalities, the western side is part of the municipality of Binangonan, where our Barangay belongs while the eastern section is part of Cardona, Rizal. I spent my childhood and teenage days in this captivating and serene island. My dad (Tatay Junior) died when I was six years old, so we grew up with our great resolute and loving mother, (Nanay Tinay). Solitarily raising us and single handedly providing our livelihood and education, my Nanay taught me the values of humility, honesty, courtesy, generosity, integrity and caring for others. These served as my markers or guides in all of my journeys in life. The humble beginnings and hardships that we went through are always worth reminiscing. In this island, I started to dream and shape my future. I had been dreaming of high aspirations, become a lawyer, a successful lawyer someday. To become a defender of those with less in life and the islanders. I was lucky that we had a school in our barrio. I used to spend my weekdays in the school. Late afternoons until dinner were spent helping my mother in her cooking business, where I used to prepare all ingredients for her, and, later in the night till midnight, I was studying my lessons. Saturdays were my cleaning and laundry days. Sundays were no exceptions when it came to work. It was big business,...... Read more on Full Issue!