One and only Hazzibee
In the City of Quezon City, an old woman with ragged clothes approached Editha R. Huelgas and her husband, Nestor M. Huelgas. She offered fortune telling services for five pesos only. It seemed like fun and was cheap, so they decided to try it out. The old woman foretold the birth of a daughter in our family. My parents laughed out loud as they were approaching their 40’s, and seemed ridiculous. Strangely, the old woman smiled and looked them both in the eyes. My mother and father froze because of the reaction of the woman, and laughed awkwardly. Oh boy.. My father should’ve worn a condom. They would have never thought I would be born on the cold night of October 14, 2005, at Veterans Medical Center.
Hello! My name is Izzah Faye Precious R. Huelgas. As a child, I really had a hard time writing my name. For a 3 year old, three words seemed like a hundred, so when I got tired and frustrated for the first time! I ripped my practice paper and started crying. Complaining about how long my name is. Guess what happened? My mother chased me down with a clothes hanger. I was bawling my eyes out while running around the house until my father came and lifted me to protect me from my mom. After the ordeal, I ate dinner peacefully with my family. Hesitant to approach her, I hid behind my father’s back. She held my hand and pulled me closer. I sat on her lap as she brushed my hair with her fingers. She explained that my name consists of 3 words, since I am the 3rd child in the family. Secondly, my name “Izzah” was derived from the Filipino word “Isa” meaning one. I am the only daughter of our family. They were told that ”Faye” means faith and fate. Lastly, “Precious” came from Miss International 2005, Precious Lara Quigaman. To this day, the spanking still stings and I never did it again.
I have two siblings protecting me and loving me in their own little ways. We live in a small but warm home. My father used to be an operator on the jeepneys we owned, but he now helps my mother with our mini-eatery.My childhood was fun. It was filled with a lot of great memories. Just like typical children, I loved to play patintero, langit' lupa, tumbang preso and there was also a time when I got addicted to biking while basking under the sun. After playing, I would watch the afternoon telenovelas with a cup of cold orange juice to quench my thirst.
I started school at Mines Elementary School. I was there from kindergarten to Grade 3. Growing up, I could see my troubled brother struggling with his academics. My parents would set him as an example of what not to be. Since then I have had a great sense of responsibility with my academics. I was a bright child. I could read and comprehend English at an early age and did well at school, but my teachers would say otherwise. They would describe me as a child who is in her own world. I really didn't talk much or make friends at school. My mom learned about this and she signed me up for girl scouts in hopes of me making new friends. It was fun camping, learning the ways of girl scouts, and attending extracurricular events, but friendships were not my thing. When I was at school, my classmates would forcibly take my food. I was hesitant about it, but every time they did it they would call me their friend. My mom noticed I was getting thinner as the days went by and asked me about it. She was shocked and was determined to put me into a better school.
In 2014,I was transferred to a private school, St. Mary's College as a Grade 4 student. It was a big adjustment for my parents and I. The tuition fees were quite steep and the conditions of the school were quite different from the previous school I attended. Like usual children, they were curious about the new kid. The kids in this school were very wealthy, unlike me who came from a poor background. I kept it a secret until I graduated. Nevertheless, I made lots of friends at this school. I also did better academically the following year (2015-2016) after the adjustment. My stay there was fun. We have plays, festive performances, and even carnival rides every single year! During our foundation day a ferris wheel dressed in different colors would be built on the quadrangle. The ride was fun and exhilarating. The ferris wheel was different from the others that would go slow and steady. This one would go round and round as fast as it could. I could still feel the cold breeze hitting warm cheeks, as we screamed at the top of our lungs.
Just as fun it was, my relationship with my parents began to waver. To afford my tuition fees, they worked almost 24/7. My mother also began selling other goods besides cookies, like blouses, dresses, and shirts. My father began selling our jeepneys and helped my mother with her business. There would be times my brother was the one who was attending events and getting my card from school, and sometimes no one would attend. I continued at St. Mary's College until I graduated from elementary school in 2017.
We couldn't afford the continuous rise in fees, so I transferred to the Affordable Private Education Center (APEC Schools), in 2017. There is one particular subject called Life Labs. It encouraged us to find problems in our society and solve them. That subject helped me in public speaking and making friends. It required us to present our topics to the class, survey other people, and innovate. I was once voted as the representative of our class for a pageant of "Buwan Ng Wika". I told my mother about it and we bought my costume. When the day came my adviser told me if there wasn't someone coming for me. I shook my head because I knew they were too busy for me. We never won, but it was a unique experience.
I became a grade 8 student in 2018. I was voted as the class president as a joke and won , but it weighed heavily on me. In my mind, I had to be a role model to my classmates. We were previously known as the most hated class in our school. For me, the mistake of the class would be my mistake. I became uptight with myself and my classmates. I further drove my friends away from me. It was sad, like I was alone on top of the world. I lost some friends, but I am grateful for those who stayed.
2019 came, oh how fast the time came that I became a Grade 9 student. I healed and became a better person. I was assigned to lead our class to make a costume representing the people of Batanes. I developed my leadership skills because of that, but also I realized the weight of being a leader. The pressure and stress they bear is something admirable. How they put on the mask for the team while they suffer, because the whole team depends on them. They needed to be strong.
We approached 2020 with high hopes. Feng shui experts said that it was the year of business and in general, a lucky year. Well… They were wrong about that. We were overjoyed when there was an announcement of a class suspension for two whole weeks, but it turned into years. I really struggled coping with the pandemic, especially when we got infected with the deadly virus. A lot of issues came to light. Luckily, because of the lockdown, I fixed my relationship with my parents. Time flew by and “Online class” was introduced. I managed to love the studies of social sciences, we learned about governance and it was the reason I became a Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) student shortly after. I was one step closer to becoming a senior high student. It was hard, but I managed to graduate Junior High School in 2021.
I transferred to New Era University (NEU) in 2021. I studied there because my brother was an alumni at the school and it is 20 mins away from my house just in case face-to-face classes are implemented. It was tough, since I was the only one who took HUMSS in our friend group, but I’m glad I did. I managed to meet amazing people, who I can improve with. I managed to become more independent, to take charge of myself.
We are now in the year 2022. I am turning 17 soon! My life had its ups and downs, but it was a very fun and fulfilling experience. I am glad that I never gave up and could taste the pain, love, and laughs life has.
