03/10/2025
𝙆𝙒𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝘽𝙐𝙃𝘼𝙔. 𝙆𝙒𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙐𝙉𝘼𝙔.
𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗞𝗘𝗧
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀
While most teenagers spend their afternoons scrolling on their phones or laughing with friends, 14-year-old Kent Lawrence I. Tuhitum chooses a harder road, one lined with sweat, sacrifice, and a basket of vegetables balanced on his head.
Kent is not just an ordinary Grade 9 student of Crossing Bayabas National High School (CBNHS) in Davao City. Each day, he walks the busy streets of Toril with his basket, not only to earn for his school needs but also to ease the burden of his parents.
“I want to help my mama and papa, and my siblings too, even in small ways,” Kent said in Bisaya, sharing the reason behind his daily hustle.
In 2024, Kent’s story quietly reached many hearts when a candid photo of him in his school uniform, selling vegetables with an innocent smile, went viral on social media. A single snapshot revealed the heart of a young boy battling hardships while holding on to dreams.
Behind his warm smile are silent struggles, days when sales are too little, nights when food is not enough.
“There are times when I earn very little from selling, and sometimes it’s not enough to buy food,” he shared, his voice heavy with tears.
Yet Kent endures, clinging to his dream of becoming a businessman one day, lifting not just himself but his family.
“I want to be a businessman,” he declared with quiet certainty.
After school, he stands for hours outside supermarkets, fast-food chains, and crowded markets. No stall, no chair, just him, his basket, and his will to keep going, rain or shine. Two years have passed, yet his fire has not dimmed. Instead, it burns brighter, reminding others that strength is not measured by age but by sacrifice.
In every bundle of vegetables, Kent does not just sell food. He sells perseverance, devotion, and the dream of a brighter tomorrow. And in that basket he carries every day, people see more than vegetables; they see hope in a basket.
By: Cluster IV Information Officer - R., Jr Ornido
Crossing Times & Sangandaan - A.J. Seno & C.J Cortez
