On one rainy day, I saw a man holding a 5-month old baby at the Apayao Training Center in Luna, Apayao, and wondered what the man was doing there and why he was with a baby.
Apayao Training Center offers several courses under the provincial government’s livelihood program as part of the poverty reduction and local economic development being pushed by Governor Elias c. Bulut Jr.
It is common sight to see a lot of trainees of various ages, but it is not very common to see a father with a baby at the area.
I found out later that the man has to carry her daughter to the training center as his wife is undergoing skills training and that the baby is under breastfeeding.
Babies usually need breastfeeding every four hours.
Most believe that a mother's love is incomparable to a father's love, but in this case I think the sacrifice of a father for his daughter as he takes the place of a baby sitter, protector, and caregiver to his baby is commendable.
The man, Jenevie Julian, is Judene’s husband, 32 a Teaching Methodology (TM) Level I trainee at the Apayao Training Center.
He is farmer. Jenevie disclosed that he opted to take a month break from his farming occupation to support his wife’s dream of becoming a technical skills trainer upon completion of the 28 days TM training at ATC.
Judene started schooling at ATC as a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) scholar, but later decided to pursue becoming a trainer which Jenevie willingly supported.
So jenevie’s daily routine is to take his daughter to the ATC and care for her until clock hits five in the afternoon where they can go home in Cacalaggan, Pudtol to rest for the night and ready again to come to the Center the following day.
Their baby Kalen is the youngest of the three Julian siblings. Unfortunately, their first child died seven years ago due to heart failure. “Nothing hurts more than losing a child but this didn't stop us from supporting and helping each other to go on with our lives,” Jenevie said.
"Ti makunak kadagiti padak a nagannak, ti panagaywan ti annak ket saan a kompetensya, dapat agtintinnulongkayo ta pagsayaatan tu metla iti pamilya nukwa dayta (To all my fellow parents, know that caring for our child is not a competition. Instead, learn to support each other for the good of the family)", Jenevie said when asked on his message to all parents struggling on balancing their work and parental responsibility.
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