We applaud...Reggie Sagadal

Reggie Sagadal was four years old when his life took a sudden and bitter turn; his mother died of a heart attack. "I don't recollect what exactly happened, all I remember is that Mama wasn't there in my life anymore," says Sagadal, who hails from Visaya Samar, a hamlet in the Philippines and is now working for Shaw Entertainment in Dubai.

Reggie's siblings - three brothers and two sister - who are much older than him were busy making a life for themselves as a result Reggie was sent to Manila to live with his maternal aunt.

"I had to grow up almost overnight," recalls Reggie. "There wasn't much time to grieve, and anyway when you are that young you adapt fast to changes I guess. But I remember for many months I would cry quietly long after everyone else was asleep, missing my family.''

Reggie's aunt and uncle could not afford to pay his school fees, so "I had to earn to put myself through school from a very young age. When I was little, my aunt would [give me some pocket money] for the chores I did like cleaning the house. I saved it up and by the time I was 13, I built a small wooden cart. I then collected small gallons and bottles, filled them with water from the village well and loaded them in my car to sell to our neighbours after school. I also worked in a small cafeteria during the evenings and weekends.

"There was little time to study or to indulge in extracurricular activities,'' he says. "Life was a constant struggle of adding up the pesos to pay for my studies. The only thing I missed was my family. My brothers and sisters had their own share of problems, so I couldn't expect anything from them."

Reggie was keen to earn a degree in business management so he waited tables at a fast food outlet to earn money for the tuition fees. Of course, this left him with little time for studies. "I used to study during my free time and late into the night,'' he says. But after three years of hard work, the expenses of books and fees became too much for Reggie to bear and he had to give up his studies.

"Quitting college with just one more year to go was one of the most painful things in my life, but I had no choice. I just couldn't afford it. But then in life, when one door closes, another always opens.

"In 2004, when I was 22 years old, one of my sisters got me a job in a restaurant in Dubai.'' From there he worked his way up and today is executive project coordinator, Shaw Entertainment, Dubai.

"I believe that all the tough times I have gone through have only made me a stronger person. I'm a survivor. I feel I can handle anything in life - and isn't that a blessing?"

Reggie, who is preparing for his marriage, says he has only one resolve: "I have had no family my entire life, and that's something I'm determined to have now. My children will always have a father by their side. Nothing in life is more precious than your family."