Mella Jessa Broqueza

"Buti na lang my dad got me a plan from Philam Life as my graduation gift. It wasn’t a fancy car. It was not even a diamond ring but it was more than that. It was a promise that my future will be secure whatever lies ahead."

- Mella Jessa Myloe Broqueza, 21 years old, from Camarines Sur
Graduated with Honors from UP Baguio
Philam Life Policyholder

I thought I had been through enough in my young life. Even with scholarships and my unfailing efforts to maintain them, I still had to sacrifice a lot. I had to endure not seeing my family for months at a time since we needed to save the money I would use as fare to travel from Baguio to my hometown in Bicol. We weren’t rich. We barely had enough to keep a roof over our heads, have clothes on our back, serve food on our table, and pay the tuition for my secondary education. Had it not been for my scholarships, I would have probably tended to the needs of my younger siblings and just helped manage the household instead of pursuing my studies to get to where I am now – a graduate with Honors from the University of the Philippines, Baguio.

Upon my graduation, I did not harbor any delusions of grandeur. I was not fazed by what I had already accomplished. Despite my achievements, I still felt lost in the middle of nowhere with no place to go, no life to live, and nothing to believe in. I was anxious.

A few weeks before my graduation ceremony, my father sat me down and had a chat with me. What he told me would stay in my heart forever. He said, “I want you to have a life better than I can give you. Life is not as easy as it seems; life will be difficult even to the strong. You have to be prepared; think five steps ahead.”

I thought that was the end of our discussion until he handed me a folder. Inside was a gift. It was not a shiny car, a sparkling diamond ring or a fancy heirloom. It was the contract he availed from Philam Life as my own life insurance policy and my signature was the only thing missing to secure my future. I was truly overwhelmed.

Handing me a Philam Life plan at this age meant handing me hope and opportunity to realize my dreams. Despite the current global economic crisis, I have an insurance plan that would assure me of my future and would not let my passion and dreams go in vain. I have the shield and the armor to prepare me for what lies ahead.

My father showed me that the measure of the greatness of a gift does not come in its material form – be it a plain shirt or a car. The greatness of a gift is measured by the love and security that comes with it. His gift’s greatness is immeasurable.

I received a gift like nothing else – a gift of security. This is the gift which is the key to my aspirations, hopes and dreams.

In a life of everyday struggle, security is what we truly need. And that is what Philam Life is all about.