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By Kim Arveen Patria | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom – 14 hours ago



Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom - Kevin Villanueva, 21, visits his parents' grave on his graduation day. He posted this photo on Facebook, receiving overwhelming reaction from netizens. (Photo from Villanueva's Facebook page)


When a young man posted a graduation photo taken by his parents' grave on Facebook, he only hoped to show the world how much he loved his late father and mother.

The photo, which showed Kevin Villanueva, 21, wearing a toga, was captioned: "Akala nyu kayo lang ang may picture kasama parents nyu ha (So you think you're the only ones with graduation photos with your parents?)"

"pero ma pa this is for the both of you i hope that you are proud of me ," the caption further read.



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Villanueva was 10 years old when he lost his mother, who took her own life after a series of nervous breakdowns.

His father died due to cardiac arrest in 2009, when Villanueva was an information technology freshman in Colegio San Juan de Letran Manila.

"At first it was hard. But as the days passed, I stopped thinking of it as a sad thing," Villanueva told Yahoo! Southeast Asia.

"Instead of thinking of my situation as a burden, I considered it as an inspiration to strive harder," he added.

Villanueva, who said he thought he would have to quit school to work after his dad died, said he owes much to his maternal aunts who supported his studies.

During his first year in college, Villanueva lived with his aunt in Pasig. He transferred to a dormitory near his school on his second year, however.

"The pension I got from my dad paid for the dorm fees, and I lived off the P600 a week I earned while working at my aunt's dance studio in Shangri-La," Villanueva said.

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With a college degree under his belt, Villanueva is determined to move forward and is in fact excited to try "adventurous jobs that are surely out there."

He said he may pursue a career in IT but is also looking inclined to try his luck as an events host, a radio DJ or a music channel VJ.

Villanueva also hinted at giving a singing a shot, even as he remembered how his mother died while he was performing a song at a school program.

"The night before she died, I asked her what song I should sing in school. I don't remember the lyrics but she sang it to me; that was my best memory of her," Villanueva said.

He held on to such memories and resolved to see a better future, Villanueva said, adding that so should other Pinoys in similar situations.

"They should not think that they don't have money and instead build determination to not stay where they are right now," Villanueva said.

"They should not lose hope because, however cliche it may sound, everything happens for a reason," he added.

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