LINGAYEN – A soft-spoken Jamile Ann Aggabao joined the prestigious province-wide search for Limgas na Dayat (Maiden of the Sea) beauty pageant in the hope of bringing home the cash prize for the medical treatment of her father who has been suffering abdominal pains for the past four years.

On April 30, she tearfully accepted the crown and scepter that hailed her as this year’s Limgas na Dayat, besting 14 other candidates.  

Jamile, 20, of Sta. Maria town and a senior nursing student at the St. Louis University in Baguio City, was crying during an interview by the local media the other day when asked about her father’s condition. She said it always pains her to see her father, Hejesipo Omar Aggabao, 47, suffer.

She said the P74,000 cash prize she won will be used primarily for her father’s medical expenses, and she wants her parents to make the trip to Hong Kong prize instead of her. As Limgas, she is entitled to a Hong Kong trip for two for 3 days.

She recounted that last September, the doctor said her father had to undergo CT Scan. But they didn’t have the needed P8,000 to have it done, so they simply went home with only the doctor’s prescription for a pain reliever for her dad.

Worse, it was then enrollment time for the second semester, and she felt guilty that she had to use part of her father’s savings to support her studies. She promised him that she would someday repay the sacrifice her father had to do for her.

“Yong pera na yon dapat sana sa kanya gagamitin (He was supposed to use that money),” a crying Aggabao said. She said she prayed hard that God would help her repay her father’s sacrifice.

       She said her conscience also constantly bothered her because as she finds herself helping other patients in the hospital as a nursing student yet she felt helpless in her father’s case.

 Jamille, the third of 11 children, is lucky to avail herself of a scholarship grant under the auspices of sixth district Rep. Conrad Estrella.

“If only I had a microphone at the time I was being crowned, I would have said,” To God be the glory. All of us deserved to win. The Lord knows whom to give. My prayers were answered,” a crying Aggabao said.

Her father was crying too the moment he learned of his daughter’s victory.

Aggabao had been earlier crowned as Miss Rosales in 2004, Miss Sta. Maria 2005 and first runner-up in Miss Tourism Baguio in 2005.

Her mother, Imelda, also crying during the interview, said they were the only ones who had to travel by passenger bus during the pageant while the rest of the candidates had their own cars.

She thanked the Sta. Maria local government for sparing them P2,000 allowance to cover their transportation expenses for the pageant’s duration. 

She also brought a streamer that read ” Jamille, trust God. Kaya mo ‘yan. Bring home the bacon for Sta. Maria”.

But Jamille’s problems are not over. She has to convince her school to allow her to make up for her week-long absences in her summer classes on account of the pageant.

For every one day of absence, she has to render four days make up with eight hours each day.

“I just wanted to help my father,” Jamille said. — EVA

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