September 17, 2026
To a lighter path ahead
By Thania Florendo
As any responsible guardian would, 74-year-old Salve Bustamante noticed her granddaughter’s secretive behavior was cause for concern.
Whenever Jahreez Octaviano, 20, said she was going out to process an application, Bustamante wondered if she had gotten herself involved in something suspicious–-a scam, or perhaps a modus operandi.
A second-year Bachelor of Public Administration student majoring in Fiscal Administration at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), she had been doing everything she could to stay in school despite her family’s limited means.
Life in their family has been really hard. Octaviano stays with her grandparents in Galas, Quezon City, for her studies, instead of returning home to her parents in Bulacan. The shorter commute saves her money, while staying with her grandparents allows her to help the elders.
There are six people in the household. Her grandfather, even at 76, continues doing manual construction work to keep the family afloat. Every morning, Octaviano would watch her grandfather leave for work at 6 am, despite his own health struggles.
“Doing construction work at such an age is a plight I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” she said.
While her parents do their best to provide for their three children, making ends meet is a constant challenge. Her mother is a housewife, while her father works as a warehouseman. From their modest income, they try to send Octaviano ₱1,200 a month—about ₱300 a week—for food, transportation, and school expenses. Even then, the amount is barely enough to cover everything she needs.
“I don’t spend money or allowance on food or, as much as possible, transportation because I have to save it for school expenses, group projects, or anything we need to contribute to,” she said.
To make her allowance last, Octaviano walks to school for about 35 minutes each way. She does it despite having asthma, braving any weather just to go to school. And on hard days, even food becomes a luxury she struggles to afford. “It's embarrassing to admit but I would ask my friends for food and they would give me, or I eat a lot at home before going to school.”
During summer, the heat index could be unforgiving in Metro Manila and could go as high as 45°C, yet she would still walk to school. During those hard times, she found herself reflecting on how much life could have been easier if she had more resources.
But for someone who had experienced so much, it did not discourage her. She kept looking for a way forward, and she came across the Tzu Chi Educational Assistance Program through the PUP scholarship page.
She applied and waited, holding on to the belief that something good might come of it. While Octaviano was quietly pursuing a way to keep herself at school, her grandmother confronted her about what she was applying for.
She had no choice but to finally tell her grandmother that she was applying for a Tzu Chi scholarship. Upon learning the truth, Bustamante could not contain her happiness because the name Tzu Chi was already familiar to her. After all, the foundation had once helped restore her sight.
Bustamante had been blind for six years because of cataracts. In December 2025, she and her husband learned from a friend about Tzu Chi’s free medical services. They had only enough money for transportation, but Tzu Chi provided her with free cataract surgery.
Now, months later, she was once again walking in Tzu Chi—this time accompanying her granddaughter to the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus for the scholar’s panel interview.
On September 10, Octaviano was on her way to school when the email finally arrived. She stopped walking for a moment, read it again, and let the news sink in. She had been accepted as a Tzu Chi scholar.
Her grandmother was proud—not only because she had received financial support, but because she knew exactly how hard her granddaughter had worked to reach that moment. And learning what Tzu Chi would provide made Octaviano feel even more determined to do well.
“The scholarship boosted my morale as a student,” Octaviano said. “Especially now that I am in my second year, where I have a lot of major subjects and need books to study and excel.”
When Octaviano and her grandmother finally made their way to the scholarship orientation, their earlier worries had given way to joyful laughter. Walking side by side, Bustamante reminded her granddaughter to see the opportunity as God’s will, to remain humble and, one day, return the kindness she had received by helping others.
“We laughed at each other while on the way here. We couldn’t contain our happiness,” Octaviano shared.
The road ahead is still long, but for the newly awarded scholar, it no longer feels like one she has to walk alone. Tzu Chi’s scholarship gives her not only the resources to keep pursuing the future she has worked hard for, but also a renewed reason to keep moving forward. On September 13, Octaviano joined 143 scholars from the National Capital Region in receiving the Tzu Chi scholarship
During the scholars’ panel interview on August 29, Salve Bustamante (center) accompanied her granddaughter, Jahreez Octaviano (right), at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Jahreez Octaviano recently learned that her grandmother was a beneficiary of Tzu Chi for her eye surgery in 2025. She shared that she was hopeful about what the foundation can provide in her case.
Even with the bad and unforgiving weather, hundreds of scholars attended Tzu Chi’s panel interview on August 30.
During the new scholars’ orientation on September 12, Jahreez Octaviano (first row, second from right) shared that she is most excited about gaining new friends, and she had already befriended some from PUP.
Salve Bustamante (in denim jacket) listens attentively to the terms of the scholarship contract with Tzu Chi.
Newly awarded Tzu Chi scholar Jahreez Octaviano leaves a heartfelt message for the foundation. “To Tzu Chi, thank you to all the donors, volunteers, and staff that have made this foundation from the very start.”
As a newly awarded Tzu Chi scholar, Jahreez Octaviano shares her commitment to the foundation. “I can commit to Tzu Chi through my volunteerism, especially with community service, sharing knowledge, and embodying the values during Humanities classes.”
Tzu Chi scholar Jahreez Octaviano receives her scholar ID given by Head Volunteer for Tzu Chi’s Educational and Medical Assistance Program Rosa So, Tzu Chi volunteer Rudy Ong, and Tzu Chi Charity Run sponsor Lyn Gaw (in yellow).
The new batch of the Tzu Chi Educational Assistance Program was awarded on September 13, 2026, at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila.