ALBAY, Philippines – What started as a simple, lighthearted exchange of misspelled messages between a nanny and her employer became an unexpected social media hit in Bicol.
The Facebook sensation “YayaSerye” was born out of humor, but beneath the surface, it mirrors the reality about the daily struggles of young Bicolanos forced to choose survival over education.
Nineteen-year-old Ka Alcaba, better known as “Yaya” to her growing online audience, works as a nanny in Legazpi City. Her banter with employer Djai Tanji, filled with unintentional but amusing spelling errors, has entertained thousands.
Beyond the viral posts and digital applause, her story is one of sacrifice, one where family responsibilities eclipsed her chance at finishing school and experiencing a carefree youth.
“From a young age, I cared for my younger siblings,” she shared shyly in Bicolano. “Life was simpler then, but I knew helping my family had to come before my education.”
Growing up with her nine siblings in the remote rural community of Tigaon, Camarines Sur, her father, who had been partially blind since their childhood, needed help to provide for their daily needs. By 13, she knew she had to step up and sacrifice her high school education to ensure their survival.
“My father was kind, but with his condition, he could only work limited jobs, and the needs of our household were piling up. So instead of continuing high school, I started working as a nanny to help my father sustain the daily needs of my younger siblings,” she said.
At a young age, she witnessed how two of her siblings passed away because of their condition and the lack of accessible basic social services in their village. According to her, life was hard and education was a prime luxury she willingly abandoned to respond to her family’s desperate circumstances
While her messages, with their humorous misspellings, have brought laughter to many, both Alcaba and Tanji emphasized that these were never contrived. They pointed out that these seemingly innocent errors reflect an alarming reality: the limited access to formal education faced by countless youths due to extreme poverty and the urgent need to support their families.
Education gap
Alcaba’s story is far from an isolated case. In 2020, Department of Education-Bicol Regional Director Gilbert Sadsad said over 76,000 students, from first grade to senior high school, were struggling with their literacy skills.
In a previous interview, Sadsad said, “Approximately 76,000 are struggling readers. Most divisions are launching responses to this challenge; each school is also implementing interventions to solve the problem.”
John Kelly Alpapara, the information officer of Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) and a former public school teacher in Camarines Sur, said that beyond the numbers, the region suffers from a gap in the education system, particularly affecting those from far-flung and rural communities like Alcaba’s hometown.
“Many colleagues express frustration with the reading abilities of their students, even those at the college level. Students in rural and far-flung areas are likely behind the educational standards set by the Department of Education. This is primarily because they do not receive the same learning opportunities as those in more progressive areas, such as cities,” Alpapara said.
He added that if all struggling areas received equal support, the hope of producing adequately literate students would be more attainable.
Emmarie Bermas, Bicol University-Rise for Education convenor, said the education crisis continues to be experienced throughout the region, directly affecting teachers and students.
“The neglect in the education sector is not only reflected in the lack of material resources but also in the disregard for young people’s ability to analyze and think critically – skills built from literacy. This is not an isolated incident but part of the widespread examples of the significant gap in the education sector in Bicol,” said Bermas.
Young breadwinners
Like many young breadwinners, Alcaba, despite being unable to finish her studies, now works diligently to support her younger siblings in obtaining a formal education.
Her employer, Tanji, said that even now, the majority of Alcaba’s earnings are given to her elders and frail father and her younger siblings.
“Ka is a very kind and caring sister; she always ensures that whatever she has, she shares with her family. Her father is also very kind and soft-spoken, but due to his eye ailment, he cannot fully work to provide for them, especially with so many dependents,” Tanji said.
Danica de Jesus, spokesperson of the youth party-list group Kabataan in Bicol, said many young people in the region are compelled to work for their and their families’ survival.
She said the situation resulted in school dropouts despite the availability of free tuition at state universities and colleges, as well as in public elementary and high schools.
“Even though many schools are nominally free, the system remains commercialized, which means true access is still limited to a select few. Beyond campaigning for better and free education, there is a real need for strengthened reforms to make it more accessible to the poor, so that education can truly be distributed as an equal right for everyone,” De Jesus said.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported in 2023 that over 15.6% of Bicolano youth, aged five to 24, were not attending formal school due to poverty and the inaccessibility of school facilities and other learning resources.
Alpapara said, “Ultimately, it must be recognized that these educational issues persist because attempts by various administrations to alleviate them have been unsuccessful. If all struggling areas received equal support, the hope of producing adequately literate students would be more attainable.”
Support
Tanji said screenshots of the messages were shared with Alcaba’s permission and were not intended to mock or demean her. Instead, they are now maximizing the “YayaSerye” to support Alcaba’s family and fans.
“As the series gained traction on social media, we were able to launch campaigns to assist Ka’s family and her supporters,” Tanji said. “We raised funds for her father’s eye surgery, her sister-in-law’s medications after postpartum complications happened, and initial repairs on their storm-stricken home.
Alcaba expressed her primary goal: to continue building a proper home for her father and younger siblings. She thanked her supporters for their generosity.
“I am deeply grateful for the help and support I received, even from those who don’t know me personally,” she said. “I hope everyone continues to use social media to be kind and compassionate to others, especially to persons like me who often have misspellings in their messages.”
Tanji promised to support Alcaba, particularly for her future aspirations of returning to school.
According to Tanji, it is also her dream to see Alcaba finally return to school and put herself first for all the kindness she gave to her family and others. – Rappler.com