Since her photo went viral online, beautiful teenager “Badjao Girl,” or Rita Gabiola, captured the hearts of netizens everywhere.
Thanks to her new-found fame, she is now several steps towards fulfilling her dreams.
The second among six siblings, 13-year-old Rita said her father is a fisherman and her mother is a housewife. She was later interviewed by ABS-CBN’s Rated K program and she said her family traveled to stay in Lucena all the way from Zamboanga. She was seen and photographed by photographer Topher Burgos during Lucena’s Pahiyas Festival.
Danny, her father, said he does his best to work hard so he can continue attending school.
“Ang pangarap ko talaga kay Rita, itaguyod ko ‘yan, kahit sa isang beses isang araw kami kumain. Kahit walang baon, papasok ka na lang, basta ang pangarap ko sa ‘yo, patapusin kita,” he said.
(“My dream for Rita is really to work hard for her, even if we just eat once a day. Even if she doesn’t have money, I want her to go to school. My dream for her is to finish her studies.”)
Rated K and Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation gave Rita a scholarship to help her in her goal of becoming a teacher. Along with that, Lucena city government also pledged they will help her family with a job.
As another treat for Rita, she was given a free professional photo shoot to showcase her natural beauty. She looked like a supermodel in the images and, once again, netizens couldn’t help but admire her innate attractiveness. Her photos were taken by photographers Stephen Capuchino and Wilmark Jolidon.
Rita, of course, is overwhelmed by all the love and attention she is getting. Most of all, she is filled with gratitude that she’ll be able to pursue her studies and reach her dreams of working as a teacher someday.
via : abscbn