Couple Ricky Jay Javate and Sharmaine Mamaril had netizens saying "Sana all" when they posted photos of their newly built, two-story home in Pangasinan.
Built in just three years, the 100-square-meter property is the result of their hard work and sacrifice as factory workers in Taiwan.
The journey to its completion was far from being quick and easy. "Pero dahil sa team work at diskarte sa buhay, natupad din sa wakas," said Ricky Jay.
In his post uploaded on December 29, 2019, Ricky Jay, or "RJ" to his friends, narrated how he and fiancé Sharmaine turned their dream "from paper to concrete."
His five-step action plan consisted of (1) knowing your goals, (2) planning and budgeting, (3) being consistent, (4) saying "no" to excuses, and (5) lifting your plans to God.
RJ detailed their story in an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) on January 8, 2020 via Facebook Messenger.
"Ako po iyong unang nakaisip bumili ng lupa," he recalled.
"Wala po kasi kaming sariling bahay nung bata ako.
"Palipat-lipat kami ng bahay."
Although RJ was just 21 years old and Sharmaine was 23 when RJ's uncle recommended buying the lot, Sharmaine said "yes" to her boyfriend's decision without hesitation.
RJ AND SHARMAINE CONCRETIZE THEIR DREAM
RJ and Sharmaine needed PHP450,000 to gain full ownership of the lot.
In order to pay for it while providing financial support to their own families, RJ and Sharmaine decided to find a higher paying job abroad.
"Hindi po kasi sapat iyong kinikita namin sa Manila, kaya naisipan namin na mangibang bansa," RJ told PEP.ph.
So, RJ flew to Taiwan to work as a factory worker, and Sharmaine followed soon afterwards.
"Sa totoo lang natatakot ako noon. Hindi ko pa alam kung ano magiging buhay namin sa abroad. Walang-wala kaming clue," he recalled.
"Naisipan ni Sharmaine na sumunod sa Taiwan para mas lumaki income namin monthly at para mas mapabilis ang aming pag-iipon."
With their eyes on the goal, RJ and Sharmaine worked tirelessly and saved money by sacrificing on their dates.
In two years' time, the couple was able to settle their payment.
They went on to the next project in their pipeline—their dream house.
RJ continued, "After po namin mabayaran iyong lupa, wala kaming sinayang na panahon.
"Plinano agad namin magpatayo ng bahay."
Because both of them were still working in Taiwan, RJ and Sharmaine asked their parents to help them with the groundwork in the Philippines.
He recounted, "Nagpatulong po kami sa mga magulang ko humanap ng engineer at ang asikasuhin lahat ng papeles na kailangan.
"Pinagawa din po namin lahat ng plano na gusto namin sa dream house namin."
If RJ and Sharmaine had to save PHP450,000 for their lot, this time, the couple needed PHP500,000 for their house's downpayment.
They decided to pay this and the rest of the fees by installment of PHP100,000 monthly.
Then, RJ and Sharmaine split that amount between the two of them equally.
He detailed, "Napagplanuhan namin na PHP50,000 each ang kailangan namin i-target para ma-reach ang PHP100,000 na buwanan namin.
"Hinataw po namin sa overtime. Umaabot po kami sa 100 to 120 overtime hours kada buwan sa aming mga trabaho."
Despite working until the wee hours of the night, they still weren't earning enough to pay for both their amortization and daily needs.
They decided to set up an online store whose sales would fund their necessities.
Their salaries, on the other hand, would go to their PHP100,000 monthly amortization.
"Sinabayan namin ng online selling sa Facebook para ma-reach ang target namin na PHP100,000 a month.
"Ang income na nakukuha namin sa online business namin ay ginagamit na lang namin sa daily needs namin," RJ stated.
The couple remained motivated, thanks to the constant updates sent by their parents on the construction of their home.
On December 18, 2019, Sharmaine flew back home.
It was then that she saw for herself how their hard work paid off.
Their house was already fully constructed and painted, and almost all of its rooms were furnished.
They chose the color white "para elegant."
For the ground floor, RJ and Sharmaine used dark furniture that stood out against the all-white walls.
The couple had three rooms constructed on the second floor: one master's bedroom and two kids' rooms.
Because Sharmaine is five months pregnant with their baby, she and RJ painted one of the rooms blue "pag baby boy" and the other room pink "pag baby girl."
The bathroom was made contemporary using geometric and Mandela tiles complemented by black and white fixtures.
The balcony would be RJ's favorite place to chill.
"Taas paa, sit like a king, let's go!" he said in his caption.
RJ, SHARMAINE, AND THEIR PROMISING 2020
Now that the couple has accomplished their "relationship goal" of building their dream house, RJ and Sharmaine are looking forward to starting their own family this year.
"Plano po namin magpakasal pag-uwi ko at magpahinga muna ng sandali sa aming bahay," RJ declared.
Since Sharmaine is set to give birth in May, the couple is also planning to find better jobs that would finance their family's needs sufficiently.
"At para mas dumami rin ang aming working experience," he added.
No matter how far they'll go, RJ said he and Sharmaine will stay grounded by the lessons they learned from building their dream home:
"Natutunan po namin na walang impossible basta may pangarap ang isang tao.
"At kahit ano man ang hirap ng buhay at problema, kung determinado ka, lahat kakayanin basta mag tiwala sa Diyos."
Do you have an Extraordinary story? Drop a message here.
Do you love Pinoy showbiz? Do you live abroad? Join PEPsters Abroad Facebook Group, and let's get the conversation going!