Kuwento ng inspirasyon ang buhay ng former seminarian na si Chris Estrella, 43, na ngayon ay isang realtor sa Canada.
Siya rin ay nagmamay-ari ng 16 houses doon.
At bago magtapos ang taong ito, plano ni Chris at ng misis niya na makabili ng walo hanggang sampu pang bahay at apartments, ulat ng OMNI Television noong Mayo 2025.
Nakaahon siya mula sa kahirapan at may magandang buhay ngayon sa Calgary kasama ang pamilya.
Subalit hindi naging madali ang journey ni Chris.
Bago nakamit ang tagumpay, naranasan niyang maging tagalinis at tagapintura ng bahay, pati na rin magkarpintero.
Dumating din sa puntong kinuwestiyon niya kung tama ba ang desisyong lisanin ang mas kumportableng buhay sa Pilipinas at mag-abroad.
Subalit ang pinagsamang sipag, tiyaga, at pananampalataya ang naging daan para magbago ang kanyang kapalaran.
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FROM SEMINARIAN TO A TEACHER
Pero bago ang lahat, ang maging pari ang una niya niyang pangarap.
“I thought it was my childhood dream since my parents were very active servants of the church also.
"My lola was a mongha. My dad was a former seminarian, too,” e-mail niya sa PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) bago natapos ang June 2025.
Walong taon siya sa Immaculate Conception Seminary sa Guiguinto, Bulacan para sa high school at college education.
Pagkatapos, dalawang taon siya sa Jesuit Pre-novitiate, ang unang hakbang at paghahanda bago ang ordination o brotherly service sa Society of Jesus.
Kasunod nito, namuhay muna sa labas si Chris.
Binigyan siya ng Jesuits ng dalawang taon para i-assess ang sarili kung itutuloy ang planong pagpapari.
Lumampas siya sa palugit.
Nagturo si Chris sa Miriam College, Quezon City.
Sabi niya sa PEP: “I taught for 5 years in Miriam the following courses: Old Testament and New Testament. I was a religion teacher.
“I enjoyed creatively teaching my high school students. I would wear costumes and prepare jokes, too!
"We had fun classes and meaningful prayer sessions then.”
Dito niya rin nakilala ang kapwa teacher na si Alice, na kalaunan ay naging kabiyak niya.
Chris, together with his wife Alice and their two kids, flew to Canada in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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FROM PHILIPPINES TO CANADA
Sa Pilipinas, nagtayo ng mga negosyo ang mag-asawa.
Sabi ni Chris: “We dabbled in a lot of enterprises. We had a direct selling company, had rentals, had water stations, ice-cream kiosks, and vitamin clinics.”
Pero tumama ang pandemya noong 2020, at naapektuhan ang mga ventures nila.
Dahil walang kasiguraduhan sa mga pangyayari, nagdesisyon ang mag-asawa na umalis ng bansa.
“We went to Canada in 2021 for the sake of our children. Governance was volatile, especially during the pandemic.
“It was like we were building on sandy soil. We were thinking of our children and their future. We wanted to give our kids more options to build their dreams.”
Ang pagpunta nila sa Canada ay bagong simula para sa pamilya.
At para ma-afford ang pangangailangan nila, kung anu-anong trabaho ang pinasok si Chris.
“My wife was an international student, and I was on work permit. I was taking care of the family and doing odd jobs,” lahad ni Chris.
“I did work as an aircon cleaner, and I was always covered by the dust from the hotel aircons we were cleaning and checking.
“I did assist as a trades person. I was painting houses and doing some home repairs.”
Pag-amin niya, “But I wasn’t good at these since I did not study these in the seminary.”
Pagbabalik-tanaw niya, “It was a tough beginning. We were wondering if we did the right choice to leave home and begin anew here.”
VENTURING INTO REAL ESTATE
Kalaunan, nakakuha ng permanent residency sina Chris.
Kaakibat nito ang marami niyang karanasan bilang isang migrant.
“We stayed in Toronto for 2 years and our lessons were deep. We saw that it was very difficult to buy a home in a matured market.
“We also discovered that if we are able to acquire properties while the market is still going up, the potential is limitless.
“We moved to Calgary to buy a small home so that we will not rent anymore.”
Naisipan din ng mag-asawa na pasukin ang real estate kaya pinag-aralan nila itong mabuti.
Sabi ni Chris: “We saw the power of real estate and that Calgary is the next booming market. We embraced it.
“I studied again and wrote my licensing tests.
"My wife burnt the midnight oil too to prepare for her tests as a mortgage broker.”
Malaki raw ang naitulong ng karanasan nila bilang mga negosyante.
Sabi niya: “I think the entrepreneurial lessons we learned in the Philippines prepared us well.
"Our scars and our victories prepared us to grab the opportunities here in Canada.”
Binalikan din ni Chris ang mga pinagdaanan nila noong bumagsak ang mga negosyo sa Pilipinas.
Aniya: “When our company hit rock bottom (back when we were in the Philippines), my wife went into depression trying to keep us afloat.”
Lahat daw ng mga pagsubok na ito ay nagpatibay sa kanilang mag-asawa.
“God prepared us well so that we may grab the blessings of abundance here in Calgary,” paliwanag ni Chris.
Taong 2024 naman noong naging top rookie, at nitong May 2025 ay nanguna siya bilang realtor sa kinabibilangang real-estate company.
Sa mga nabili nilang properties, sinabi ni Chris sa isang separate interview, na isa sa mga plano nilang mag-asawa ay makatulong sa mga kapwa Pilipino sa Canada na gustong magkabahay.
Inusisa ng PEP si Chris kung ano ang formula para magtagumpay sa buhay.
“Pray hard and work hard,” aniya.
May mensahe rin siyang nais ibahagi sa mga kapwa OFWs: "Just keep punching. Blessings come to those who persist and who put their faith in God.”