03/06/2026
Overcoming Heights: The story of Neslyne Tumaluian
(Former 4Ps Beneficiary | Graduate of Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Management)
Everyone is afraid of heights. But not for the reason you think
Everyone has a fear. For some, it's spiders lurking in the dark. For others, it's the silence of an empty room. But no matter who we are, there is one fear that unites us all – the fear of heights.
Every student dreams of soaring high. They reach for that one piece of paper – their diploma. The crowd cheers as they enter the venue, but behind those cheers lies a story far more deafening. A story of hunger, of mountains, and of a woman who refused to stay down – because someone was finally ready to catch her.
This is the story of Neslyne Tumaliuan from Pina Este, Gattaran, Cagayan.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦
Before she ever stepped into a school, Neslyne already knew the weight of survival. Her daily life revolved around the mountain – waking up before sunrise, climbing steep trails, and gathering rattan to sell at the market. Her hands, small but strong, were proof of a childhood that demanded too much, too soon.
But the rattan was never enough. Not enough to buy rice. Not enough to send her siblings to school. Not nearly enough to fill the hunger for success that burned quietly inside her.
"May mga time na gusto ko nang sumuko dahil sa hirap ng buhay – walang pera, walang makain," Neslyne recalled, her voice cracking. "Pero sa bawat gabing gusto kong bumitaw, may bumubulong sa'kin na 'kaya mo pa.'"
On some nights, dinner was a question without an answer. On others, hope felt like a luxury she couldn't afford. But she never stopped climbing – even when she had no idea who would catch her if she fell.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
Not every day was a bad day.
Her family qualified for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). At first, Neslyne didn't understand what it meant. But when the cash aid arrived – when her mother came home with rice and sardines without borrowing from neighbors – she realized something had shifted.
Someone was finally there to catch her.
"Malaking tulong po ang 4Ps," she said, her voice now steady. "Dati, ang bigat ng bawat araw. 'Yung perang natatanggap namin, parang tinanggal nito ang malaking bato sa dibdib namin."
The burden of buying school supplies, of walking miles just to save fare, of watching her parents choose between her future and their next meal – all of that slowly began to ease. 4Ps didn't just give her money. It gave her permission to dream again. It became the safety net she never had.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞
Years passed. The girl who once climbed mountains for rattan began climbing stairs toward classrooms. She studied when her body was tired. She read when the kerosene lamp ran out of fuel. She prayed when doubt tried to pull her back down.
And then it happened.
Neslyne Tumaliuan walked across the stage – not as a survivor of poverty, but as a graduate. A bachelor's degree holder. And most importantly, the first Agta from her community to ever graduate from the College of Human Kinetics.
The crowd cheered. Cameras flashed. But in that moment, Neslyne wasn't thinking about the noise. She was thinking about the mountain. About her parents. About every single night she almost gave up.
And she thought about the hands that caught her.
"Ang 4Ps ay hindi lang programa – ito ay pag-asa," she said firmly. "Dapat itong ipagpatuloy dahil may mga batang katulad ko noon na nasa bundok pa rin ngayon, nangangarap. Hindi pwedeng may maiwan."
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩
Neslyne Tumaliuan climbed the highest mountain of all – the mountain of doubt, of hunger, of fear. And she reached the top.
But she wants you to remember one thing:
We aren't afraid of heights because of how deep we're going to fall.
We're afraid of heights because we don't know who will catch us when we do.
(by: Eddieson Taguiam)
