𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐍𝐈 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇 l 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗣𝗔-𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘: 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗧𝗬 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗦’ 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛

Life, indeed, has its own silent way of shaping people. Some lives follow paths already drawn, while others are formed through unexpected turns and hardship. And if destiny could hide itself inside accidents, then perhaps, one accidental choice could change an entire life. 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝘆. 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗳é 𝗣𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗰, 𝗖𝗣𝗔, 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 (𝗖𝗢𝗔), 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗼. Before the titles ever stood beside his name, before the recognitions, awards, and applause inside grand halls, he was once a young boy from a poverty-laden home struggling to afford meals while studying accountancy at the University of Mindanao─a path he described as an “accident”, one shaped by his bookkeeping preparation in high school that unexpectedly led him toward the profession. Yet despite the hardships, he carried within him a determination and a character─one that poverty could not easily break. “𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽?” He shared, adding that his experience became a personal goal—to rise above financial hardship and not be defined by it in the future. Inside the classrooms of the University of Mindanao, where fluorescent lights flickered over sleepless students and problem-filled accounting notebooks, Atty. Pondoc became an academic scholar at UM in 1984. “𝗨𝗠’𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆,” he said. As a scholar, there was no room for complacency. Maintaining grades meant protecting the future he was trying to build. “𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻,” he reflected. Years had passed, and the struggling scholar slowly transformed into a man of many titles. 𝗔 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗺 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲. 𝗔 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁. 𝗔 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿. 𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿. 𝗔 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁. For twenty-two years, he devoted his life to teaching at UM, shaping young minds and deepening their understanding of education as a vital tool for national development. Eventually, his journey led him to public service. From serving as Legal Officer of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), he later became the only Dabawenyo appointed as Commissioner of the Commission on Audit (COA) in 2018, serving the nation for seven years until his retirement in 2025. In time, his dedication to the profession led him to become National President of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) in the year 2024-2025, where he championed the principle “Values Above all,” believing that brilliance in accounting means nothing without integrity. And just recently, his commitment to the institution that helped shape his career has remained steadfast. He was elected as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Mindanao, a role he accepted with great pride and honor, bringing his decades of experience in education and public service back to his alma mater. Still, despite the countless achievements and recognitions he earned throughout the years, Atty. Pondoc remained grounded on the same principles that once guided the poor scholar he used to be. “𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿,” he said. As quoted in The Alchemist, Atty. Pondoc’s journey stands as a living reminder that “𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁.”In his own path, persistence and character became the forces that turned hardship into purpose. Atty. Pondoc’s story reflects the ideals of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. His journey demonstrates how access to education can empower individuals to overcome poverty, transform their circumstances, and contribute meaningfully to society. Through his years as an educator, public servant, and leader in the accounting profession, he exemplified integrity, accountability, and ethical leadership—values essential in building strong institutions and fostering sustainable development. His life serves as an inspiration to future generations that true success is measured not only by achievements but by the character and service one offers to others. ✍️ Jellian Badilles 💻 Irah Alexa Omboy