Jericho Rosales opens up about growing up poor: 'I didn't have the ideal life situation, but I had a dream'

Jericho Rosales was not always the dashing star who's living a life normal people could only dream about. At some point, he was just a kid who grew up in poverty.

The actor opened up about his difficult childhood and how he dreamed of making it big to lift his family out of their less-than-ideal situation.

"I came from a poor family, went to 6 public schools in elementary and high school. Didn’t go to college because i didn’t know what career meant and we simply could not afford it," he said in a lengthy Facebook post.

Without a hint of shame, Jericho opened up about what he resorted to doing as a young boy to earn some money.

"When i was young i collected discarded wires and old newspapers to be sold in junk shops in exchange for money and sometimes cheap cheese curls," he said.

"I collected plastic trash from a dumpsite with my cousin, I sold ice buko (frozen coconut water with milk and sugar) , sold fish in the market, became a jeepney 'barker,' a pizza boy and a driver," he added.

He admitted he did not have the ideal life situation, "but I had a dream - to get myself and my family out of poverty and have our own house."

He said this dream, his faith in God and eagerness to learn are what kept him moving.

Jericho did not let his limited access to resources box him in.

He said he learned to speak English by watching television and movies.

"Forcing myself to read and talking to people gave me wonderful ideas and opened my eyes to new possibilities with a clearer vision for my life," he added.

Jericho had written the post to encourage others to keep working towards their dreams even though "our tomorrows are filled with questions and cares" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He wrote, "(I) think a lot of us have stopped dreaming and reaching our goals because of the negative factors around us- poverty, lack of support and the additional uncertainty we get from this pandemic. Or at least we deeply questioned them. Our tomorrows are filled with questions and cares. It is natural for us to think that way. We all are going through this and it is very hard."

But he reminded people that "what we have in our hands is now."

"It can change your tomorrows. Shaping it starts the moment you tell yourself 'this is my tomorrow'," he said.

"So keep dreaming, keep hoping and keep moving. You are made to be something and a someone for another. I wish all of us a bright future and i’ll do my part to make that happen," he added. "Di mo kailangan ng tsinelas sa dagat ng pangarap."

—Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/JCB, GMA News