Triple the honor for Zambo Sibugay identical triplets

MAGNAS ALL The Dangaton sisters during their proud moment onstage at Jose Rizal Memorial University on May 27. —Contributed photo

IPIL, ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines — They burst forth into the world together. And on May 27, triplets Lorie May, Eva May and Xennia May Dangaton received their college diplomas from the Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU) with magna cum laude honors.

The identical triplets, who earned degrees in business administration majoring in financial management, were the center of attention at Tuesday’s commencement ceremonies in Ipil.

READ: At 53, this mom of college-age triplets is #goals

Lorie May was given the Senator Manny Villar Excellence Award, while all three received service awards for their involvement in campus organizations. Each of them also received awards for academic excellence, best research paper and outstanding practicum student.

Tribute to teacher

In her speech, Lorie May recounted how they were pushed into the path of academic excellence by their teacher in Rizal’s Life Works and Writings and Philippine History, Moises Calabria.

“We were challenged by the unique teaching methods and became genuinely interested (in the subjects). Oral recitations pushed us to study hard. And we began to love learning,” said Lorie May, who was class salutatorian when they graduated from elementary school.

Later, in a social media post, Eva May and Xennia May paid tribute to Calabria: “Thank you, sir Moi!”

‘Moments like this remind us why we teach—to make a lasting impact. Thank you for the appreciation; it means more than words can express,” Calabria wrote in response.

Value of education

The triplets were raised by their parents Thomas and Lorie, in Mabini village, Titay town, in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Seeing their family’s dire financial situation, Lorie May said it was natural for them to grow up dreaming of being financially well-off.

“We just wanted to be rich. Maybe that desire is something we all had in common. Being rich is how we define success and a better future,” she explained.

She paid tribute to their parents’ sacrifices to put them through school.

To supplement Lorie’s earnings from a small “sari-sari” store in the village, Thomas had to work as a welder in Manila.

Lorie May described her father as someone “who held education in the highest regard.”

“He only wanted the best for us,” she said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the girls were still in senior high school, Thomas “was constantly thinking about how we could still receive quality learning despite the limitations.”

Their father, according to Lorie May, was apprehensive that the modular learning method “might hinder our (academic) growth.”

On Tuesday, Thomas took a break from work to celebrate the triplets’ success.

Interviewed by The State Collegian, the JRMSU-Tampilisan campus publication, Eva May described her two sisters as “competitors at the same time motivators.”

“When the two are winning, it also feels like I’m winning; we are each other’s cheerleaders,” Eva May said.

She added that since high school, her sisters have always been her main circle of friends: “I would not survive college without them. They’ve been part of my journey. Where I am today is also because of them.” /cb/abc