KENNETH PORIO | the blog

  There are years that quietly pass, marked only by birthdays, calendars, and routine. Then there are years that reshape the way we see ourselves. As I celebrate my 35th birthday, I find myself looking back on a season that I can only describe as the year of rebuilding with integrity . It was a year that asked difficult questions, tested deeply held values, and reminded me that rebuilding a life is rarely dramatic. More often, it happens one ordinary day at a time, through small decisions to keep moving forward. Not too long ago, I stood on the shores of Bulabog Beach in Boracay before sunrise. The beach was calm, the sky slowly changing from darkness into light. As I watched the sun rise over the horizon, I realized how fitting that moment was for the season I had been living through. Sunrises do not erase the darkness that came before them; they simply remind us that darkness never has the final word. Looking back now, that morning became an unexpected symbol of hope—a reminder t...

Hi, everyone! I’ve been back in Davao since the end of December 2025, after living in Cebu for about 4 years. The past four months have been difficult. I resigned from being a teacher in UP Cebu late last year. I was so difficult to sink in, even today, that I made that decision. Bad experiences, bad decisions, and bad relationships here and there led up to that conclusion that this teaching career was not for me. I was diagnosed last year with mental health issues, which was alongside my diagnosis of type-2 diabetes and hypertension since 2023. Today, I have been regularly on a cocktail of medications that I take every single day. With that, along with the costs of migrating back home, having to spend for medicines totally drained my savings. Yes, while I'm not deep in debt, I am literally broke. I’ve been looking for work, trying to figure things out, and dealing with a lot of uncertainty. I did land a role with a startup, and I’m grateful for that, but I’m also thinking seriousl...