Who says taking Accountancy is hard? What if life is actually harder than your course?
For John Paul “Dave” Omandac, life has always been his toughest teacher. Before he ever learned to balance ledgers, he first had to learn how to balance work, family, and survival. Now a Bank Teller at Security Bank Dasmariñas Branch, Dave once walked the same halls carrying not a calculator, but a broom.
Dave grew up in Mahayag, Bunawan, Davao City, the youngest of three children raised by a single mother. His father left when he was just nine months old, leaving his mother to raise the family alone. She sold rice cakes, washed clothes, and did every odd job she could to feed her children.
“Si Mama po ang inspirasyon ko. Kahit mahirap, hindi siya sumuko,” Dave shared, remembering the woman whose strength shaped his entire life.
But poverty was an obstacle that often seemed impossible to overcome. In his fourth year of high school, Dave had to stop studying because his mother could no longer afford his education. Still, he refused to let his circumstances dictate his future. With nothing but courage and hope, he left Davao for Manila, determined to find work and support his family.
He washed dishes in a small carinderia and worked as a factory laborer in Quezon City: long hours, little pay, but a heart full of dreams for his family. “Ang gusto ko lang noon, makatulong sa pamilya. Kahit pagod, tuloy lang,” he recalled.
In 2016, life gave him a small opening. Dave was hired as a custodian assigned to Security Bank Dasmariñas Branch. For nine years, Dave swept floors, cleaned offices, and quietly observed the world of banking around him. He admired the people behind the counters, the same people he will someday join. He just did not know it yet.
His chance came in 2022 when the bank’s business manager, Jonald Bautista, told him about the Regalo Mo, Kinabukasan Ko (RMKK) Scholarship Program of Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI), a scholarship for agency personnel and their children. Dave took a leap of faith and applied. He was accepted. From that moment, his life began to change.
Dave enrolled in the National College of Science and Technology in Dasmariñas, Cavite, taking up Accountancy, one of the toughest courses there is. By day, he worked as a custodian at the bank; by night, he was a college student trying to stay awake through accounting equations. At home, he was a father to his five-year-old daughter and a son to his mother. “Tuwing uuwi ako galing trabaho o school, makikita ko ‘yung anak ko—doon ako kumukuha ng lakas, pati na kay mama. Sila ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ako tumigil,” he said, his voice trembling.
It was never easy. He juggled deadlines, shifts, and sleepless nights. But the SBFI gave him one less thing to worry about. “Wala po akong binayaran kahit piso simula nung nakapasok ako sa scholarship. Laking tulong po talaga, hindi lang sa akin, kundi sa pamilya ko,” he shared.
After four years of determination, Dave graduated in June 2025 at age 31. A few months later, in October 2025, life came full circle. The custodian who once swept the bank’s floors returned as a Bank Teller at the same branch. “Matagal ko na pong pinangarap maging empleyado ng Security Bank. Na-inspire ako sa mga boss ko. Dahil sa Security Bank Foundation, natupad ang pangarap kong ito,” he said.
For Dave, the Security Bank Foundation was not just a sponsor, it was a bridge to a new beginning. “Dahil sa Security Bank Foundation, natutunan kong ang kahirapan ay hindi hadlang kung may tiyaga, dasal, at puso,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes.
Today, Dave stands proudly behind the teller counter, serving customers with the same hands that once scrubbed the floors. But this time, those hands tell a different story, one of transformation, hope, and faith.
Because in the end, Dave’s story reminds us all that success is not about how fast you get there, but how far you are willing to go despite the odds.
And maybe, just maybe, life is harder than Accountancy, but for those who keep the faith, both can lead to a beautiful balance.
#BetterBankingIsSustainable #SecurityBankFoundation