I just wanted to thank you...

My thesis is finished and I could never have done it without these people. I just wanted to express my gratitude. so, I'm posting my acknowledgement here.

My thesis has been a challenge for me. From the day I started my proposal to the revision of my topic, I have encountered not only external obstacles but internal obstructions as well. I have been on the verge of giving up and letting go but there were always people pushing me forward. For these people, I am greatly indebted.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude as personally as possible in this blog. My study, very stiff, impersonal, detached and strictly technical as it is, I was not given the opportunity to really express myself.

To my Mama and Pops, you have been with me through and through. I have been a disappointment at times but you were always there when I needed you most. You became my way and my light. Now that I am one step closer to the end of this chapter of my life, I begin to appreciate it. And without you, I would have been washed out by the current a long time ago.

To my thesis adviser, Ms. Hazel Yater. Thank you for your unwavering support through my four years in college. You believed in my potential and you have encouraged me to become better. You have taught me more than economics and its endless theories. Your instructions extended further than the four walls that bind a student to his classroom. Thank you Ninang. Your lessons are far more valuable gifts than caps and mugs.

To my teacher, Ms. Chari Felix. I will never forget the compassion you have shown our class. We have brought you nothing but atrocities in the classroom but still you showed poise and taught us how to act like ladies and gentlemen. You have been like a mother to us all.

To Ms. Bernadette Gavino-Gumba. Thank you for many times you’ve made my classes educational and vivacious at the same time. Thank you for your support during my thesis, my academic problems, and for accepting to tutor me even when it was out of your way. And thank you for the pen. I have treated it like my sword.

To my friend Niño and Jan Jan who have helped me in every possible way they can – from finding my respondents, to finding me a date, to coffee and nicotine filled jamming sessions, and conversations. Thank you. You are the brothers I never had.

To Ms. Marga Lapid who has been a mysterious light. You have revived in me something which died during my 2^nd year in college. You have brought back my edge. Thank you for the ideas and for letting me stick around when you knew nothing about me.

To my respondents who have shown their support by sharing their time for interviews. Thank you for your willingness, candidness, and trust.

Thank you to all of the people who helped me. This is my triumph and I would like to share it with you.