Back to Her Loots

CEO and OFW advocate Krizzia Ann Loyang Tanabe goes full circle as she helps pave the way towards the new normal

- MAAN D'ASIS PAMARAN

GREEN WITH ENERGY

Growing her roots towards a majestic tree of success and empowerment

Velvet turtleneck and skirt by BY DAQUILANG

The road to empowerment and success goes back to one's own roots. Despite all her success and achievements, Krizzia Ann Loyang Tanabe never loses sight of her humble beginnings. In fact, she uses the experience and the precious learnings she picked up, to help steer, not only her future, but that of her nation's.

Born in Barangay Geratag in San Jose, Northern Samar, Krizzia was left in the care of her grandparents while her mother worked overseas. Life was difficult in their province, with Krizzia's grandfather eking out a living by farming copra, earning around twenty pesos a day—far from what the little family needed. This taught Krizzia the importance of shared responsibilities and family at a young age. Clad in slippers, the young girl would help her grandmother augment their father's meager earnings by selling snacks and cigarettes out in the fields, all while studying in her barangay's public school. Despite their best efforts, their daily meals often consisted of dried fish and instant noodles.

But Krizzia didn't let her circumstances deter her from dreaming big and working hard. “Those difficulties inspired me to change my circumstances. I studied very hard in school; every recognition day, my grandmother, whom I called Inay, would dress up and proudly go up the stage to pin my medals,” Krizzia recalls. "I loved seeing that gleam of pride in her eyes,” she adds lovingly.

Unfortunately, Krizzia encountered obstacle after high school. “My grandparents told me that they could not afford to send me to college. I did not want to stop because I had such big dreams, one of which was to help my family out of poverty.”

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