User talk:Pearljoyochavezdumag

Pearl Joy Ochavez Dumag (born April 2, 1991), is a Filipina international Christian author. She was born in the Philippines to an Ilongga mother and an Ilocano father. Dumag is best known for her books The Promise: Devotions for Persons With Disabilities and Their Carers, and Crazy Poor Christian: Encouraging People With Mental Illnesses in Poverty.

Career

Dumag started her first job in the BPO industry as a customer service representative for Office Depot with Sykes Asia in Quezon City at the age of 17 with parental consent. She followed the same job with Pacific Hub Ortigas for TM (Globe). In 2008, before she turned 18, after scoring higher on the technical part of the NCO Group’s recruitment team’s assessment tests, she was offered the position as a technical support representative for the gaming console XBOX.

In 2009, she worked with the car dealer Toyota Ortigas as a marketing professional.

In 2010, she worked with the luxury car dealer Jaguar Cars Philippines as a junior sales executive selling brand new Jaguar cars and cross selling Land Rover, Ferrari and Maserati.

In 2016, at the age of 25, she registered Maharlika Enterprises with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Lipa City, Batangas in the Region 4-A of the Philippines managed with her mother before its bankruptcy. In 2017, she worked as a management trainee with San Fernando Funeral Homes.

Personal Life

Dumag has been single since 2009 after her first short relationship with a Roman Catholic car enthusiast who is the youngest son of one of the presiding judges in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is reported that it was a challenging courtship and they broke up because of Dumag’s stern conviction of Marriage Before Sex. She has then decided to only date a mature Born-Again Christian. Dumag is noted to attract some of her admirers’ attention for her funny personality and communication skills.

In 2017, she had a mutual understanding with the head pastor of an international full gospel church based in Tanay, Rizal.

Family

Dumag is the youngest child to a retired professional teacher mother and a retired international professional master mariner and businessman father. Her father has been committed to apartment building businesses in Novaliches, and rice mill production and tobacco farming businesses in Ilocos Sur since before she and her sibling were raised. Dumag and her older sister Emmelie were born in Dr. Jesus C. Delgado Memorial Hospital and grew up in San Pedro 7 Subdivision in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Dumag’s parents’ marriage was led to a separation when she was 16. Dumag was highly motivated to find a job after the abandonment of her father.

Education

Dumag spent her formative years in St. John of Beverley and Little Shepherd Child Development Center in Novaliches and transferred to St. James College of Quezon City for grade school. She attended UST Angelicum College in high school where she dropped out after her father’s abandonment.

In 2014, she enrolled to Alternative Learning System by the Department of Education to bridge her to college.

Dumag took her ALS A&E Test in Lagro High School and graduated from Alternative Learning System as the highest pointer of the batch for San Bartolome High School and Brgy. Bagbag in Novaliches with a national rating of 119 as equivalent to a traditional high school salutatorian.

In 2017, after the bankruptcy of her business, she enrolled as a full scholar for Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies' ladderized program in Baptist Bible College Asia Philippines.

In 2019, she was granted the full international scholarship and internship in Highlands Bible College Cambodia.

A few months after she flew back to the Philippines from Highlands Bible College Cambodia, she was requested by their college dean to teach English grammar and composition in Baptist Bible College Asia Philippines.

Dumag confessed that she had always been deeply insecure about education because after taking a one-time IQ test before she graduated from Alternative Learning System, she got an IQ score of 114 where she felt inadequate. In 2018, a female registered psychometrician and psychologist from the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) informed her that the IQ score can change as she takes further studies.

Presently, she studies Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Marketing Management through CHED-Accredited online learning management system in preparation to masteral and doctoral studies in business administration.

Interests

Dumag used to join singing competitions from grade school to early high school. She was also part of the school’s choir. She took short voice lessons in Yamaha School of Music Philippines at the age of 11.

She has stopped singing since she began taking maintenance medication for bipolar disorder as the side effects have seriously affected her vocal cords. Dumag was also taught sketching by a successful Filipino artist after pre-school.

She has started writing journals and romantic comedies at the age of 10. Ms. Sheila Viesca, the owner of The Talk Shop in Makati City, personally taught her creative writing at the age of 17.

Health Issues

Dumag was clinically diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder at the age of 24 prior to Capgras syndrome. Her illness started when she abstained from food and water for about a couple of weeks in her room in their house in Quezon City. She was reported to go through unguided prayer and fasting after engaging to some demonic rituals. Dumag was admitted to hospitalizations for proper care and medication and was advised by her psychologist and psychiatrist to prioritize rest for a period of time before engaging to stressful activities again.

Poverty

Dumag humbly stated that she and her family went through below the poverty line since her first hospitalization. She cheerfully said, “I experienced to use a laundry soap as my bath soap and hair shampoo. I would walk under the sun for kilometers to go to places and to go back home. Poverty is a great screener. I got to know the real godly people. We just laugh now when we remember how meddling strangers in the neighborhood made fun of us when we couldn’t afford water, electricity, food and fare. God has made us resilient."

Dumag shared that she always had to make tough choices. “I couldn’t work outside our house then because I would have to consider first that to work everyday outside the house means maintaining costly meds every night and every morning, and paying for daily meals and fares and toiletries and clothes. I just had literally zero for all of those. Mama knows I was independent but that time of my life I just really had to depend on God and kind people for me to survive.” Dumag made a testimony that it was all her loving friends who helped her and her mother survive from poverty. She added, “There are many stories, you know. We need time to just sit and chat about whatever that happened in the past.” She shared that she was able to come to Vietnam and Cambodia for her full scholarship and internship because her Christian friends in the Philippines and abroad provided for all the expenses. “From my passport to my Internet to my meds to my clothes to my check-in bag and all, I did not spend from my own pocket. I’m very, very blessed because God expresses His love for me through them.”

Faith

Dumag is a non-denominational Born-Again Christian. She understands that she is not perfect and agrees that she received her Salvation only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. She believes in The Five SOLAS of the Reformation, but also believes in the ministry of revival.

Before she became a Born-Again Christian, from grade school to her teenaged years, she was deep in forms of Satanism. She studied astrology, feng shui, numerology, spells, tawas (alum crystals), Latin incantations and partnership with demons. She was taught witchcraft and card reading by a long-time psychic in Caloocan City. She also had a communication with several known psychics in the country. She had a small collection of quartz, citrine, amethyst among others for new age practices.

Dumag shared that it was her maternal aunt who God used to surrender her life to Jesus Christ in 2013.

Dumag burned all the objects in connection to Satanism.