Many years ago, there was this boy who really loved his family and dreamed of improving their lives. But he wondered how he can do it given that they are poor and just living in the Pasig River bank in Sta. Ana, Manila. It was also the 1950s when the country and many families were reeling from poverty.

Leo Tenorio tried to earn a living from selling "banana cue." His day began in public markets where he looked for affordable saba. It was his routine for the next 12 years because he wanted to help his parents who are not earning enough to feed a family of seven, including a sister afflicted with polio. His mother back then was a laundrywoman while his father was a janitor at the Madrigal Shipping, a crewing company in Escolta, Manila.

"That time I was earning only 10 centavos, and I considered myself lucky if I would be able to make 50 centavos because that can sustain me for one week. But I started saving during that time using my bamboo alkansya (piggy bank)," Tenorio narrated.

When Tenorio reached high school, he did his best to maintain high grades while still vending banana cue. After four years, he finished his studies as one of the top 10 students in his class.

Macho dancer
Tenorio recalled being told by his father that it would be impossible for him to go to college.

"I asked my father, 'How can I fulfill my dream of alleviating our miserable life if I will not go to college?' He just turned his back on me without saying anything," he said during his interview with the Daily Tribune's digital show Usapang OFW: Maritime Corner.

Driving his eagerness to get a college diploma and a good job was the sight of his siblings asking for food because his parents could not afford it.

"That's very hurting to see," a teary-eyed Tenorio said. With perseverance and diskarte (resourcefulness), Tenorio saved money to enroll in a nautical course at FEATI University.

Paying the tuition was challenging. The course cost P2,800 per semester. To raise the amount, Tenorio worked as a janitor at the Cooper Theater in Manila. It was there that he met actors Dolphy and German Moreno, who were only movie extras at the time.