A transwoman's struggle to earn more

From 'lugawan' to coffee shop

- By JOSEPH PEDRAJAS

AT YOUR SERVICE - Venus Hermosa offers a cup of coffee at the Pandi, Bulacan shop where she now works. Inset photo is Venus' father Victoriano, who was slain in 2017, allegedly a victim of the former administration's deadly crackdown on illegal drugs.

Life drastically changed for Venus Hermosa when her father was abducted and killed during the war on drugs in 2017. She was just 12 years old at that time.

Three years after and with the family increasingly finding it difficult to make ends meet, Venus had to start working to be able to support her studies, and she found work at a “lugawan” or a shop that sells Filipino-style porridge.

"Kasi nahihirapan na po talaga si nanay [na buhayin kami] (Our mother was already having a hard time supporting us)," she told Manila Bulletin when asked why she decided to get a job at an early age.

When her father, a jeepney mechanic, was still alive, she said, he never failed to provide financial support for his family’s daily needs, as well as for the children's education.

But after his death, Venus said, she was left to fend for herself, just like her three siblings did for themselves.

Casualty of the deadly campaign against drugs

Venus was actually born as Darence Castillo, before she committed to a change in gender at an early age.

Now 20, Venus rues that she had been among the collateral victims of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s deadly campaign against drugs.