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The Promise That Broke Them
By Algae Salapan Densing, LPT
Algae Salapan Densing, LPT is a Bible and research teacher at Western Mindanao Adventist Academy and, at the same time, a digital missionary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
First Published: 2025/02/14
Langga and Dodong met when they were still young, both filled with dreams but weighed down by the realities of life. Dodong, a hardworking boy with calloused hands and an unwavering love, couldn’t believe his luck when Langga, quiet yet determined, agreed to be his girlfriend. From that moment, their lives intertwined in ways neither could have imagined.
Dodong adored Langga and was determined to make her life easier. As Langga struggled to continue her studies, he took it upon himself to provide for her needs. From early mornings spent harvesting coconuts to late nights driving passengers for extra cash, Dodong pushed himself to the limits.
“I’ll help you finish school,” he told her one day while they sat on a park bench. “I promise.”
Langga hesitated, telling him, “Dong, you don’t have to. It’s not your responsibility.”
But Dodong insisted. For him, it wasn’t a burden—it was an act of love.
Years passed, and Langga graduated from high school, then college. She had always been grateful for everything Dodong did. He stood by her, sacrificing his own dreams to ensure she could pursue hers. On her graduation day, they both felt victorious. Dodong saw Langga as his greatest achievement, and Langga knew she wouldn’t have made it without him.
But their relationship wasn’t perfect. Langga had always been clear about her dislike for Dodong’s drinking habits. Time and again, she begged him to stop, telling him she couldn’t see a future with a man who had vices.
“Dong, please,” she would say. “I hate it when you drink. If you love me, you’ll stop.”
Dodong would always brush it off, saying, “Langga, it’s just occasional. Don’t worry about it.”
To Dodong, it was harmless; to Langga, it was a dealbreaker.
Their differences became more apparent as Langga prepared to enter the professional world. She found a job and met new people, including someone who shared her vision for the future. He was a nurse like her—responsible, ambitious, and free from the vices she couldn’t stand. Slowly, Langga began to realize that her life was heading in a direction that no longer aligned with Dodong’s.
One day, while Dodong was away working, Langga left. She didn’t leave a note or explanation, just an empty space where her things used to be. When Dodong came home and saw the emptiness, it felt as though the ground had been pulled out from under him.
He learned later that Langga had moved on and was now with someone else. The pain of betrayal consumed Dodong. After all the sacrifices he had made, after years of giving her everything he had, she left him behind. He couldn’t understand how Langga could walk away so easily, and the bitterness began to fester.
In his heartbreak, Dodong turned to social media, airing out his grievances for the world to see. He wrote about the money he had spent, the time he had sacrificed, and the love he had poured into their relationship. The post went viral, sparking judgment and opinions from strangers who didn’t know the full story.
For Langga, the backlash was overwhelming. Everywhere she turned, people whispered about her. They called her ungrateful, selfish, and worse. The weight of their words pressed down on her, adding to the guilt and pain she already carried.
“I’m experiencing mental health problems because of this,” Langga confided in a friend one day, her voice trembling. “The judgment from people who don’t even know what I went through—it’s too much. I didn’t leave to hurt him. I left because I needed to. And now, I feel like I’m being punished for choosing what’s best for me.”
Determined to protect herself, Langga sought legal advice. She knew she couldn’t undo the past, but she hoped to stop the public humiliation that was tearing her apart.
As the days turned into weeks, their story became a cautionary tale of love, sacrifice, and heartbreak. Dodong couldn’t let go of the pain of being left behind, and Langga struggled to move forward while carrying the scars of their shared past.
Perhaps, in time, they would both heal. Dodong might learn to let go and find someone who loved him as deeply as he deserved. Langga might find peace and the strength to forgive herself for the choices she made.
For now, their story stands as a reminder that love, no matter how strong, sometimes isn’t enough to overcome life’s challenges. Sacrifices can feel thankless, and choices made in the name of self-preservation can leave others broken.
But in the end, both Langga and Dodong deserved happiness—just not with each other.
Jay-ar Budta Manapos' Anecdote
After Seven Years Relationship
Hi, let me share my story guys
Sa among pagka uyab, highschool sya that time ug sweto ko sa iyang sitwasyon unsa ka lisod sa pag eskwela tungod sa financial aspect. Kato na mga panahon naningkamot ko nga makatabang ug makahatag sa iyang mga panginahanglanon sa pag eskwela Kay kabalo ko nga need sab niya ug karamay sa kinabuhi. Para sa akoa, tung bata pako I promised nga kung maka uyab ko, buhaton gyd nako ang tanan para ma feel sa akung partner nga tinood akung pag higugma sa iya.
At that time nga nag eskwela siya, I have a lot of sacrifice para sa iya, namasahero, nisulod as construction worker, nag labor sa lubi para lang matustusan iyang mga panginahanglan Kay dili ko gusto nga makita siya nga masakitan o muhilak tungod sa kakulangon. Sa pagpaniingkamot nako naka graduate siya ug lipay kaayo mi kay behind sa mga difficulties in life nakahuman siya pero kabalo ko wala pa didto nahuman akung paningkamot kay naa pa siyay 4 years nga labangunon and that is kolehiyo. Kabalo ko sa akung sarili nga mas bug-at gyud akung dapat e sacrifice para maka padayon siya sa iyang koliheyo.
Dili sab lalim ang iyang atubangon nga journey ug nasabtan nako na as partner niya. Sa iyang pag take ug kolehiyo naa ko para tabangan siya ug ma afford tanan niyang panginahanglan. Gi buhat nako ang trabaho nga sukad wala nako na experience para sa iyang pagkaon, pamasahe, ug uban pa. Pero Wala ko nag regret nga natabangan nako siya. Naa ko perme para sa iya Kay kabalo ko ug kasabot ko unsay feeling nga walay tao nga masandalan.
So mao to fast forward ta, sa pag graduate niya ug college lipay napud kaayo mi kay mao na ang last journey niya sa pag study ug para maka trabaho ug makatabang sa iyang pamilya. Actually, dili ma measure akung kalipay pagkakita nako nga nipaso ug nidawat siya sa iyang diploma. Kato na mga panahon, dili lang siya ang nibatig kadaugan apil pud ko isip iyang kaagapay ug kauban sa kalisod man o kaayahay. Gibuhat nako ang tanan, walay duha-duha ug wala pud pagmahay.
PERO AFTER SA GRADUATION NAAY DAKONG KASAKIT ANG NIABOT SA AKUNG KINABUHI UG KANA MAO ANG IYANG PAGLAKAW SA AKUNG MGA KAMOT.
Mga 2 weeks gikan sa iyang graduation nilakaw siya kay kato nga time namasada ko pag uli nako wala nakoy nakita sa iyang mga gamit. So, wala ko nagdahom nga iya tung buhaton Kay lagi na feel nako nga gi love pud ko niya. Until now, dili pa nako kaya dawaton ang nahitabo sa akung kinabuhi. Whole my life dreamed a partner nga mahigugmaon ug mapinanggaon. Pero sa nahitabo sa akung kinabuhi lisod gyud mag move ug mag let go.
Gikan sa iyang paglakaw mga 1 month nakabalo nalang ko nga naa na siyay uyab lain. So it was a painful moment in my life, wala man gud nako g expect nga mahitabo ang iyang pag biya sa akoa nga bisan storya man lang wala siyay g bilin.
SAKIT PAMINAWON NGA ANG IMONG G HIGUGMA UG G SUPORTAHAN SA TANAN, MAWALA LANG NA PARANG BULA.
"Noralyn Longyapon thank you for the pain"
Original Post Deleted (Legal Issues)Noralyn Longyapon's Anecdote
To Break My Silence and Explain My Side!
I'm experiencing mental health problem right now because of the issues that my ex-boyfriend posted recently that went viral. Stress na kaayo ko tungod sa mga judgement sa mga tawo nga wala nakahibalo sa akong naagian.
HEAR ME OUT:
I remember nga highschool pata dihang gisugot tika and I am very happy nga nauyab tika kay grabe kaayo ka mag love & support. Bisan og sa kasakit ug kalipay naa gihapon ka sa akoa.
Pag college nako ni promised ka while nag date² ta sa park. I can vividly remember the words you uttered saying "Langga, promise nako saimoha nga maningkamot ko nga tabangan tika sa imong pagskwela para makahuman ka". I said pa saimoha diba nga ayaw na kay dili mana nimo responsibilidad but you insisted kay lagi love man ko nimo.
Kahibalo baya gyud ka nga dili ko ganahan ug palahubog, I always said nga undang na og tagay pero dili ka maminaw sa akoa kay lagi occasional ra pero dili ko ganahan og lalaki nga naay bisyo and you don't even change.
Hangtod sa niabot ang adlaw nga ni-graduate nako. Happy kaayo tang tanan kay finally makatabang nako sa akong pamilya ug saimoha. Pero before graduation nagkalabuay nata.
Nangita ko og trabaho I left to find a job pero nabalitaan nako nga sige gihapon kag inom. Until nakaila nako ning akong bag-o karon, professional sama nako, usa ka nurse ug mas nakita nako saiyaha ang brighter future.
If nipatuo lang ka sa akoa nga mag-undang saimong bisyo maybe kita pa, but you didn't listen. I know nga dako kaayo imong natabang sa akoa pero you did it because of love diba? Nganong mangkwenta man ka? Nganong ipost paman nimo? For what? Ayaw lang kabalaka I will seek legal advice against your actions nga imong gibuhat sa pagpakaulaw sa akoa.
Please lang pag move-on na kay happy nako unta makit-an nimo ang babaye nga para saimoha.
(Noralyn wrote in a post)