Dimples Romana opens up about becoming a breadwinner at 16

A composite photo of actress Dimples Romana’s keepsakes from her father. ARCHIVE

Actress Dimples Romana has opened up about the moment she became a breadwinner at just 16, sharing a deeply personal story about family, loss and the responsibility that came with her father’s sudden death.

In a viral social media post, Dimples reflected on her family’s journey and the experience of stepping up to help support her mother and younger sister after her father died about 25 years ago.

The actress shared a photo of her late father’s wallet and its contents in a Facebook post, bringing back memories of the difficult period that changed her family’s life. “My Papa Bong’s wallet contents when he passed away some 25 years ago. Ang hirap ng tag ulan. Nakakasentimental,” she wrote.

Her father, whom she identified as Papa Bong, was a government employee with the Philippine Postal Office. Dimples said he earned a modest salary but remained committed to his principles until his death.

“He was a government employee. For the Philippine Postal Office. Earned a modest salary and kept his integrity in tact til his death at 41 years old, in service,” she wrote.

Dimples was 16 at the time, while her brother Charles Jerome B. Romana was 11. Her father died unexpectedly at his office in Pampanga.

“I was 16 and Charles Jerome B. Romana was 11. He passed away in his office in Pampanga at that time, no warnings. No goodbyes. Just one morning he’s with us and the next he’s not,” she recalled.

That loss marked the beginning of what she described as their family’s “breadwinner story.”

Dimples said she and her brother began helping their mother, Virgie Romana, make ends meet while also helping care for their younger sister, Angeli. “And that was the beginning of our breadwinner story,” she wrote. “Charles Jerome B. Romana and I had began helping our mama Virgie Romana in making ends meet for our little sister Angeli too.”

‘Na para bang ibinilin na kami’

Despite the hardships, Dimples said she looks back on her family’s journey with gratitude.

She credited her faith for helping them through the years and said she continues to feel her father’s presence through the blessings experienced by their family. “And thankfully, in our lives, the Lord has been faithful. His love carried us through and til today, we feel Papa’s presence with the blessings that keep pouring in for us. And even for our own families. Na para bang ibinilin na kami,” she wrote. The phrase roughly translates to the feeling that they had been entrusted with a responsibility to continue looking after one another.

Dimples ended her post by turning the conversation towards her followers, asking them to share how their own breadwinner journeys began.

The message quickly struck a chord online, drawing more than 30,000 reactions and hundreds of comments from people sharing their own experiences of becoming family providers.

On Monday (August 17), Dimples said she was still reading through the responses. “Overwhelmed on a Monday dahil hindi pa ako natapos kakabasa with all the ‘breadwinner’ stories you shared with me online I see you all and feel you,” she wrote.

Her post resonated particularly strongly with Filipinos, including those living overseas.

For many Filipino families, becoming a breadwinner can involve adult children taking on financial responsibility for parents, siblings or extended family. The role can stem from a combination of family expectations, gratitude, economic circumstances and a strong sense of responsibility towards loved ones.

For overseas Filipinos, including those in the UAE, that responsibility can also extend across borders, with many workers supporting relatives in the Philippines while building their own lives abroad. PIA/CAM/Expat Media

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