Sixteen-year-old Iva Jamelarin, a student-achiever from Iloilo, wrote a poem, presented it in class, and uploaded the recording on her Facebook account. Little did she know that this would go viral on the internet and change her family’s life.

“I did not expect that kind of reception with my spoken word performance. I was just thankful that I was able to express my feelings and gratitude towards my mother,” Jamelarin said in Filipino.

Her mother, Eva Jamelarin, is an overseas Filipino working in Hong Kong.