In the tip-most town in the province of Cebu, a family describes how their inclusion in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) makes them persevere more in their life as they are blessed with support from the government.

“Para nako kaning 4Ps makapa encourage ni sa pamilya nga maningkamot kay tungod sa tabang sa gobyerno nga gihatag kanamo. Wala mi matapulan (For me, the 4Ps encouraged our family to persevere more since the government provided us with assistance. It did not make us lazy),” says Felisa Arriesgado, a 54-year-old mother of six, emphasizing that they are thankful for the privilege and they will do their best to comply with the conditions given by the program as well as to be good citizens in the community.

Felisa shares that even prior to becoming a family beneficiary of 4Ps, their family had been working very hard with her husband, William, to meet the needs of their family by looking at a lot of means of getting an income.

“Kayod kung kayod gayud kung mahimo aron makakaon sa usa ka adlaw ug ika-tulo (We worked so hard just to be able to eat three times a day),” exclaims Felisa, recalling her experience raising her children by getting stable yields since her husband has an irregular job as a construction worker.

Felisa works as a farmer and, at the same time, as a suman (rice cake) and balanghoy (cassava cake) vendor in their community. She also sidelines selling beauty products through brochures from direct-selling companies.

“Lisod among kinabuhi sa una, naay adlaw nga maabot nalang ang mga bata gikan eskwela wala pa mi makita nga pagkaon maluto (We had a tough life before; there were days that we still did not have food to cook when the children arrived from school),” she recalled the times when they were struggling, especially when her children started going to school.

When the Arriesgado family became a 4Ps partner beneficiary, Felisa said that their lives changed as the cash grants they received from the program helped them save since the budget they have allotted for their children’s education can now be put to other use.

Consistently moving forward

“Sa wala pa ko sa 4Ps, simple lamang ako nga inahan, walay igong pangita, maulawon, ug walay kasinatian sa pag-apil sa mga kalambuan sa komunidad (When I was not yet part of 4Ps, I was only a simple mother, having low income, shy, and inexperienced in participating community developments),” Felisa reflected on a time when she was not as involved in their community as she is now.

Felisa added in her statement that because of the program she became a parent leader, wherein she boosted her confidence and discovered her potential in dealing with and helping other people.

Felisa is also active in their community and participates in various associations like the Panagsama Farmers Association, which aims to help fellow farmers in organic farming. She was also chosen to be the Barangay Agriculture Extension Worker for her active participation in the community.

Felisa also volunteered as a procurement team canvasser for the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) sub-project in their community, which brought a school building to Pajo Elementary School in Daanbantayan.

“Akong paningkamutan nga mamahimo akong sulondon sa ubang mga inahan nga pantawid pinaagi sa akong pang-adlaw adlaw nga ginbuhaton (I am trying to be a role model to other mothers through my day-to-day routine),” Felisa said. Becoming a 4Ps beneficiary and parent leader molded her to become more persistent and responsible in the community.

Arriesgado’s children perform well in school, and in fact, some of them are consistent honor students. The family now has a college graduate who also happened to be a student beneficiary under the Expanded Student’s Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA).

Meanwhile, the second to the fourth children were undergraduate students at local colleges in north Cebu, which it is hoped to finish in a few years, while the two remaining children were senior high school students at Daanbantayan National High School.

“Sa tanan nagdumala sa Pantawid ug sa gobyerno, saludo kaayo ko sa inyuha tungod sa inyong paggiya sa amoa kung unsaon namo pagpalambo ang among kaugalingon ug amoang pamilya (To everyone in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the government, I salute you very much for your guidance on how we can improve ourselves and our family),” said Felisa.

“Nahimo ta nga Pantawid arong tabangan ta atong kalisud pero dili pasabot nga iasa nimo tanan sa imong pagka-Pantawid (We have become Pantawid Pamilya partner-beneficiary to help us in our struggles, but that does not mean that you have to rely on everything from the program),” said Felisa.

From Bahay Kubo to Concrete House

As the family continues to persevere together with the program, they have turned their home made from light materials into something more resilient and stronger as they have upgraded it into a concrete house.

“Usa sa dako ang kausaban mao ang among payag kaniadto kay concrete na (One of the major changes we have is that our hut is now a concrete house),” Felissa said, underscoring the program as one of the factors that helped them realize having a home with a firmer foundation.

Way back then, when their family just started, they lived in a bahay kubo that was made of wood, bamboo, and nipa grass; and, their living room also used to be their dining room and bedroom on a floor made of bamboo because of the small space and they could not afford to have divisions yet.

“Naghinay-hinay na mi og sugod patarong sa balay bisan kato wala pa mi sa Pantawid (We were already slowly renovating our house before we were Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries),” Felisa explained.

Felisa narrates that their home now has two bedrooms, a kitchen with a sink, a living room, and a decent toilet that is currently their project. She added that they have glass windows, cemented flooring, and steel roofing.

Felisa said that it took them years to upgrade each part of their house, and they still continue to upgrade their home.

“Wala ra man kami gasto sa labor kay ang akong bana ra ang magtrabaho ani ug hasta ako ug akong mga anak motabang, ang materyales ra gayud among gitiguman (We do not have to finance the construction labor since my husband and my children can work on it. Only the construction materials, that is what we need to fund),” Felisa explained. She said it was also an advantage that she has a husband who knows carpentry and they have children who can help them with the renovation.

The program has helped the Arriesagado family strengthen their home and family over the years that they have been 4Ps partner beneficiaries, which they have also shared with their community.

With the blessings that came into their lives, they have pledged to do good in their community, remain grateful, and continually improve themselves, whether or not they will no longer be part of the program. ###

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