“Bisan pa man nga mohawa na kami sa programa, maningkamot gihapon kami nga magtiayon aron mapadayon ang kalamboan nga among naangkon inubanan sa pagkugi (Even if we will graduate from the program, we will work hard to maintain the progress that we have made coupled with diligence and hard work),” Emelie Ruelo said.

Emelie shared that their family is now financially stable and can already stand on their feet without the help of the government’s aid. She highlighted her “never give up spirit” and her entrepreneurial skills in improving their lives.

Young Couple

Michael and Emelie met in Lapu-Lapu City while both were working in a canteen for a manufacturing company. They decided to have their own family in 2001. Michael and Emelie got married at the age of 19.

The young couple continued with their plans despite the uncertainty of their future, especially since Emelie is already carrying their first child.

While Emelie looked after their child, Michael kept working in the canteen. Up until that point, Michael fell ill and was even taken to the hospital. They ran out of savings, and Emelie struggled to keep track of their finances.

While he was recovering from his illness, Michael then decided to take his wife and daughter to his family’s hometown in Tabuelan, a town in the north of Cebu. The couple settled in Barangay Kanlim-ao as a new beginning for their expanding family.

Michael started farming and built his own vegetable garden because the location is perfect for agricultural production. He occasionally works as a “mananggotay,” or toddy collector, as their area is awash in coconut trees.

To supplement Michael’s income, Emelie decided to open her own small business or “sari-sari” store. She hung the groceries on their windows so their neighbors could see them easily.

“Aron makatabang kang Michael, naghinay-hinay sad ko paninda diri sa balay. Aron makapalit ko sa akong mga itinda, mangutang pako sa lending aron naa koy puhunan (In order to help Michael, I started having my own store here in our house. And in order to buy my grocery items, I borrowed money from lending so that I could have my own capital),” recalled Emelie.

While Michael is waiting for his crops to grow, he also ventures into hog raising. The couple purchased the pigs while the swine feeds were borrowed from the lending institution.

As they carefully manage their family business, Michael and Emelie learn to be thrifty and to be patient.

“Lisud gayud to nga panahon kay kinahanglan mabayaran to ang mga utang mao nga doble ang kayod namong duha (It was really a difficult time because we needed to pay the borrowed money and that is why we doubled our work),” said Emelie.

MCCT beneficiary

 As their grit and determination were put to another test, super typhoon Yolanda devastated the northern part of Cebu in November 2013, which included the town of Tabuelan.

Their house, crops, and the pigpen were damaged. Luckily, their pigs survived the super typhoon.

“Guol kaayo mi ato kay naguba gayud among balay ug among mga pananom, murag dili nako kabalo unsaon namo pagbarog usab (I was worried because our house and plants were damaged, I don’t even know how we could rise again),” recalled Emelie.

As part of the rehabilitation, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reached out to poor families who may be eligible for the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT), a component of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) that employs a modified approach to implementing conditional cash transfers, including Families in Need of Special Protection (FNSP).

The Ruelo family became one of the beneficiaries of MCCT in 2015. Emelie was able to use the cash grant intended for education and health for her two daughters, Daisy Mae and Sharolyn.

Emelie was thankful to be part of the program since it helped their family rise again after the devastation of the typhoon.

“Gisuro gyud nako nga ang madawat nako nga cash grant kay magamit sa pagpalit sa school supplies ug allowance nila sa pageskwela samtang kaming magti-ayon naninguha nga mapabarong among balay ug baboyan (I ensured that the cash grant I received will be used to buy school supplies and for my children’s school allowance while we strive to rebuild our house and pigpen),” underscored Emelie.

Self-sufficient level

Determined to rise again and improve their living conditions, Michael and Emelie decided to grow their piggery business and accepted the offer from UNO, a well-known brand that sells hog feeds and other veterinary products, to be a distributor in their area for a credit line amounting to Php 100,000.00.

At first, the couple was hesitant, but they took the risk and grabbed the opportunity. Their perseverance and hard work paid off, as they became the well-known distributor of hog feeds in their barangay.

They were able to slowly rebuild their house, which is now concrete and can withstand a storm. They also expanded their family sari-sari store to a mini grocery that sells various items, including hog feeds.

The family was also able to avail of the MCCT’s support services intervention (SSI) worth Php 10,000 and used this as additional capital for their piggery business.

As their family business steadily grew, the couple also decided to purchase vehicles to transport the pigs from their barangay to other areas in their town as well as to nearby towns.

Currently, they have a pick-up truck that delivers pigs as far as the towns of Consolacion and Liloan. The vehicles were useful for transporting their pigs, especially during the community lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic when few vehicles were permitted to operate.

Through Michael and Emelie’s “never give up spirit” and risk-taking attitude, they were able to improve their living conditions and sustain their children’s education.

Their two daughters have already graduated from senior high school and are pursuing their chosen courses in college. The family’s youngest child, Emmanuel, is still three (3) years old.

Emelie also emphasized the value of teamwork within the family, as it will help them together achieve their goal.

“Kinahanglan adunay teamwork ang pamilya bisan pa og gagmay pa ang mga anak  kay makasabot raman ni sila kung unsa tumong isip usa ka pamilya (There should be teamwork in the family, even though the children are still young, they can already understand the goal as a family),” added Emelie.

“Bisan paman sa mga kalisud nga among naagian, wala mi nawad-an paglaom ug nagpadayon nga naninguha sa kinabuhi (Despite the different challenges that we faced, we did not lose hope and continued to persevere in life),” said Emelie.

Michael and Emelie are happy about the significant change in their family and will keep in their hearts the invaluable lessons they learned from the program. ###

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