“Ang pagtabang sa ubang tawo ug komunidad mabuhat nato sa lain-laing pamaagi. Mabata man o matigulang, nakahuman ka eskwela o wala, tanan ta adunay kapasidad nga makatabang. Kung unsa nga pamaagi sa pagtabang, naa na sa atong desisyon. Ang importante kini kinasingkasing nga pagtabang ug walay gihuwat nga bayad (Helping other people and the community could be done in different ways. Young or old, educated or not, everyone is capable of helping others. How to help others is up to the person. The most important is, it comes from the heart and does not expect anything in return),” said Miralyn Basallo, a Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) partner-beneficiary from Barangay Poblacion, Daanbantayan, Cebu.

Life was unkind to Miralyn, for she has to endure hardships as she raises her three daughters as a solo parent.

Her most challenging survival experience is when her town was devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.

Miralyn shared that even if there was no electricity for several months and no extra work to sustain their needs, they were able to survive because of the numerous donation and assistance from the government and non-government organizations.

An opportunity came when she was elected as president of the Suba San Vicente and Anonang (SUSAN) Association. She said that their association’s main objectives are to enhance women’s skills and to encourage them to participate in their community.

Her innate skills in participating in community activities and talking to people were useful as she leads her group.

“Naninguha ko nga masabtan tanang mga nakat-onan nako ug kini gipaambit nako sa akong mga kauban. Ug ang akong pinakaganahan nga na-agni nako sila nga motuo sa ilang kaugalingon ug pangitaun ang bili sa kaugalingon isip usa ka asawa, igsuon, inahan ug labaw na sa tanan isip usa ka babaye (I tried my best to absorb all the learnings, and I shared this with my fellow members. And what I most like is that I was able to convince other women to believe in themselves and find self-worth as a wife, sister, mother, and most importantly as a woman),” said Miralyn.

As a result of being the president of the women’s association, other opportunities opened up along the way.

Miralyn also served as a community volunteer in Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), a poverty alleviation program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD). In the first and second cycles of sub-project implementation, she chaired the Project Preparation Team and of the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee (BSPMC), respectively.

“Ang nindot sa Kalahi-CIDSS mao ang paghatag gahom sa katawhan nga muapil sa pagplano ug pagbuhat mismo sa proyekto ug tungod sa Kalahi naka-apil ko sa mga series sa trainings ug seminars nga nakahatag nako og dugang kaalam (What is good about Kalahi-CIDSS is, it provides people the opportunity to participate in the planning and implementation of the project. Kalahi exposed me to series of training and seminars that provided added learning to myself),” said Miralyn.

As Miralyn shows her leadership in community activities, she was appointed to be a barangay health worker (BHW) and receives PHP 800.00 monthly honorarium.

She was also appointed as Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Desk Officer and got the chance to attend a paralegal seminar.

Miralyn witnessed different kinds of abuses of women in their community. Most of them kept their silence for different reasons.

“Gipasabot nako sila nga dili sakto nga mohilom ra ug aduna silay katungod nga moreklamo kung kini naka-abuso sa ila pisikal, emosyonal ug mental (I explained to them not to remain silent because they have the right to complain, especially if they are abused physically, emotionally, and mentally),” she underscored.

“Malipay ko kong aduna koy makit-an nga kababayen-an nga molaban ug madungog gikan sa ila nga ang ilang nahibaw-an gikan sa ako kay ila pud gipaambit sa uban (I am happy if I see women who are fighting for their right and heard from them that they were also able to share the learning they got from me to others),” she added.

When community quarantine was enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she volunteered her services in their barangay. She helped in the information dissemination on curfew, manned the checkpoint, and helped distribute meals to the families under granular lockdown.

Even though Miralyn does not have enough money, she takes pride in the opportunity of helping others in the community. She considers every help to others as a chance to grow as a person.

Miralyn started as a Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) partner-beneficiary and currently mainstream in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the DSWD.

“Wala man koy bana pero ang importante nakaya nako nga mapadako nako ang akong tulo ka anak ug wala ko nawad-an og paglaom sa pagpadayon sa kinabuhi (I am a solo parent, but what matters most is that I was able to raise my three children, and I did not lose hope to move forward in life)”, said Miralyn. ###

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