“Ang mga pagsuway sa kinabuhi maoy nakapadasig alang sa pagkab-ot sa kalambuan sa kinabuhi ug bisan pa man sa mga naagian nga pagsulay kami magpadayun sa pagpaningkamot alang sa kaugmaon sa amoang mga anak (Different life challenges serve as an inspiration to reach success in life, and despite the obstacles along the way, we will persevere for the sake of our children’s future),” said Cornelia Sipsip.

Cornelia shared that their family is now financially stable and can already stand on their own two feet without the government’s aid. She is confident they can eventually exit poverty through the family’s teamwork, resourcefulness, and determination.

The Couple

Cornelia and Euastaquio Sipsip married in 1993 and have four (4) children.

A college graduate, Cornelia eventually works as office staff in the local government unit of Sagbayan, Bohol, and was assigned as a farm technician with a job order status while Euastaquio farms.

She and her husband had to stretch their insufficient salary to sustain their family’s basic needs.

Eaustaquio then started to look for another source of income aside from tending their small rice farm. He then engaged in a canvas-type job. The town of Sagbayan has an auction market for livestock. He decided to borrow money as his capital to buy and sell livestock. Unfortunately, it was not a good business decision since he did not earn a profit and eventually went bankrupt.

The couple has to be financially wise in using their money as capital because they have four children relying on them.

They eventually decided to look for another business opportunity through hog raising.

“Sa pagsugod namo sa baboyan kay arang paita kay ang amoang mga binuhi nga baboy gidimalas kay kasagaran nangamatay sa sakit (when we started in hog raising, it was really challenging because our hogs were beaten with sickness and almost all died),” recalled Cornelia.

She then attended a training on livestock dispersal sponsored by the Municipal Agriculture Office of Sagbayan. After the training, she imparted it to her husband, who cared for the remaining pigs. After practicing what they had learned in the training, the business started to earn a little bit.

Still, their income could not suffice for their needs. The couple borrowed money from relatives who worked abroad to sustain their small livestock farm.

Earthquake

The family decided to manage their rice farm and livestock, but a 7.2-magnitude earthquake devastated Bohol on October 15, 2013, with Sagbayan as the epicenter. It disrupted and tested their resilience anew. The tremors damaged their house and pigpen. Luckily, their pigs survived the disaster.

“Grabe ang amoang nasinati nga kakuyaw sa pag-uyog sa yuta kaniadtong linog. Halos nagkamang na kami sa yuta sa kahadlok sa maong linog nga miigo sa among lungsod. Akoa dayon nalantaw nga dako kaayo ang perwisyo sa amoang palibot labina ang mga balay nga nahugno (We were terrified because of the strong earthquake. We almost crawled on the ground because of the earthquake that hit our town. I already imagine the devastation in our surroundings, especially those destroyed houses),” emotionally shared Cornelia.

As part of the rehabilitation of the national government, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reached out to 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 those Families in Need of Special Protection (FNSP).

The family became one of the beneficiaries under MCCT in 2015.

Cornelia used the cash grant intended for education and health for her two children, namely Perla and Jose Noel.

Cornelia expressed her gratitude to be part of the program since it helped their family rise again from the ashes after the earthquake.

“Ang cash grants nga akoang nadawat gikan sa 4Ps akoa gyud gisiguro nga mapalit nako sa mga gikinahanglan sa pageskwela sa akong mga anak. Samtang kaming duha sa akong bana naningkamot sa pagpatukod sa amoang balay usab pinaagi gihapon sa tabang sa DSWD ug sa Habitat for Humanity (I ensured that the cash grant I received will be used to buy school supplies for my children while I and my husband strive to rebuild our house with the help from the DSWD and Habitat for Humanity),” saidCornelia.

Self-sufficient level

Determined to rise again and rebuild their lives, they acquired more hogs to level up their piggery business. They also put a meat stall in the town’s market to sustain their income-generating projects.

“Nikusog og maayo ang halin sa amoang karne gumikan kay wala man kasulod ang mga imported nga karne tungod sa sakit nga African swine fever, so nipatronize ang mga mamalitay sa atong mga lokal nga produkto nga karne (The income of our meat business got stronger because the imported meats were not allowed due to the African swine fever, and so the consumers patronize our local meat products),” she said.

The family still cultivates their 1/4-hectare rice field, where they get 30 sacks of rice every year.

The two children that 4Ps previously monitored, Perla and Jose Noel, are now professionals.

The eldest child, Perla, graduated from college and is a certified public accountant. With the help of their relative, who is already an Australian citizen, she is now working in Australia as an office staff.

The second child, Noel, is now an international seafarer. He sends money to his parents as a regular allotment. The third child, Rosemarie, is an engineering third-year college student, while Joseph Jhon, the youngest child, is a first-year nautical student.

Eustaquio manages their meat stall in the town’s public market, while Cornelia manages their piggery and an eatery with a mini store full-time. Their meat stall in the market could earn at least Php 20,000.00 a week as their profit.

Cornelia emphasized the importance of resiliency because it provided them with the strength to bounce back from the different challenges in life.

“Bisan sa mga naagian nga kalisod wala kami mawad-an og paglaom ug dako kaayo nga tabang ang panaghiusa sa pamilya kay mao kini ang nakapalambo sa among kahimtang karon ug ang pinakaimportante ang pagsalig sa kahitas-an (Despite the challenges that we have encountered, we did not lose hope, and the solidarity of the family was the reason for our progress today, and most importantly, our faith in God),” said Cornelia.

Cornelia and Euastaquio are satisfied with the significant change in their family and will remain grateful for the assistance of the 4Ps in their journey toward success. ###

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