Feature:A better life given a chance at education (A Pantawid Pamilya story)

By AAMayor/JPPasano

Friday 20th of July 2012

“Pasalamaton ako ta maski huri na, sa edad na trese, naranasan ko pang makatuntong nin grade one. Asin lima sa samuyang siyam na magturugang ang nagkaigwa nin pagkakataon na maka-eskwela, dahil sa Pantawid Pamilya. (I am very thankful that even if it may seem too late, at the age of 13, I was able to set foot in first grade. And out of nine siblings, five of us had the opportunity to attend school because of Pantawid Pamilya),” Luzviminda De La Pena of Legazpi City said.

“Para sa arog ming tios, mas pigtatawan importansya an magkaigwa nin laog an tulak kesa sa iba pang mga bagay (For poor people like us, having a full stomach is given more importance above anything else),” Luzviminda's mother, Lorna, added.

Poverty explains why her children did not have the chance to go to school, prior to being a Pantawid Pamilya recipient.

Unhappy Beginnings

Nanay Lorna came from a poor family. At an early age, she sold vegetables and other root crops just to help her parents earn, so that they could have something to eat. With this situation, she was deprived of an easy life and never had the opportunity to attend school.

And so she thought of changing her fate. She left her family and got married at the age of 16.

Yet, the better life that she dreamt never realized. In fact, it became harder, having a husband who was unschooled and having nine children to feed.

Nanay Lorna became a fish vendor but the P100 to P200 measly income was just enough for their meals. Her husband also helped her sell fresh fish and occasionally worked as a construction worker.

Being a fish vendor, she and her husband had to be at the market as early as 4 a.m., leaving their children unattended at home.

And since they did not have a fish stall, they usually run and hid every time a policeman came along. They stayed in the market until all their fish were sold. This had been their routine and they thought that being able to provide food for their children was enough. Taking care of them and guiding their ways were never given priority.

“Kung dae kami matrabaho, dae kaming kakaunon. Makulog para sa sarong magurang na nahihiling mong nagugutom an saimong mga aki pero dae kang maginibo. Kaya kinaipuhan ming magsakripisyo para sainda (If we don’t work, we won’t have something to eat. It’s really painful for a parent to see her children hungry and yet there is nothing we can do. And so we had to sacrifice for their welfare),” said Nanay Lorna.

But challenges and hardships came their way.

“Grabe an pagbasul ko kan saro sa mga aki ko an nagadan dahilan sa napabayaan. Naghahale kaya kami nin atab asin nag-uuli kami banggi na. Sinda-sinda lang ang nawawalat. (What I regret the most was when one of my children died because he was not properly taken care of. We would leave early and we came home late. My children were left by themselves),” she said.

One of their neighbors shared that there was even a time when the couple went to work and had nothing (even a centavo) to leave behind for their children’s needs. Seeing his younger siblings cry of hunger, one of Nanay Lorna’s child was forced to steal. But the community could not condemn him because the child did it to buy milk and food for his siblings.

More than Thankful

Through the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a human development and rights-based program of the national government that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly of children 0 to 14 years old, through the provision of conditional cash grants, Nanay Lorna can now send five of her children to school.

One of them is Luzviminda, who, at the start of program implementation in 2010, was aged 13.

“Pirmi ko pighahapot si mama kun nata ta ngunyan sana niya ako pinaadal (I oftentimes ask my mother why she let me study just now.)” said Luzviminda.

According to Nanay Lorna, Luzviminda’s birth, just like her siblings, was unregistered: therefore, she cannot comply with the school requirements. Aside from the fact that their family income was not enough, there were also other expenses that had to be prioritized. Not to mention that her oldest daughter lived with them together with her grandchildren.

When free registration of birth was offered in their barangay in support to Pantawid Pamilya, was the only time Lorna finally registered her daughter.

“Kun bako sa Pantawid Pamilya, dae makakatuntong an mga aki ko maski sa elementarya. Kaya dakulaon an pasalamat ko sa programa (If not for Pantawid Pamilya’s help, all my children will not be able to even set foot in elementary. I am most grateful to the program),” she said.

As for Luzviminda, in spite of her embarrassment being the oldest in their class, she strives and study hard to finish her schooling. Even at her age as compared with her classmates, she manages to be at the honor roll. This makes Lorna proud.

When asked what her dream is, in tears, Luzviminda said that it is to land a good job and have a better life for her family. (MAL/PIA5/AAMayor/JPPasano-DSWD5)