Married couple from the town of San Jose in Negros Oriental, Rizza and Ronald Francisco, credits the Department of Social Welfare and Development for helping their family overcome poverty.
“Ang ahensya na nakahaw-as sa among kapobrehon tungod sa ilang tabang. Ang Ginoo, magpanalangin sa DSWD kanunay,” said Rizza and Ronald.
(This agency enabled us to overcome poverty, because of their help. God bless you always.)
The Francisco earned a living by selling fish in the market. Both are responsible parents who work hard to provide for their children. But they faced challenges early on in their married life.
“Nagtinabangay kami sa akong bana sa pagbaligya og isda kada adlaw para makakaon ang among duha kaanak,” Rizza said.
(We helped each other in selling fish every day so that we could provide food for our two kids.)
Providing for their family’s basic necessities daily, such as food and school supplies, seemed like a never-ending challenge for the couple.
“Lisod kaayo nga mahimong pobre, pero kon wala tay buhaton sa atong kapobrehon magpabilin gayud ang atong pamilya nga walay asenso,” said Rizza.
(Being poor is very hard, but if we don’t do anything, our family will remain poor)
However, if their faith in God helped them overcome their vices, DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) helped them overcome their financial difficulties.
In December 2011, the Francisco family became one of the beneficiaries of 4Ps in San Jose. 4Ps is a flagship program of DSWD that offers conditional cash grants to enhance health, nutrition, and education for qualified poor households.
At that time, their eldest child, Reina Joy, was nine years old, and the younger one, Ronald II, was seven. Since becoming part of the program, the Francisco family has improved their living conditions.
The cash grants they received helped them to financially support their children’s educational and health needs. With financial help from the government, they were able to use their income to gradually expand their business of buying and selling fish.
Through their consistent participation in the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS), one of the requirements of the 4Ps, Rizza learned more about how to manage herself and her family.
The lessons she learned in every FDS supported the Christian teaching they had received and made it a guiding light in their daily lives. FDS topics such as financial literacy, health and nutrition, gender, and development helped their family and strengthened their ties with their neighbors and the rest of their community.
As self-employed fish vendors with a combined estimated monthly income of P30,000, they became known suppliers in their local market. Subsequently, the family bought a cargo truck and supplied fish to San Jose Public Market and the nearby towns.
The Francisco family also joined the Perpetual Help Credit Cooperative Inc., which grants loans and savings, helping them manage their finances effectively.
With this membership and all their endeavors, the Francisco family gained a Level 3 or self-sufficiency level after the Social Welfare and Development Indicator (SWDI) conducted by the 4Ps Municipal Link. They gained a total SWDI score of 2.92269, indicating they can meet their basic needs and maintain financial stability.
The family is among the first batch graduates in San Jose. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental with reports from DSWD)
