CATARMAN, Northern Samar (PIA)  --  The Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) in this town is collecting stories on the experiences of solo parents in order to drum up awareness of the law that protects and enlists the benefits of single parents.

Dubbed “Kuwentong Nay, Tay,” the inspiring stories are collected from the comments section in the advocacy post of the MSWDO and on the social media page of the Catarman Information Office, and this will be launched in time with the observance of Solo Parents Week, from April 12 to 21, 2024.

The story of Imelda Balleta, 51 years old, a solo parent of four children from Catarman, was one classic example of “Kuwentong Nay, Tay.”

“For more than 20 years, I worked hard, hopping from one store to another as a saleslady, sometimes a cook, and an errand girl just to provide food for my four children after my husband left us for no reason,” Balleta shared.

“All the hard work paid off. I am happy now. Of my four children, three have finished their schooling and are now working. I survived because of the government’s 4Ps, and as a solo parent, I was hired to work at Catarman MSWDO,” she added.

Catarman MSWDO is posting subjects on the expanded solo parent act, what this law is all about, its additional benefits, requirements, and processes of accreditation as a solo parent, aside from the sharing of life experiences of solo parents.

As of 2023, Catarman MSWDO records 414 registered solo parents: 368 female and 46 male, said Ms. Sarah Irnicka Cardenas, registered social worker.

Cardenas said the highest category of solo parents were widows and widowers. Categories of solo parents as reflected in Republic Act 8972 are those who gave birth to a child or children as a consequence of rape, death of a spouse, detention of a spouse for at least three months, physical or mental incapacity of a spouse, legal separation or de facto from a spouse, declaration of nullity or annulment of marriage, and abandonment by a spouse.

In the Expanded Solo Parent Welfare Act as amended by Republic 11861 on June 4, 2022, categories include: a parent who provides sole parental care and support to a child or children; a spouse; any family member or a guardian of the child or children of OFW; an unmarried parent who keeps and rears a child or children; a legal guardian, adoptive parent, or foster parent who solely provides parental care and support; and any relative within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity of the parent or legal guardian.

There are comprehensive packages of programs and services for solo parents that include livelihood, educational assistance for the children, skills development through training and counselling, among others, said Cardenas.

Such services and assistance were already availed of by solo parents through DOLE-TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program), DSWD-AICS (Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations), and other provisions from partner non-government organizations.

In Catarman, MSWDO is working out and continues to lobby for the local government unit to give a P1,000 per month subsidy for the solo parent with below-threshold income as provided in the Expanded Solo Welfare Act charged to the Gender and Development Fund.

This year’s Solo Parents Week observance is anchored on the theme, “Solo Parent na Rehistrado, sa Gobyerno Tiyak na Protektado!” (AND, PIA Northern Samar)