“Matagal akong naitali sa paniniwalang ang babae ay dapat nasa loob lang ng bahay. Pero simula nang naging Parent Leader na ako para sa Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, nalaman ko na mas marami pa pala akong pwedeng magawa at magampanan, hindi lang para sa ikauunlad ng aking sarili, kundi lalo na ng aking pamilya (I was tied up for a long time with the belief that women must spend their lives sheltered inside their homes, but when I started to be a parent leader for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, I learned that I can do more things and roles to partake, not only for the development of myself, but especially for my family),” said Aling Glomeline.

 Glomeline Taguinod from Dadda, Tuguegarao City is one of the 160,000 parent leaders of the Pantawid Pamilya nationwide.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of children aged 0-18. It utilizes the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme that provides cash grants to poor households on the condition that the children attend school, get preventive check-ups and that parent/s or guardian attend the monthly Family Development Session (FDS). Cash grant is received by the most responsible member of the household and is referred to as the grantee.

In the implementation of  the program, the household-grantees are clustered into small groups of 20 to 30 members within their respective barangays to strengthen participation and support among beneficiaries in complying with program conditions, improving family life and increasing involvement in community development activities.

 “Bilang isang Parent Leader, napaunlad ko ang aking pakikipagkapwa-tao (As a parent leader, I was able to improve my interpersonal skills),” the humble leader said. Her communication skills were enhanced since she interacts with different people. She also takes charge in relaying information to her members about the schedule of FDS, updates, and announcements about the program.

 As a parent leader, Aling Glomeline feels a sense of pride being able to lead a group of people.

 “Masaya ako kasi kahit ganito lang ako, kahit papaano, kaya ko rin palang maging lider. Masarap ‘yung pakiramdam na may mga taong nakikinig sa iyo, at kinikilala ka nilang pinuno (I’m happy because even though I’m only like this, somehow I can also be a leader. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that there are people listening to you, and they recognize you as leader),” she said.

 Likewise, in the small village of San Isidro in Catanauan, Quezon, a group of laundrywomen was organized, not only as support group, but  also to help in their community.

 “Ang pagtulong sa barangay ang nakikita naming paraan para suklian ang tulong na natatanggap namin mula sa gobyerno. Para sa ikauunlad din naman ng baranggay namin ang ginagawa namin (Helping our village is one way of  giving back the help that we get from the government. Also, what we are doing is for the development of our village),” shared Melody Murillo, one of the members of the group.

 Since the group was established in 2011, these laundrywomen have been active in community activities such as cleanup drives, community herbal and vegetable gardening, Brigada Eskwela, and other church activities.

 “Sa palagay ko, yung pagsasabuhay namin sa programa sa pamamagitan ng disiplina sa isa’t isa ang isa sa mga maipagmamalaki namin. Meron mang pasaway dito ay madali pa ring nahihikayat (I think, living by the teaching of the programs such as being disciplined is one thing that we can be proud of. Even though there are some who are hard-headed, they can still be easily enticed),” Melody added.

 All of them admit that being active in the community takes a lot of their time, however, they are all glad to be of help.

“Hindi naman po namin napapabayaan ang mga responsibilidad namin sa bahay. Inaasikaso muna namin ang mga anak namin bago kami pumunta sa isang activity. Suportado rin kami ng mga asawa namin at alam nila na parte ito ng mga responsibilidad namin sa programa (We do not think we have neglected the responsibilities at home. We make sure that we prioritize the needs of our children before we the attend the activities. We are also supported by our husbands and they know that this is part of our responsibility),” shared Raquel Cagayan, 41, current parent leader of the group.

The role of mothers has indeed evolved. From being simple homemakers then, many mothers today are more involved in the community. For the mother-grantees of Pantawid Pamilya, the program has become an instrument to make sure that their presence and opinion will matter.   ###