As the adage goes, a mother’s love is unconditional and surpasses all kinds of love in this world. In the Philippine culture, the mother serves as the light of the home. It is common for Filipino mothers to take care of the children and keep the household while the father works to earn a living. Over the years and because of poverty, the responsibility of earning a living has become the role of both the father and mother.

Melinda Sobrenilla of Olongapo City is a mother to nine children and wife to an ailing husband. As the sole bread winner, she needs to work hard to feed her family and support her husband’s medication.  Melinda is a wife, a mother and woman striving to fulfil all the roles rested upon her shoulders. That was the situation Melinda was in when she was introduced to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program back in 2009.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program of the national government that invests in the health and education of poor households particularly of children aged 0-14. Households receive cash grants on the condition that: (1) pregnant women undergo pre-natal check-ups and give birth in accredited birthing facilities attended by a trained and skilled health worker; (2) mothers must undergo post natal check-up; (3) children aged 0-5 must undergo preventive health check-up;(4) children aged 6-14 must receive deworming pills at least twice a year; (5) children aged 3-14 must attend school at least 85% of the time and (6) parent/s or guardians must attend the Family Development Session (FDS).

According to Melinda, the FDS has helped her to become a better mother. She learns to be more compassionate to her children. She makes it a point to check on the studies of her children despite the multiple roles that she had to assume. She became more caring not only to her children but most especially to her ailing husband. As Melinda said, her husband needs her more today.

A mother’s strength is incomparable. For Rhodora Balbuena of Carmen, Cebu, being strong would mean getting through life’s obstacles and challenges.

“Dors” as she is fondly called, married at an early age believing that it would bring her a better life, far from the hard life she had. Marriage though was far from the life that Dors was looking for. Their seven-year relationship was filled with hardships, bitterness, anger, pain, and infidelity.  Dors hit rock bottom and came to a point that she almost took her own life just to run away from all her problems.
When her family was chosen as beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilya in 2011, the Family Development Sessions (FDS), one of the conditionalities that a beneficiary must comply, helped Dors and her husband start to iron their differences. However, her husband continued to philander leaving Dors with no option but to end the relationship.

From then on, Dors set a goal for herself, “nakat-on ko sa among FDS nga dili angay padak-on akong mga anak sa kalagot, kahi-ubos ug pagdumot aron dili mabati ilang pagkatao. Mau nga maningkamot ko nga walay pagdumot ilang kasingkasing ug maibsan ilang kalagot aron di pud sila maglagot sa ilang kaugalingon (I learned from our FDS that it is not right to raise your children in anger and hatred so they would not turn out to be an ugly person inside. I will try my best to ease their hurt, erase hatred in their hearts, hopefully I can lessen their anger so they won’t end up being angry with themselves),” she said.

It cannot be denied though that she is hurting still but “Mas nasakitan ko sa gibuhat sa akong bana kaysa galagot ko. Apan naningkamot ko nga di ko maglagot aron makabaton ug pasaylo akong mga anak (I am more hurt than angry at my husband. However, I am trying my best not to get angry so my children will learn to forgive),” said Dors softly.

Today, Melinda and Dors realize the value of FDS life-changing teachings that greatly influence them in coping with different challenges affecting their own families. Both of them are hopeful of the bright future that awaits them – that is, to pull themselves out of the inter-generational cycle of poverty. ### (DSWD-Pantawid Pamilya Social Marketing Unit) 4 July 2013