Arnel Baldos, 38, of San Miguel, Leyte, a person with slight mental and physical disabilities, need not have to queue the long lines of people trying their luck in lottery, which he does everyday,  to have a better life.

This time, he will chart a new chapter in his life not relying on luck but   his sheer determination and hard work.

Arnel is now a certified TV repairman after undergoing the Cash for Training Program (C4TP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the local government of Leyte.

The C4TP provides training and financial assistance to qualified needy youth. Though Arnel is no longer a youth, his delayed mental and physical make-up qualified him for the program.

“Masaya po ako at kahit na ako ay may kapansanan ay kinuha pa rin ako ng DSWD at TESDA para maging isa sa kanilang benepisyaryo (I am thankful to DSWD and TESDA for including me as beneficiary of their C4TP despite my disabilities),”Arnel said.

For Arnel, this is his ticket to move his family out of poverty.

Breaking the barrier

“Nagsimula lang po akong makalakad noong ako ay sampung taong gulang na.  Gumamit po ng “Binisaya” (herbal plant) ang aking mga magulang para imasahe ang aking mga paa dahil wala naman kaming pera para magpadoktor. Salamat sa Diyos at tumalab naman ang halaman, ako’y nakalakad, pero  paika-ika dahil ang aking mga paa ay baluktot.”  (I was ten years old when I started to walk. My parents had to massage my legs using “Binisaya” (herbal plant) because we had no money to seek medical treatment. Thank God it worked and I was able to walk though with a slight limp).

“His slightly delayed mental development is manifested when you talk to him about different topics. His ideas are not that of a 38-year old man but of a 20-year old youth,” DSWD Region VIII Information Officer Vina Aquino said.

Poverty  hindered Arnel to pursue his college education.  His father is a small rice farmer and his mother, a housewife. The Baldos couple had six children,  and Arnel is the youngest.

Arnel said he would try his luck in the “Swertres” lottery  hoping good fortune would knock at their door one day.

In 2009, with the DSWD’s strong advocacy of the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities,  the Department tapped him  to participate in activities to promote the welfare of  Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).  Arnel then  became the president of the Municipal Federation of Persons with Disabilities in his locality, for a term of three years.

Arnel  became an active advocate of PWD issues. He encouraged PWDs to join the association and be able to benefit from certain privileges like discounts in medicine, groceries and other services.

Long wait is over

The turning point in Arnel’s life, however, came in just this year through the DSWD-TESDA- Leyte LGU joint project.

Arnel together with 311 other needy youth from Region VIII completed this  September a two-month Consumer Electronic Servicing course under the C4TP. After the course, Arnel and his co-trainees will  have to undergo a two–month on-the-job training (OJT).  After the OJT, they will then decide if they opt  to undertake self-employment or to be accessed to job opportunities.

This early, Arnel has chosen to go into self-employment. “Gusto ko pong magtayo ng sarili kong maliit na TV repair shop sa aming bayan (I will put up my own little TV repair shop in our town),”  he said.

Under the C4TP, Arnel also received a financial assistance of P20,000.00. The P20,000.00 financial assistance covers the training cost of Arnel’s course amounting to P6,000.00,  with an assessment fee of Php 500.00.  Since he plans to go into business later, part of his money will be deducted for the purchase of a tool kit costing P6,200. The balance of P7,300 is his allowance for the duration of the course and OJT.

During the Culmination Rites of the two-month vocational course at the TESDA office in Region VIII, Arnel was among the speakers who shared his thoughts on the new skills he acquired. In fact, he was one of the outstanding trainees of the C4TP.

“Gagamitin ko po itong natutunan ko dito sa kursong ibingay sa akin. Malaki po ang pag-asa ko ngayon na maibangon ang aking pamilya sa kahirapan (I will apply the skills I learned from this training. I have high hopes that I can provide a better life for my family),” Arnel shared.

Local Social Welfare Officer Annabelle Agner commended Arnel and the other trainees for their enthusiasm to complete the program. “I can feel that the convergence of  the DSWD, TESDA, and the local government is working,” Agner said.

For her, part Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said, “this is the right direction that our young people should take. They should use their time in productive endeavors. The DSWD will continue to tie-up with other government agencies and the private sector to develop similar projects for needy individuals.”

Secretary Soliman also recognized Arnel for his determination to overcome his limitations as a PWD saying that “Arnel has proven  that  one can indeed break the barrier of any handicap and may succeed in life.” ###