Photo 2: Margie proudly accompanies her second child, Florissa, during the latter’s graduation ceremony.
Margie Estenor, a resident of Ginatilan, Cebu, attests to the significant impact of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) on her family’s well-being and their understanding of children’s rights.
Through the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS), Margie and her husband, Virgilio, gained valuable insights into effective family management and parental responsibilities.
“Ang 4Ps nakahatag og dakong kaayohan sa pagdumala sa pamilya ug pag-edukar sa mga ginikanan sa mga katungod sa mga kabataan pinaagi sa binuwan nga FDS (The 4Ps provided a positive impact on how to handle families and on how to educate parents on the rights of the children through the conduct of the monthly FDS),” Margie narrated.
Under the program, the beneficiaries regularly attend the FDS which intends to strengthen their capacities to become more responsible to the health and education needs of the family and their children.
The FDS also enables the households to become socially aware and be involved and participative in community development activities.
Despite having experience in raising children, Margie acknowledges that the FDS serves as a crucial reminder of children’s rights and the duties of parenthood.
Before becoming a 4Ps beneficiary, the Estenor family’s journey was not easy. With no steady income, Margie and Virgilio’s earnings from farming often fell short of meeting their daily needs. Both Margie and Virgilio had to forgo their education due to poverty, a cycle they were determined to break for the sake of their children.
“Dili ko ganahan nga ipasa ang among kalisud sa among mga anak hangtud sa sunod pa nga henerasyon sa among pamilya (I do not want to pass this poverty-stricken life to our children and the next generation of our family),” Margie said.
Their lives took a hopeful turn in 2011 when they became one of the beneficiaries of the 4Ps program.
With cash grants allotted for education and health of the children, Margie ensured that their three monitored children—Florissa, Jerome, and Jezyl—had access to essential services.
The 4Ps is the flagship program of the national government on poverty reduction and social development implemented by the DSWD. It provides cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged 0-18.
Margie and Virgilio took this opportunity to improve the current situation of their family. Applying the lessons they gained from their regular attendance to FDS, they transformed their backyard into a thriving organic garden and ventured into livestock farming, demonstrating their commitment to self-sufficiency.
Supported by additional assistance from the Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG) under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), they navigated challenges with resilience and determination.
Margie also enlisted as a community volunteer in the KALAHI-CIDSS program, another poverty alleviation program of DSWD. It helped her become a more active participant in their barangay in addressing their needs.
The Estenor couple’s efforts and determination bore fruit as their children pursued education.
Florissa, their second child, graduated with a Bachelor of Secondary in Education, majoring in Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE). She passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) in June 2022 and is now a public school teacher at the Salamanca National High School.
As Margie expresses gratitude for the assistance provided by the DSWD through its various programs, she said that their family is now ready to exit from the 4Ps program.
“Andam na kami nga mobiya sa programa tungod kay nagtuo ko nga ang tabang nga nahimo sa programa sa among pamilya kay igo na ug gani nakagradwar na ang akong usa ka anak nga maoy nakarga sa programa ug karon usa na ka lisensyadong maestra (We are now ready to exit from the program because I believe the assistance provided by the program is already enough and in fact, one of my children who is monitored under the program is already a college graduate and is now a licensed teacher),” Margie proudly shared.
“I am thankful to DSWD through their different programs because these addressed our family’s needs, especially in sending our children to school,” Margie said in their dialect.
The Estenor family’s story serves as a testament to the transformative power of government initiatives in uplifting the lives of the poor and vulnerable sectors. #
