Widowed for nearly four years, Leonita Panoy, 51, a beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program from Payatas, Quezon City, was left to raise two children and grandchildren by herself.

She confessed, “Hindi naging madali (It was never easy).”

“Masasabi ko na bilang isang  solo parent ay may mga pagkakataon talagang mahirap at maramingpangangailangan pero ang Pantawid Pamilya ang naging katuwang ko para malampasan ang mga pagsubok na ito at pagandahin at pahalagahan ang pagiging magulang  (I can say that being a  solo parent is not an easy task. At times, it has been difficult and demanding, but through the help of Pantawid Pamilya, I have weathered the rough times and enhanced my role as a parent),”  Leonita shared in her testimonial in front of officials and staff of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Central Office, Batasan Hills, during the Department’s flag raising ceremony this week.

Even now that her children have their own respective families, Leonita still helps them especially Annabelle, her 29-year old eldest daughter, who has two children.

Annabelle’s children are under her custody, the reason that in 2008, Leonita and her family became beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya.

Leonita’s two grandchildren are currently grantees of Pantawid Pamilya.

“Sa lahat ng biyaya na natatanggap ng aking pamilya, ang prioridad ko ngayon ay mapagtapos ko rin ang aking mga apo. Nagbibigay ito ng kahulugan at kapayapaan dahil alam ko na handa sila sa kanilang kinabukasan (With all the blessings received by my family, I prioritize my grandchildren’s education. It gives me a deeper sense of fulfillment and peace, knowing that they are prepared for their future),” Leonita continued.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program of DSWD that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly of children 0-18 years old.

When Leonita’s husband was still alive, the family’s source of income came from her husband’s salary as a utility worker and their small buy-and-sell charcoal business. This though was barely enough to feed and send their grandchildren to school.

During lean seasons for their business, Leonita and her late husband tried very hard to look for other sources of income to meet the family’s needs.

Things changed for the better when they became Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.

They were able to save money to expand their buy and sell business and also send their two grand children to school.

Livelihood assistance

In 2011, Leonita was overcome with grief upon learning that her husband was killed at work.

“Dumating ang oras na umiwas talaga ako sa tao at nagkulong sa bahay dahil sa awa ko sa aking sarili at lungkot. Akala ko wala na akong pag-asa na makabangon (There came a time that I became withdrawn  and hopeless),”  Leonita sadly admitted.

The turning point in her life came when the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the DSWD was introduced in their barangay. She became one of the program partners.

SLP’s Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K) program is a capability building program which aims to enhance the socio-economic skills of poor families through the organization of community-based associations for entrepreneurial development.

Leonita immediately formed a group with ten members named “Pagatas” or “Pag-asa ng Payatas”. She was respected by her peers so she was chosen to become the group’s leader.

Each of them was given P8,000 capital assistance to start their own business.

“Agad ko naisip ang pagtatahi kasi medyo may alam naman ako dito (I immediately thought of sewing as my business because I’m good at it),” recalled Leonita.

She then used the capital assistance to buy a sewing machine and materials for her small business venture. After a year, she was able to repay the capital assistance.

Today, Leonita’s sewing business is thriving, enabling her to hire sewers in her dress shop. They make uniforms, jogging pants, ready-to-wear (RTW) dresses, and curtains, among other items.

Leonita even revived her buy-and-sell charcoal business since she was able to set aside some money.

Aside from fulfilling her family’s needs, Leonita also developed her leadership skills. She is actively involved in community activities.

“Higit sa materyal na biyaya na tinatamasa namin ngayon, ang aking ipinagmamalaki ay ang aking personal na pag-unlad. Hindi naging hadlang ang pagiging mag-isa ko para mabago ang sitwasyon ng pamilya ko. (More than the material blessings we are receiving now, my personal growth is what I am proud. My being a single parent did not deter me to change our deplorable condition),” Leonita said.

She still continues to think of her husband though, and how he would have been so happy about all these things.

“Ang palaging sinasabi sa akin ng aking mga anak, na kung buhay lang ang kanilang ama ay sigurado na ipagmamalaki niya ako dahil sila mismo ay ipinagmamalaki ako (My children always tell me that if their father is still alive, he would be proud of me because they themselves are proud of me).”   ###