Cebuanos share how 4Ps helped uplift their lives

CEBU CITY – Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) swore how they overcame hardships through the national government aid program that has helped them send their children to college and uplift their standard of living.

Annabelle Vildosola, a 4Ps partner-beneficiary from Malabuyoc town here, took pride in her five children who are all now college graduates through their perseverance and with the help of the program.

“Nabag-o ang among kinabuhi sa dihang naapil na kami sa 4Ps kay aduna na kami kaabag sa among pagpaeskwela sa among mga bata. Kining edukasyon lamang among mahatag,” Vildosola said as she expressed her gratitude as she and her husband felt the success in rearing their children and helping them get a college diploma.

“Imposible na kaayo nga miingun kami nga dili pa gihapon kami makabarog, kay sa tanang tabang nga nahatag sa programa sa among pamilya. Sakto na nga kami makabarong ug pinaagi pod sa among pagtinabangay og paningkamot sa pamilya,” she added.

Lorna Cordova, a 4Ps partner-beneficiary from Bantayan Island, said the national aid program gave her family hope, as their children were able to go to school. Cordova recalled that the first time she received her cash grant from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Central Visayas (DSWD-7), she could not help but utter to herself “goodbye kahirapan” as she considered it the start of their family's road to progress.

She said her family is now in a much better situation than before, adding that she is proud of her children who have become engineers, a teacher and a finance graduate. There is still a remaining child in college. “Makabarog na kami. Kining grasya sa 4Ps ipasa napod kini sa lain nga labing nanginahanglan,” she said.

From living in a small house which she described as like a chicken coop, the Cordova family is now building their own home.

Vildosola and Cordova are among the 336 partner-beneficiaries of 4Ps in Cebu who took part in a ceremonial graduation and partnership summit organized by the DSWD-7 in Mandaue City recently.

Leah Quintana, DSWD-7 information officer, told the Philippine News Agency that unlike any other graduation ceremonies, the rites attended by the 4Ps partner-beneficiaries manifest their families’ improved standard of living after years of getting support from the government through the program.

She said some of the families expressed their gratitude and acceptance as they gladly graduated from the program to pave the way for new families who, like them before, have been struggling to put food on the table and send their children to school.

Some of the 4Ps graduates now have their own vehicles, stores, businesses, as well as house and lot.

Quintana said some of them have gone into public service such as by becoming barangay officials, barangay health workers, local government unit employees, and community volunteers in the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Service.

The batch of 4Ps graduate-families produced 242 college graduates. They were able to produce teachers, engineers, seafarers, hospital workers, medical technologists, overseas Filipino workers, Certified Public Accountants and other professionals. (John Rey Saavedra)