Every week, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) posts success stories of beneficiaries on its Facebook page. Titled “Kwento ng Pag-Asa at Pagbabago (#KPAP)” (Stories of Hope and Transformation), these stories feature beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and other DSWD initiatives.
Recently, DSWD’s #KPAP story featured the Laylo family, a 4Ps beneficiary family from Hermosa, Bataan. Since joining the program in 2012, the family was able to overcome poverty and become self-sufficient — leading to them becoming the Provincial Winner of the 2024 Search for “Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya (Exemplary 4Ps Family).” Read on to learn more about their inspiring story!
4Ps Family from Bataan Overcomes Poverty
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is the flagship anti-poverty program of the Philippine government. For several years now, it has helped in changing the lives of many Filipinos. One great example is the Laylo family, whose story was published lately through a DSWD press release.
Struggling to Make Ends Meet
The Laylo family consists of parents Paulino and Corazon, and their seven children. According to Corazon, life before was a daily struggle to make ends meet.
“Talagang ang hirap ng buhay nung una… ang ginagawa ko, nakikitinda talaga ako, aangkat ako ng gulay, ibebenta ko…magbabahay-bahay kami, maglalako kami. Inaabot kami ng ala-una walang kain (Life was really hard before… What I did was, I sold vegetables, going from house to house. There were times when we did not have food to eat until 1:00 pm),” Corazon recalled.
Likewise, Paulino shared: “Nung nasa bundok kami, nalilipasan din ng oras yung kain dahil wala talaga, tinitipid. Nakukuha naman ng mga anak ko, naiintindihan nila, pag mayroon naman eh di babawi na lang (When we lived in the mountains, there were times when we were unable to eat on time because of lack of money. Still, my children understood, they knew that when there’s food they’d be able to eat).”
Despite their daily struggles, Paulino and Corazon never lost hope. They were determined to provide a better life for their children.
Joining the 4Ps Program
Things began to change for the Laylo family in 2012, when they became part of the 4Ps program. They received cash grants in the form of health assistance and educational assistance. The educational grants were truly beneficial; the Laylo children were motivated to perform well in school. They joined various school and community activities, and became honor students!
Achieving Their Goals
Notably, Paulino and Corazon’s son, Carl Lorenz, finished school and eventually became an enlisted man of the Philippine Navy. At present, he is stationed in the West Philippine Sea.
Aside from the children achieving academic and career goals, the Laylo family has gained much from attending Family Development Sessions (FDS), which is one of the conditions of the 4Ps program.
“Dahil sa naitulong at sa naitanim sa amin sa mga family development sessions, natutunan namin at naisabuhay namin na tumulong din sa iba (Thanks to various lessons taught during family development sessions, we learned positive values and also became more helpful to others),” Corazon explained.
Joining the SLP Program
In addition to being part of the 4Ps, the Laylo family has also benefitted from the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
“Yung SLP na yun na Php 15,000 grant, kinausap ko yung pamilya ko. Sinabi ko gagamitin daw ito sa negosyo. Kaya ba natin kung tutulungan ninyo ako, susuportahan ninyo ako? Sumagot sila na kaya namin (After receiving the SLP grant worth PHP 15,000, I talked to my family and said that the money would be used for business. Will you be able to help me, and support me? And they answered yes, they would),” Corazon stated.
“Sa pagtutulung-tulong namin na yun, ginawa naming puhunan sa kakanin. Ipinamili namin yun lahat ng kailangan ko sa kakanin, suman, sapin-sapin, puto, kutsinta. Talagang pinagyaman namin (By working together, we used the grand as capital for food business. We used it all for buying ingredients to make suman, sapin-sapin, puto, kutsinta. We maximized the grant),” she said.
Pretty soon, the Laylo family was not only able to sustain their food business; they were able to turn into a steady source of income, which continues to support their daily expenses.
These days, other than running their food business, the Laylo Family also manages a small farm. Here, they grow fruits such as calamansi (local lime), mangoes, and black plums. They have also ventured into raising pigs.
Becoming “Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya”
The Laylo family’s dedication towards uplifting their lives has recently earned them an award — Provincial Winner of the 2024 Search for “Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya” (Exemplary 4Ps Family).”
“Hindi po ako makapaniwala, sobra po. Sabi ko, bakit kami? Anong mayroon sa aming pamilya? Bakit kami yung napili? Kami yung naging huwarang pamilya? Sabi ko napakalaking sa aming pamilya na kami yung mapili (I couldn’t believe it. I said, why us? What makes our family special? Why were we chosen? We are the exemplary family? It is truly a big deal for us, that we are the chosen family),” Corazon exclaimed.
Next year, the Laylo family is set to exit or “graduate” from the 4Ps program. At this point, they are looking forward to a future of continuing growth and success.
“Sa DSWD, sa programang Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, talagang hinding-hindi namin malilimutan kahit na kami ay matanggal na o maka-graduate (We will never forget the 4Ps program of the DSWD even after we graduate),” Corazon shared.
About the 4Ps Program
The 4Ps program was launched in 2008 and institutionalized in 2019 through Republic Act No. 11310. As the national poverty reduction strategy program of the Philippine government, it provides conditional cash transfers to low-income families. Spanning a maximum period of seven (7) years in the program, it enables families to improve their children’s health, nutrition, and education.
Every month, each 4Ps household beneficiary receives PHP 750 as health assistance, along with educational assistance depending on the school level of each child (i.e. PHP 300 for elementary, PHP 500 for junior high, and PHP 700 for senior high school students). There can be a maximum of three monitored children per household. In addition, a monthly rice subsidy of PHP 600 is also given.
Final Thoughts
Indeed, the Laylo family sets a great example for all other 4Ps beneficiaries: hardworking parents, children who are studying hard and excelling in school, the whole family working together in running a business. All of these things have led to their much-deserved “Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya” award.
The 4Ps program has definitely played a huge role in uplifting the lifes of many Filipinos. In Negros Oriental, for example, there’s also a family that has overcome poverty, thanks to the program. Check out this article to learn more about their story!