A WALK FOR HER FAMILY. Janice Regio, a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and a volunteer of the Kalahi-CIDSS, walks from house to house in Brgy. Macpac in Catanauan, Quezon to read water meters so she can earn a living for her family of four. She admits the job is hard and the pay is low to feed her family. But for the sake of her barangay, she is happily doing the job and is continuously proving community members of her worth for the job.

Janice Regio, a 27-year-old mother of two from Brgy. Macpac in the town of Catanauan, Quezon, reserves the 26th of every month to earn a living. She goes from one house to another in their barangay reading water meters of a total of 77 households. On the 5th of the succeeding month, she retraces her steps from house to house collecting payments. She does this on foot all the time, but she does not complain. She is paid Php200 a month, but she’s keeping the job for almost two years now.

Janice admits the job is hard and the pay is low to feed her family. But for the sake of her barangay, she is happily doing the job and is continuously proving community members of her worth for the job.

A Job for the Barangay

Prior to getting the job in the barangay’s water system association, Janice is one of the volunteers who worked for the implementation of a level 2 water system in their community under the first cycle of the Kalahi-CIDSS program. She worked as a bookkeeper and for her, this is her way of helping her barangay—the place where she grew up and started her own family.

From her recounts of the difficulty in water access in their barangay before, Janice sees how well the water system has helped their community. She shared how people no longer have to travel long distances to wash their laundry in the river and how they have access to potable water now.

As part of the community’s commitment in maintaining the project, they have organized the Macpac Water System Association. Janice is voted to take the job of reading the water meters and collecting payments from households for Php200 a month.

“Yung mga nakokolektang bayad ay ginagamit ng grupo sa maintenance ng water system katulad ng pagpapatest ng tubig at pag-aayos ng mga sirang linya. Kahit sabihin nating konti lang yung kinikita ko dito, hindi ko na yun iniisip. Ang sa akin lang, basta makatulong ako sa barangay ko,” she shared.

Her love and concern for the barangay is proven once more during the implementation of the second cycle of the Kalahi-CIDSS program. Brgy. Macpac has been funded a project once more, which is the construction of a health center.

“Nasiyahan ako sa ginagawa ng Kalahi, nakakatulong talaga ito sa barangay kaya masaya akong nag-volunteer ulit sa Kalahi. Masaya ako sa ginagawa ko para sa barangay,” she said.

Today, the health center stands tall in their barangay. Janice is happy that she sees that the whole community is taking advantage of the building. Now, she says that they no longer conduct checkups under the tree and they have access to a complete facility.

A Job for her Family

Starting her own family at a young age of 20 is hard for Janice and her husband, a construction worker in Manila who sends them Php1,500 every month. Janice admits that her husband’s income is not enough most of the time. That’s why she is more eager to keep her job and be patient with performing her tasks despite how hard it is and how low her income is.

Thankfully, upon being a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in 2011, she no longer has to worry about most of her children’s needs especially on their health, nutrition and education. Despite the cash grants she receives, she held onto her job knowing she must not fully rely on the grants for their day-to-day expenses.

More than the cash grants, though, she is thankful for what she learned as a parent leader and as a beneficiary of the program especially on Family Development Sessions (FDS).

“Natutunan ko ang pagpaplano ng pamilya at tamang pangangalaga sa asawa at mga anak ko. Dati, kung ano lang yung nararamdaman o gusto ko, yun lang ang susundin ko o gagawin ko,” she shared.

Janice said that through her attendance to FDS, she now knows how to take care of her family. She gives full attention to her children now and she can already control situations that may trigger fights between her and her husband.

Moreover, Janice learned to dream for her children and her family.

“Natutunan ko rin sa Pantawid ang pagbubudget at pag-iimpok. Kaya naman ngayon, nag-iipon ako para sa kinabukasan ng mga bata,” she shared.

Despite the small income her family earns every month, she still manages to save something for the future. Being a high school graduate herself and having no stable job, she wants her two children to finish college.

“Gagawin ko ang lahat ng makakaya ko para mapagtapos ang mga anak ko ng college. Napaka-importante ng edukasyon para makamit nila ang mga gusto nila paglaki nila,” Janice said.

As Janice walks from house to house performing her job, she is a picture of a young mother determined to keep her children in school and ensure they all are in good shape. For her, it does not matter if she walks the whole course of Brgy. Macpac for a day or two in a month. She is just thankful that the programs of the DSWD have made way for her to help her community and her family at the same time. For Janice, this job is in itself rewarding at least for the good future she is eyeing for her barangay and her children.***