In the Making. Just like your typical love story, the story of Nanay Lina and Tatay Franco is filled with elements of surprise, romance and sacrifice. They are among the beneficiaries of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) Livelihood Project for Vulnerable Urban Poor Communities (LVUC) in Rosario, Cavite who were taught how to make handmade buri bags. For them, being together and and receiving such assistance from the government are a blessing.***

Just like your typical love story, the story of Lina and Franco is filled with elements of surprise, romance and sacrifice. The difference is that they are already in their 70s (age range).

She was 27 when Angelina met her husband Franco in the same company that they were working for in Pasig. At that time, Angelina had a boyfriend. Franco, an electrical engineer, was single and not from the said municipality.
Angelina said Franco was just simply her friend. “Hindi ko akalain magiging kami [I never thought we would end up together],” she said.
Angelina shared her unforgettable moment with Franco. She said he asked her to go out with him to the circus and enjoy some rides. At the end of the night, to her surprise, Franco asked for her hand in marriage. “Sabi ko oo [I said yes].”
Five months later, Tatay Franco and Nanay Lina were married.

Struggles in marriage
However, their married life was far from smooth.For Tatay Franco to sustain the needs of his family and plan for a better future for his children, he was forced to leave and work abroad a year After they got married.
“Iyon ang plano namin, pero hindi kami naging maingat sa paghawak ng aming kita. Kung susumahin, sa 20 taon namalagi ang asawa ko sa abroad, ang tanging mapagmamalaki lang namin ay nakapagtapos angaming mga anak sa kanilang pag-aaral [That’s our plan but, unfortunately, we were not able to manage the money properly. In the 20 years that my husband worked abroad, the only thing we could boast about is that we were able to see through our children’s schooling],” she said.
Nanay Lina remembered that every time herhusband wenthome from abroad, they would go on a trip to spend all the money her husband earned. She also admitted taking up gambling. “Naging lulon din ako sa sugal. Tuwing umaga nagsusugal ako. Napabayaan ko rin ang aming puwesto sa palengke, nagtitinda ako noon ng mga damit. [I became addicted to gambling. I would gamble every morning. I was not able to attend to our market stall to sell clothes],” she said.
As a result of their expenses,they had no savings. What little money they had was only enough to set upoa small business of producing puto, kutsinta and bangus. She also sold coffee, milk, and soap to her neighbors.
“Nadaanan namin ang lahat ng hirap para mapag-aral ang aming mga anak. Hindi nakita ng aking asawa na lumaki sila. Ako ang naging ina at ama nila. Pero pinagmamalaki ko naman at napalaki ko ang aming mga anak ng maayos [We went through all kinds of struggle just to keep our children in school. My husband did not witness our children growing up. I served as their mother and father. But I am proud that I was able to raise them well],”she said.

A second chance
In order to try to boost their family income, Nanay Lita joined the buri bag making training under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) Livelihood Project for Vulnerable Urban Poor Communities (LVUC),with funding assistance from Japan Social Development.
“Mabuti at napasama ako sa proyekto, dahil tinutulungan namin paaralin ang aming mga apo [It is good that I was able to join this livelihood project, because we are helping our grandchildren in their studies],” she said.
Nanay Lita and Tatay Lito hope their livelihood project would encourage buyers to get products from them so they can earn more income in the future. “Kahit nag-uumpisa pa lang kami, pero lahat kaming 56 na natuto sa pag-gawa ng buri ay nangangarap nakumita at sana mas maraming bumili ng aming produkto [Although we just started with our project,all 56 volunteers hope that we can earn more income and we get more buyers],” she added.

The residents of Ligtong 3, Rosario, Cavite are currently organizing a cooperative to fully sustain the operation of their livelihood project from Kalahi-CIDSS to be able to more income.***