She only wishes to help her husband earn a living for their growing family; but she keeps failing miserably.

Ate Jenie Hayag, a resident of Brgy. Rizal in San Narciso, Quezon, manages a small sari-sari store to augment the small income her husband receives as a poultry helper in Bicol.  They have five children and their only wish for them is to be healthy always and get a good education for a better future.

“Madalas sirado ang tindahan ko dahil walang puhunan.  Binubuksan lang kapag nagkapera na ulit,” she shared.

Since her business is unstable, Ate Jenie’s family has to make do of what her husband sends them every now and then. She related that there are times that she wanted to send one child to school per school year.  However, she thought better of it. Despite being poor, she understands that sending her children to school is her obligation and educating them will be the key towards a better life for all of them.

Thankfully, these thoughts of hers were reinforced under the government programs’ like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Kapit-Bisig sa Kahirapan—Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). 

 

Keeping her children in school

Ate Jenie never fails to encourage her children to do well in school even with the financial problems they have and the poor classroom situations – classes being conducted under the shade of trees or in a small hut.

When Pantawid Pamilya program started in 2009, it helped her family with their finances, especially for the education of her children. The cash grants from the program enabled her to send all children to school at the same time. The grants also allowed her to save money from her husband’s income, which she used as capital for her sari-sari store business.

The Kalahi-CIDSS, on the other hand, has brought her barangay a school building in 2012. Ate Jenie cannot forget how glad and excited her children about the new classrooms.

“Naging mas excited pumasok yung mga anak ko. Natutuwa ako na gustong-gusto na nilang matuto at makapagtapos. Ang sabi nila sa akin, magtatapos sila at tutulungan nilang makaahon ang pamilya namin,” she shared.

Because of the benefits of the Kalahi-CIDSS school building, Ate Jenie did not hesitate to be a volunteer in the next cycle of the program.  But sadly, she was not able attended any training.  Thus she could not participate fully in the implementation process.  She however finds time to help in the implementation of the subproject by looking and encouraging volunteers to participate especially in the subproject construction phase.  Their subproject is the construction of the culvert.

“Kahit hindi ako mismo ang nagtatrabaho sa construction, alam kong nakakatulong pa rin ako hindi lang sa proyekto kundi pati sa mga taong nabibigyan ng pansamantalang trabaho,” she shared.

With the two programs, it is not only her family that is benefited. As a parent leader of Pantawid Pamilya, she has seen how her members have given value to education as well.

Managing her business better

Her failure in making her small sari-sari store grow did not hinder Ate Jenie from trying again and again. However, it is only recently that she began understanding the intricacies of business when she became a beneficiary of the SLP, a community-based program that provides zero-interest capital assistance and capacity building to qualified beneficiaries to help improve their socio-economic status.

Ate Jenie was loaned Php10,000.00 in July 2013 which she used to start her sari-sari store business again. This time, she is determined not to make the same mistakes she did before.

“Dahil sa mga seminars sa SLP, nakita ko ang mga pagkakamali ko sa pagpapatakbo ng tindahan ko. Dati kasi, kuha lang ako ng kuha sa kita ko, hindi ako naglilista kaya hindi ko namomonitor yung negosyo. Yun pala, dapat bawat pasok at labas ng pera nakalista at kung anuman ang kunin ko, dapat ibabalik ko,” she shared.

Ate Jenie is very thankful to the program, especially now that she is seeing more profit from her sari-sari store. From the time she was loaned the capital, she is able to pay her weekly obligations to the program and save money for the future.

“Itong SLP ay hindi lang basta tungkol sa pera. Malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa mga trainings dahil malaki ang natutunan ko tungkol sa maayos na pagpapatakbo ng negosyo, at sana tuloyang bumuti ang buhay ng aming pamilya,” she shared.

With her growing business, Ate Jenie is able to support most of the needs of her family, especially the education of her children. Even though the Pantawid Pamilya program, her family being a beneficiary for five years, is coming to an end soon, Ate Jenie does not worry. With what the DSWD programs taught her, she knows she is leading her family to a better tomorrow.

“Labis akong malulungkot pag nawala na ang mga programang ito, pero handang handa na ako. Lahat ng natutunan ko dito, gagamitin ko para sa ikauunlad ng pamilya ko,” she shared.***