For the Magallanes Family of Dasmariñas City, Cavite, what is important is that the children are in school even if they have “toyo at asin” only for dinner. But still, it was enough then.
********************************************************************************
HOW SWEET LIFE IS—NO MORE “TOYO AT ASIN” FOR DINNER
It does not matter if they have “toyo at asin” for dinner. What matters is that all of the seven children are in school.
For the Magallanes Family of Brgy. Zone 3 in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, education will be their only key towards improving their life. Hence, every member of the family will sacrifice and do everything just to achieve their only dream—to finally taste a good life.
Thankfully, it seems that they don’t have to continue getting “toyo at asin” for dinner.
Better chances with higher education
Girlie, 46, shares how, as a mother, she has to struggle budgeting her husband’s income as a house painter for their family’s needs.
“Ang pera namin, talagang kasya lang pambili ng bigas at pamasahe sa school ng mga bata. Kaya toyo at asin na lang ang inuulam namin,” Girlie shared.
However, she shared that the coming of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in their life helped the family achieve the dream for the children.
“Noong dumating ang Pantawid, may sumasagot na sa gastusin sa school ng mga bata. ‘Yung kinikita ng asawa ko, nailalaan na namin para sa ibang gastusin katulad ng pambili ng ulam,” said Girlie.
Further, the family was able to allot money for the higher education of their elder children. Girlie also learned the value of discipline and strict budget management in the Family Development Sessions, one of her co-responsibilities as a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilya program. Girlie learned to prioritize their expenses and eventually, saved enough money to support Evangeline, their eldest child, to get a college degree.
Evangeline, 23, is now working as a cashier in a shopping mall and is also a part-time dance instructress. According to Girlie, Evangeline is already able to help the family, especially in supporting the other educational needs of the children.
Seeing how a college education, through Evangeline’s example, can help children find better-paying jobs, the family became more decided to send the other children to college, too.
Everyone’s commitment
All the younger children are committed towards finishing their studies, a reason they sacrifice even their meals just so they’ll have money for transportation to school.
“Lalo pang naging masigasig ang mga anak ko sa pag-aaral. Nakakasubmit na rin sila ng mga projects sa takdang oras,” shared Girlie.
Three of the Magallanes children are in high school, their youngest is in elementary and one is taking up a vocational course.
Luckily for the family, Mary Rose, 20, the second child, became a beneficiary of the Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) in 2014.
The ESGP-PA is a scholarship program of the Commission on Higher Education directed to high school graduate members of Pantawid Pamilya households. The said scholarship supports the tuition and other school expenses of beneficiaries in identified state universities and colleges.
Mary Rose is on her first year taking up BS Information Technology in Cavite State University.
“Maswerte ako kasi napasama ako sa ESGP-PA. Sa dami naming magkakapatid, makakabawas na ako sa hirap ng aking mga magulang para pag-aralin kaming lahat,” Mary Rose gratefully shared.
According to Girlie, she and her husband will continually work hard to ensure the rest of her children will get a chance to earn a college degree and see them having better jobs and better lives in the future.
She is also thankful that besides the cash grants her family receive from the Pantawid Pamilya program, she also learns positive values from the FDS that she can apply at home and teach her children as well. This includes self-discipline, perseverance and financial management. These, Girlie shared, urged the whole family to continue working hard for their dreams.
“Kahit malaki ang aming pamilya, natuto kami at naturuan namin ang aming mga anak ng maayos na pag-uugali. Nakatatak din sa bawat isa ang kahalagahan ng edukasyon—antg tanging kayamanan na maiiwan namin sa kanila para maging mas maginhawa ang buhay namin,” Girlie shared.
As Girlie looks back to their past, she’ll never forget the experience of the “toyo at asin” being shared by all nine of them. For her, and probably the rest of the family, the “toyo at asin” is a symbol of their family’s sacrifices and their journey towards this sweet life they all are enjoying today and in the future.# with reports from MTugano