For Marilou Pasacay, 47, a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Brgy. Anabu II-C, Imus City, Cavite, being a wife and a mother is a lot of responsibilities already. She and her husband Pepito work hard to send their children and grandchildren to school believing on the importance of education for the good future they are dreaming of.

When the Pantawid Pamilya program came, Marilou was chosen as a parent leader among mother-grantees in their barangay. Though she wanted to quit because of the number of added responsibilities, she remains one of the most active parent leaders in the city.

“Para sa akin, kaming mga parent leader ay ang mga makabagong bayani dito sa aming komunidad dahil sa dedikasyon namin para tulungan ang kapwa namin mahihirap ng walang inaasahang anumang kapalit,” shared Marilou.

In the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilya, parent-grantees are organized into groups of 25 to 30 members, and one member is chosen as a parent leader. The parent leader assists co-beneficiaries in complying with their co-responsibilities with the program, helps the DSWD staff with the monitoring of compliance of members and encourages unity among members for community activities.

In the CALABARZON Region, there are more than 10,000 organized parent groups of Pantawid beneficiaries. ***with reports from MEMCastelo