With no dull moment together, a group of more than 30 mothers finds it hard to believe that they were once strangers to one another.

“Noon, kapagnagkakasalubong kami sa barangay, hindi kami nagpapansinan.Perongayon, malapitnakamingmagkakaibigan. Magkakapatid pa ngaangamingturingan,” shared parent leader Josephine “Josie”Talmadge, 34.

If there was anything common among them, it is making bamboo sticks for a living and playing ‘bingo’ to pass the time. Today, however, what is common in all of them is a dream to have a better life and the determination to make it happen.

Learning together

The coming of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Brgy.Mabato in Maragondon, Cavite Province united these strangers and according to them, it started a bond that opened a lot of great experiences to all of them.

In the implementation of the program, parent-grantees (usually the mothers) are clustered into groups of 25 to 30. Called parent groups, they are organized groups for different program-related activities such as Family Development Sessions (FDS) and community activities. Each parent group is headed by a parent leader, who is a partner of the DSWD Municipal Link in the monitoring of beneficiaries in the barangay. In Brgy.Mabato’s case, Josie acts as the parent leader.

Josie shares that majority, if not all, of the members of the group engage in playing ‘bingo’ cards.

Josephine Abituin, 26, the youngest member of the group, admits to engaging in the said game to pass her time. She also shares that she has come to know the other members of the group before because they were ‘classmates’ in every game.

“Kami talagadati ay ala-una pa langnghapon, nagsisimulanasapagbibingo. Imbesnamaghanapbuhay, doon kami nagpapalipasngoras. Minsan, hindinanaaasikasoangmgaanakdahilsakakalaro,”Josephine shared.

Eliza Abreu, 35, another member of the group, agrees with Josephine. However, both of them, together with other members of the group share that with the lessons from the program, not a single member in their group now plays ‘bingo.’

Because of this, they learned to use their time wisely not only for the benefit of each member’s respective families but of the whole barangay. Besides giving more time for their children and having more time to make bamboo sticks to earn money, the group has learned to be active in the barangay.

“Dati, walakamingpakialamditosa barangay perongayon, aktiboangaminggruposamgagawaindito.Dalawangbesessaisangbuwan kami naglilinis, kahitsa school tumutulong kami,” shared Miriam Colita, 49, another member.

MabatoBrgy. Captain Hernandez Fernando can attest to how responsible this group has become. He shared that he can easily mobilize the group, especially in meetings and clean-up drives. He added that since Pantawid Pamilya came in the barangay, he observed that there is more order in the community—no more ‘bingo’ classes and no more dirty streets.

The value of sharing, having friends

As the parent leader, Josie is thankful that they have developed a friendship, which gives more fun to every activity they do together.

“Masarappalasapakiramdamnamayroongmgataonahandangtumulongsa’yokahithindimosilakamag-anak.Kahitmahirapangbuhay, napapagaanngmgakaibigangkatuladnilakapagnagkakasama-sama kami.Tinuruan din kami ngpagkakaibigangitonamagbigaysaibakahitmahiraplang kami,” Josephine shared.

She explained that because they have little, they have learned to keep what they have to themselves rather than sharing it to others. However, meeting friends taught them how satisfying it is to make other people happy.

Last July 2014, the group started a trash to cash project, which they learned from one of their FDS. Since July, they have been collecting bottles and tin cans individually, bring them every FDS schedule and sell them.

In December, they have collected around Php2,000.00fromthe said project. They used it for a gift-giving activity for all the children in Mabato Elementary School during their Christmas party. They also surprised one of their members, Eliza, with a bag of groceries for Christmas.Eliza has not been receiving cash grants for a period of time because of problems in the updating of her records in the Pantawid Pamilya system.

“Naiyaktalagaakosasobrangtuwadahil kung tutuusin, hindinamantalaganilaakokailangangbigyan,” shared Eliza, who have proven the group’s friendship at that time.

For every member of the group, every lesson they learned from the Pantawid Pamilya program has led them to become better persons and members of the community.

“Kami, magigingmabutinghalimbawa kami ditosaaming barangay, lalonasamgataonghindi pa bukasangisipsamgaitinuturosaaminngprograma. Ito lamang ‘yungmaibibigay naming tulongkapalitsanapakarami naming natatanggapngayon,” shared Josie.

Looking forward, even if the program is over, they know they’ll keep the friendship and everything they have started. No one of them will ever go back to the same life they had before; instead, they’ll altogether taste the satisfaction of a better life they all are working now for their children.***