ESCAPING FROM POVERTY. Andrea Magpantay, 47, a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program from Brgy. Sapangan in San Juan, Batangas Province, can barely write her name as she completed only a month in Grade 1. This and their poverty, according to Andrea, pushed her to marry at 15. However, instead of getting a better life, her marriage brought her more hardships as she sees her children suffering the same kind of fate.
Of her nine children, six have only finished elementary and forced to work for the family. With the support of the Pantawid Pamilya program, Andrea is grateful that one of her children is now in high school—the first in their family. This milestone inspired the family to work harder to chase their dream of finally experiencing a better life. At least for her three youngest children, Andrea believes that supporting their education will be their only escape from this situation.
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No easy way out
For a 15-year-old who has been exposed to poverty since childhood, getting married is an escape.
Andrea Magpantay, now 47, a resident of Brgy. Sapangan in San Juan, Batangas Province, shares how she had to work at an early age just so their family can survive a day. With the distance of their home from most facilities in their barangay, Andrea had only completed a month in Grade 1. Since then, she dreamed of getting out of such situation.
However, what she thought was her escape turned out to bring her into a deeper mess.
“Sa hirap ng buhay namin, naisip ko na mag-asawa na lang. Pagod na rin kasi ako kakatrabaho. Hindi ko naisip noon na baka ganito rin ang maging buhay ng mga magiging anak ko,” shared Andrea.
With nine children of her own now, Andrea sees her realization too late. Had she been given the opportunity to go to school and develop her potentials, she thought, she’ll not be in this kind of situation again and she’ll be able to provide a better life for her children.
Fortunately for Andrea, she’s now given a chance to give her children a better life.
Believing in education
Seeing her limitations because of her lack of education, Andrea and her husband Gaudencio, 52, see the value of education for the future of their children. Hence, no matter how small their income is from farming and the distance of their house to the school, they ensure that they send their children at least to elementary school.
“Yung anim naming anak, lahat Grade 6 lang ang natapos. Nakagawian na rin dito na pagkatapos ng Grade 6, magtatrabaho na para makatulong sa pamilya,” said Andrea, who is still proud of her children’s achievements in school as compared to her who could barely write her name and read a few lines.
Andrea added how she saw her children’s struggles just to learn. They have to wake up early and allot at least two hours walking the slippery and muddy slopes from their home to the school. Sometimes, they don’t even have a full stomach when they start their two-hour journey to school.
“Halos lahat din ng mga anak ko ay eight years old na bago magsimulang pumasok kasi naaawa kami na batang-bata pa ay maglalakad na ng halos apat na kilometro papasok sa eskwelahan,” she shared.
Despite everybody’s struggles, Andrea admits that they cannot afford sending their children to high school. Hence, they have no choice but to be contented with an elementary diploma and be hopeful that this would be enough to get them out of poverty. But as she sees her children starting families of their own and having the same life they’ve known all these years, Andrea can’t help but feel broken.
With this, she has long believed that there’s no more way out of this situation.
In 2010, however, she found hope when the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program came to their family. For her, it is like saving at least three of her children from experiencing the same kind of life.
‘First’ in the family
Andrea is grateful that her three youngest children—Arthur, Michael and Jenelyn—are being supported by the Pantawid Pamilya program. For the family, the cash grants provided by the program is a big help, especially in ensuring that they go to school with a full stomach and having an allowance to spend for their daily school needs.
“Hindi na rin nila kailangang magtinda sa school para may pambaon sila, at nabibili na rin namin lahat ng pangangailangan nila. Kahit malayo ang nilalakad nila, nasisiguro naman naming busog sila bago umalis ng bahay at may pambili sila ng pagkain pagdating sa school,” Andrea gratefully shared.
For Andrea, however, the greatest milestone in their family is Arthur’s enrolment in high school. Arthur is an incoming Grade 8 student and is the first in their family to reach high school.
“Dati, sinasabi ko talaga sa mga anak ko na hindi namin kaya ang magpa-high school. Ngayon, p’wede na dahil sa suporta ng programa. Laking tuwa nga namin noong ma-extend ang programa,” she added.
Prior to the program expansion in 2014, Arthur, now 16, had already graduated as beneficiary of the program. However, the program expansion provided better opportunities for Arthur as the Pantawid Pamilya program now supports children up to 18 years old or until they finish high school, whichever comes first. For Andrea, this opportunity means a lot not just for Arthur but for the whole family.
“Mas lalo kaming nagkaroon ng inspirasyon para suportahan ang pag-aaral ng mga bata. Dahil sa programa, nagkaroon kami ng pag-asa at pangarap. Lalo kaming magsusumikap para maitawid ang kanilang pag-aaral kahit hanggang kolehiyo pa,” she shared.
For Andrea, it’s not too late yet to chase her dream of getting out of poverty. She’ll keep in mind what the program taught her—that there’s no easy way out. She commits to work harder, support her children and find ways to make their dreams happen