As she sees three-year-old Elmer John innocently enjoying life, Ermelinda only sees one thing. It’s a future where she can confidently raise him alone, away from the uncertainties of not having a job and more importantly, away from their not-so-ordinary home inside the public cemetery.

Growing up, Ermelinda Ariola, now 25, dreamed nothing but to leave the dark and scary cemetery and live a normal life in a comfortable house with amenities such as electricity and water supply. She studied hard, alongside with her four other siblings, and dreamed of becoming a nurse.

“Mahirap talaga ‘yung buhay namin habang lumalaki dahil sa sementeryo kami nakatira. Tapos wala namang regular na pinagkakakitaan sina Mama at Papa,” shared Ermelinda, who lives in a makeshift house constructed on the second level of a mausoleum in the public cemetery of Biñan.

When she graduated from high school, she was determined to enroll in a caregiving or nursing course, but their financial situation did not permit her to do so.

“Sabi ni Mama, hindi namin kaya ‘yung tuition,” said Ermelinda, who decided to work as a saleslady at the age of 15, instead of enrolling in college, so she can at least help with the finances.

At that point, Ermelinda’s dream of getting out of the cemetery seems to be too far. If their family struggled even with maintaining food on the table, she doubted that they can even afford a house.

With this in mind, she continued chasing job after job in factories nearby. However, she became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, who she decided to raise alone. The financial needs doubled, and she started focusing on working for her child.

Her dream of getting out of the cemetery became all the more impossible.

 

There’s still hope

When her son came, Ermelinda’s sole focus became that of her son’s daily needs. She worked at an electronics company after giving birth but she acknowledges that her income is not enough to support the two of them as she also contributes to the other needs at home, which she shares with her parents, three siblings and two nieces.

In 2016, she grabbed the opportunity of enrolling in a caregiving skills training course sponsored by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Since their household is a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Ermelinda qualified to be part of the skills training project under another program of the DSWD—the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

The SLP is implemented alongside Pantawid Pamilya program to capacitate beneficiaries to improve their living condition through engaging in a micro-enterprise or readying their skills for employment.

Ermelinda is one of the 50 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in the city who have attended and completed this skills training while receiving meal and transportation allowance. She decided to resign from her job and grab this opportunity to gain new skills even if it means she’s also giving up her income.

“Pinili ko ‘yun dahil gusto ko talagang makapag-aral. Isa ‘yun sa mga pangarap ko,” shared Ermelinda.

After nine months of training, Ermelinda finished the course and attained a National Certificate Level II on Caregiving.

 

Determined to leave home

A month after the training, Ermelinda was hired as a private caregiver in the nearby town where she earns P500 per day. She worked continuously for five months, from August 2017 to January 2018, until her employer became well enough not to need a caregiver anymore.

Today, she has various applications in various companies for a caregiving post.

“Ngayon na nakapag-aral na ako, mas madaming opportunities ang mayroon para sa akin. Mas marami nang trabaho ang p’wede kong applyan at higit sa lahat, ‘gusto ko ang propesyon na ginagawa ko,” Ermelinda shared with pride.

Ermelinda is determined to find a job and little by little, save some money so she can finally get a more decent house.

“Gusto kong lumaki s’ya (referring to son Elmer John) na wala na kami sa sementeryo. Gusto kong lumaki s’yang nakapag-aral,” she said.

Other than this dream, Ermelinda’s day-to-day is fueled up with a positivity despite the cemetery where they are living and the struggles of being a solo parent.

“Positibo ako na kaya ko na,” Ermelinda shared with pride.#