“Bakit ka pa magtatrabaho? Malaki naman na ang natatanggap mo galing sa Pantawid kasama ng suweldo ni Romeo?”

This has been the usual question that Aileen Codizal has been hearing from the people that she knows. Rain or shine – whatever the weather could be, Aileen can be seen walking around their neighborhood  at  Brgy.  Dilao,  Balayan,  Batangas  to  offer  the  beauty  products  that  are  in  her brochures. But why does she really bother walking around to offer beauty products if the Pantawid Pamilya has been giving her enough to support her family’s needs?

Just before the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program came to their lives in 2012, they were just relying on the income of Romeo from working as a welder. Back then, Aileen was just at home looking after their children Rommel, Princess Jhoan and Roy Anthony.

“Malaking tulong ang natatanggap namin mula sa Pantawid Pamilya lalo noong mga panahong kinailangang  kong  itaguyod  ang aking mga anak nang  mag-isa.  Napakalaking  tulong ng  cash grant upang mas masuportahan ang pangangailangan nila. Nakakilala rin ako ng mga kaibigan sa Family Development Sessions na hindi ko nagagawa noon dahil ako ay nasa bahay lamang”, shared Aileen.

Prepared for the better 

Aileen is not only known for selling beauty products but also for being a good Parent Leader. If she is not busy with selling her beauty products, she will look for livelihood trainings that her co-beneficiaries can attend for free. She even shared that through the Alternative Learning System, she was also able to complete trainings on soap and tapa making. She is hoping that her learnings from those trainings will help her with the business that she likes to start.

Though Aileen admitted that the idea of the program ending soon scares her sometimes, she is happy of how it has turned her into the kind of person that she is now. She is also confident that her learnings from being a Pantawid Pamilya member will help her and her family in doing things on their own sooner or later.

Nothing beats hardwork

It is still indeed a long journey for Aileen and Romeo but they are sure that their hardwork and faith will keep them going. Just like any other parents who were not able to finish their schooling, they just simply dream of seeing their children graduate and get a better life.

The Php4,400.00 cash grant that Aileen’s family is receiving every two months from the program together with the PhP2,500.00 that Romeo is earning are really enough but why does Aileen still spend her afternoons selling her beauty products?

“Ang natatanggap namin mula sa Pantawid Pamilya ay tulong lamang po upang makatawid kami sa kahirapan. Naiitindihan rin po naming hindi ito pang-habangbuhay at kailangan pa rin naming magsumikap upang kami ay tuluyang umunlad sa buhay”, Aileen finally answered.