Bonding with the family, teaching a lesson and giving back to the community

What’s the best way to bond with the family during the enhanced community quarantine?

For the Tatac Family, it is staying in their living room packing rice, noodles and canned goods that they will give away to help other families in their neighborhood.

In just a day, they were able to finish 100 food packs that they distributed to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and other needy families in Brgy. Sampalucan, General Trias City, Cavite Province.

“Gusto po namin talagang makatulong para ‘yun din po ang matutunan ng mga anak namin habang lumalaki,” said Vanessa Tatac, who shared 50 percent of the cost of the goods with her brother’s family.

For Vanessa and husband Roy, their share in these food packs is their small way of helping others during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine over Luzon due to the management of the Covid-19 health situation.

A bond that teaches a lesson

“Nag-enjoy ‘yung mga anak ko sa pagrerepack. Mabilis nga kaming natapos kasi parang naglalaro lang kaming lahat,” shared Vanessa.

Since all of them are forced to stay at home, with the children’s schooling and Roy’s work suspended, this activity is one of the most memorable moments in their lives during the enhanced community quarantine period.

Not only was this activity enjoyable, it was also fruitful.

“Ayaw naming lumaki ang mga anak namin na madamot. Habang lumalaki sila, gusto naming nakikita nila kung paano tumulong sa kapwa,” Vanessa said.

It is also not just these days that the family has initiated this kind of activity. They had also distributed goods for the affected families of the Taal Volcano eruption last January.

A heart that gives back

The Tatac Family is not rich, but they have ‘enough’ during this crisis.

The family is a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a program of the national government for qualified poor households to support the needs on health and education of the children.

“Naranasan po ng pamilya namin ang sobrang kahirapan, at wala kaming malapitan. Kaya alam na alam namin ang nararamdaman kapag nangangailangan talaga,” said Vanessa, who immediately saw the need for food items of other families in their neighborhood.

With the help of the Pantawid Pamilya, the family was able to work on improving their life little by little.

“Ngayon po ay nakakakain kami ng tatlong beses sa isang araw, nakakabayad sa mga utang, nakakaipon kahit papaano at may maayos na trabaho ang aking asawa. Sa tulong ng Pantawid, unti-unting nabago ang aming buhay,” added Vanessa.

For her, the small thing the family is doing now is their way of ‘giving back’ to the government for helping a poor family like them.

“Ayaw po naming ipagdamot sa iba itong pagbabago sa buhay na nararanasan namin,” she shared.

As she receives messages of gratitude from her co-beneficiaries and their other neighbors, Vanessa and her family cannot be more fulfilled. They reflect the same kind of gratitude to all the people who have been instruments on improving their life through these years.#