A young Aeta mother’s newfound confidence of their future

As a young Aeta mother, 32-year-old Alibel Abquiz describes her life as climbing a ladder.

“Sa bawat hakbang ko ay lumalawak ang aking kaalaman, at sa bawat paghakbang ko ay may katumbas na tagumpay,” shared Alibel, a resident of Brgy. Del Rosario in Buenavista, Quezon Province.

Now a confident mother and a barangay treasurer, Alibel takes pride in finally being able to step out of the four corners of their home. 

“Naalala ko, noong nagsisimula pa lang ang MCCT [Modified Conditional Cash Transfer] sa lugar namin, sinundo pa ako sa bahay para mainterview. Ayaw ko pong lumabas noon dahil nga po nahihiya ako. Binalikan pa po ako sa bahay para lumabas ako,” recalled Alibel.

Looking back, Alibel is grateful that she went out of their house at that time as according to her, their being a beneficiary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s MCCT Program in 2014 contributed a lot to where she and her family are now.

The MCCT is a program under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) designed for families with special needs such as homeless street families and indigenous peoples in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. Like the regular conditional cash transfer (or the 4Ps), the MCCT supports the needs of families for the health, nutrition and education of children zero to 18 years old.

Building her confidence

Her being involved in the MCCT opened Alibel’s eyes that she can do a lot of things.

“Sobra talaga akong mahiyain at nasa bahay lang ako, hindi nakikisalamuha sa iba. Pero dahil sa mga aktibidad sa programa, unti-unti kong napatunayan sa sarili ko na kaya ko naman palang makisalamuha sa iba,” shared Alibel, who later became a parent leader.

According to Alibel, her being regularly involved in various MCCT activities such as seminars, meetings, Family Development Sessions (FDS), and even payouts contributed to overcoming her shyness.

Aside from dealing with other people, Alibel also became a more confident mother.

“Dati, inaantay ko pang matapos ang asawa ko sa pagkokopra bago ko mabilhan ang tatlong anak ko ng pangangailangan nila, ngayon ay natuto akong humawak at magbudget ng pera. Nakakapag-ipon ako kahit konti para ‘pag may pangangailangan kami, may nadudukot kami,” she proudly shared.

Also, as a mother who started her family early, she learned a lot of other things from the monthly FDS in rearing her children and improving their family relationship.

Slowly stepping up

“Mahirap ang buhay namin dahil maaga kaming nagpamilya. Pero unti-unti ay nagbabago ang estado ng buhay namin,” shared Alibel, who now works as a barangay treasurer and from time to time, helps her husband with farming.

According to Alibel, the improvement in their living condition is evident in their improved house. Alibel is also proud of having their own motorcycle, a savings account and micro-insurance as well as a small piece of land they are slowly acquiring on installment basis.

While working towards improving their life, Alibel and her husband make sure that all their children’s needs are provided, especially their needs for their education. Today, their eldest is in Grade 8 while the two younger children are in elementary school.

Though Alibel knows that they still have a long way to go, she is proud of what they have accomplished so far and is confident about their future.
“Lahat ng tinuturo sa amin sa programa ay ginagamit namin sa pagpapaunlad ng buhay namin. Samahan lang po talaga ng sipag at pagtutulungan ay magiging maunlad din ang buhay,” shared a hopeful Alibel, who commits to continue working hard and maximizing all opportunities to reach the top of her ladder–a better life for her family, especially for her three children.# [with reports from JMMerjudio]