When she saw her children not having enough food for the day, Norilynn Bautista could not believe her eyes.

“Akala ko sa TV ko lang mapapanood ang mga ganito. Hindi sumagi sa isip ko na mararanasan ng mga anak ko mismo ang ganito,” shared Norilynn, 45, a resident of Brgy. Sta. Ana in Calatagan, Batangas Province. 

Norilynn recalls giving her six children camote in the morning and banana in the afternoon just so they can have something to eat for the day.

What made their situation even worse is how the people around them judge them. Often, Norilynn would hear murmurs saying ‘kawawa naman ang mga bata’ and questions such as ‘paano kaya nila bubuhayin ang mga ‘yan’ and ‘makakatapos kaya [ng pag-aaral] ang mga ‘yan.’

Situations such as these fueled Norilynn’s desire to improve their life. However, her first problem was how she would get started. She had no budget to start her own business nor a set of skills to help her land a good-paying job.

So when she finally found an opportunity, she did not think twice of taking advantage.

Getting assistance from the government

In 2010, Norilynn learned that her family belonged to the ‘poorest of the poor,’ which paved the way for her family to become a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

At first, Norilyn was sad and disappointed to learn that they belong to such a category of the poor. However, she accepted it as a fact since they really were struggling at that time. Her husband, Cristituto, was the sole provider of the family as a seasonal farm laborer.

“Nagpapasalamat ako dahil malaking tulong sa amin ang 4Ps. Ang perang natatanggap ko ay kaagad kong ibinibili ng bigas, ulam at grocery,” shared Norilynn, who added that their priority was always food on the table.

With the assistance from the government, Norilynn shared that they were able to allot a budget to start a small sari-sari store.

Despite the additional income in the family, Norilynn still made sure to limit their expenses to only their necessities. This way, their family is able to allot their money to the most important things at home, especially for their food and the school supplies of the children.

A more appreciated kind of support

More than the cash grants from the 4Ps, Norilynn is grateful to how she was given a different kind of assistance by the program.

In 2013, Norilynn was referred to the E. Zobel Foundation, a civil society organization partner of the DSWD in the municipality for skills training and employment facilitation.

The E. Zobel Foundation has been a partner of the DSWD in the provision of various services to the beneficiaries of the 4Ps along education and learning, health and nutrition, and women’s empowerment through livelihood.

“Nakapag-training ako ng Housekeeping sa TESDA sa loob ng 15 days. Ang goal ko noon ay matuto at nang makapag-apply ako ng trabaho dahil maraming resort dito sa amin,” shared Norilynn, who proudly added that she finished the training and certification with flying colors.

Right after graduation, Norilynn was contacted and hired as an on-call housekeeper by a known resort in the area.

“Bilang nanay, nadagdagan ang kumpiyansa ko sa sarili dahil alam kong mas may silbi na ako sa pamilya ko at maibibigay ko na ang mga pangangailangan ng mga anak ko,” shared Norilynn.

Soon, her contract ended with the resort and she explored other jobs. Both she and her husband, a mason and painter, took turns to be away from their children so they could work and earn for them.

However, no matter how hard they tried, they faced a lot of hardships when she and her husband both lost their jobs.

“And’yan ‘yung nabatakan kami ng motor at maputulan ng kuryente. Mahigit isang taon kaming nagtiis na walang kuryente,” she shared.

Despite these, Norilynn did not lose hope.

“Lahat ng pagsubok na dumarating sa aming pamilya ay isang aral at hamon. Sumubok lang tayo nang sumubok hanggang sa magtagumpay tayo,” she shared.

During the pandemic, with the help of the financial assistance from the government, she started selling snacks and halo-halo. She also started baking and selling her baked goods. She also gained back her employment as a housekeeper in the resort.

“Ang pagbabalik ko sa trabaho ay naging malaking pagbabago sa buhay namin. Nasusuportahan namin ang dalawa naming anak sa college at nakapagpaayos na rin ng bahay,” shared Norilynn, who now also works as a saleslady in a hardware store and an online sales agent.

From almost losing hope about their future, Norilynn takes pride in what they have achieved as a family so far. And for her, she will never forget all the people and institutions that helped them along the way.

“Ang 4Ps ay isang instrumento lamang upang tayo ay makabangon at hindi para asahan ang nakukuhang grants. Kailangan talagang magsumikap tayo para guminhawa ang ating buhay,” she shared.# [with reports from JPTagopa]