Guiding 4Ps beneficiaries to succeed

In every chance he gets, Christian takes time to share his family’s story.

Jan Christian Guevarra, 31, a resident of Brgy. San Agustin in Magallanes, Cavite, is not ashamed to share how his family transitioned from not being able to sleep properly during rainy nights to having a sturdy roof over their heads and so much more.

“Naranasan namin na sa tuwing umuulan, hindi kami nakakatulog kasi kailangan naming maglagay ng timba at lata upang saluhin ang tumutulo sa bubong. Andun rin ‘yung pangamba na anumang oras ay baka tangayin ng hangin ang aming tagpi-tagping bahay,” shared Christian, who comes from a family of nine siblings.

These days, Christian takes pride that his family has come a long way. His youngest sibling’s college graduation this August is enough proof of how their hard work and perseverance have paid off through the years.

Whenever he tells these stories, Christian is determined to lead by example.

“Gusto kong i’kwento sa kanila kung ano ang pinagdaanan namin, kung paano namin ginamit sa tama ang tulong mula sa iba, at kung paano kami nagpursige na makaalis sa kahirapan,” said Christian.

With his every story, he wants his listeners to not simply focus on their struggles nor their success. He wants them to focus on his family’s behavior and perspective. After all, he is not just a former beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). He is also now a worker of the DSWD aiming to help families improve their current living conditions.

Getting help from the government

In 2012, Christian’s family became a beneficiary of the 4Ps due to their living conditions. At that time, Christian was already working at a factory since he opted not to go to college after his high school graduation.

“Labandera ang aking nanay at nagtitinda ng beauty products. Ang tatay ko naman ay on-and-off ang trabaho sa pagkakarpintero. Hindi nila kami kayang pag-aralin nang sabay-sabay,” he shared.

According to Christian, the 4Ps was a big help for their education, especially their three youngest siblings who were monitored by the program. This lifted a small burden on his parents’ shoulders enabling them to support the education of the other children.

Christian added that other than the cash grants for their education, the 4Ps opened their eyes to the possibility of getting out of poverty.

“Bilang mga benepisyaryo mula sa maliit na barangay na naabot ng tulong, ang naging goal talaga namin ay umalis sa kahirapan,” shared Christian, who added that the program motivated them more, especially through the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

Despite being not a monitored 4Ps child-beneficiary, Christian greatly benefitted from the program as well as this paved the way for him to get his college degree.

In 2014, Christian had been identified as a beneficiary of the Expanded Students’ Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGPPA) of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This program catered to members of 4Ps households and provided college education support including tuition, uniform, and allowances.

“Pagkatapos ng limang taong pagtigil ko sa pag-aaral at pagtatrabaho, nakapag-enroll ako sa kolehiyo sa tulong ng ESGPPA,” happily shared Christian.

Even with the financial support, he continued to find ways to support himself and the rest of his family.

“Tuwing walang pasok, naghahanap ako ng pagkakakitaan. Pintura ng bahay, paggawa ng sirang kuryente, pag-labor sa mga nagpapagawa ng bahay, pagbubuhat sa palengke at kung anu-ano pang trabaho,” shared Christian, who graduated with a degree in Agricultural Entrepreneurship from Cavite State University in 2018.

His parents, especially his mother, continued making ends meet. Gladly, all of his siblings also helped through applying for scholarships and getting sideline jobs.

As a result of their hard work, all eight children have stable jobs of their own now and are able to contribute to their family. Two of them are licensed professional teachers, one is a seaman, and one is an overseas Filipino worker.

“Magtatapos na ang bunso namin sa kolehiyo. Masasabi ko ring okay na ang pamilya namin. Hindi na tumutulo ang bubong namin at kahit papaano ay nakakabili na kami ng gusto namin,” shared Christian, who added that his family graduated from the 4Ps in 2019.

Giving back to the government

Seeing how far they have come, Christian shows his gratitude to the 4Ps through his job as a Municipal Link assigned in Naic, Cavite. He now handles and guides 4Ps family-beneficiaries to have a dream and work on achieving it.

“Noon pa mang nag-aaral ako sa college, sabi ko talaga, gusto kong magtrabaho sa DSWD. Malaki ang naging tulong nito sa pamilya namin at sa akin para makapagtapos. Gusto kong ibalik ‘yung tulong na ibinigay sa amin,” he shared.

Since his college graduation, he had been applying for jobs at the DSWD and though he had not been successful several times, he did not lose hope. Finally, in 2023, after gaining experience as a field worker and supervisor at another government agency, he was hired at the DSWD.

“Kung dati ay kami ang mino-monitor bilang benepisyaryo at iskolar, ngayon ay isa na ako sa kanila. Kabilang na ako sa mga nag-aalaga sa madaming mga pamilya at tumutulong upang mabago ang buhay nila,” he shared with contentment.

More than just being a worker, Christian is confident of his ‘asset’ in performing his daily tasks for the 4Ps beneficiaries. He uses his personal stories, including how he understands what beneficiaries are going through, to guide them better to reach where the 4Ps brought his family so far.

“Hinding hindi ako mapapagod na magbalik at maging mabuting halimbawa sa mga pamilya na tinutulungan ng programa,” he shared.#