Janet admits that she was a gambler.  Any form of card game that includes betting money, she would most certainly be able to play it.  But not until her family was included in the Listahanan survey and eventually became a beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

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“Lahat po ng sugal, ihain niyo sa akin at magsusugal ako. Bahala na kung ano ang kalagayan ng aking mga anak. Kung sila ay pagala-gala o kaya’y puro chichirya ang kinakain, hindi ko na alam. Basta’t pagdating ng hapon, ako’y magsusugal na,” 29-year-old Janet Silas claims.

Janet, a resident of Brgy. Gibanga, Sariaya, Quezon Province, admits that she was once a gambler who did not value money and more often neglects her three children and her responsibilities at home.  Their house is often in a mess.  It often has water puddles due to the leak it has in the roof.  If there were strong winds, their house easily swayed with it.  Repairing or improving their house was the least of their priorities as most of their money was put to waste in her gambling.

Her husband, who sells tarts and candies in buses, saw Janet’s addiction to gambling as a hopeless case.  No matter how hard he tried to convince her to stop gambling, it is useless.

Finding an opportunity to change

In September 2009, their household was surveyed or assessed in terms of the living condition, family income and composition.  Although relatively unknown to them, especially as to its purpose, the household assessment, which is now referred to as Listahanan, identified Janet’s family as one of the poor households in the locality.

In 2012, Janet’s family qualified as a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, which utilized the Listahanan database of poor households a reference in the selection of household-beneficiaries. This enabled them to receive cash subsidy for the education and health needs of their children provided that they comply with the set program conditions as a family.

Being a beneficiary of Pantawid, Janet slowly turned away from gambling and became busy with their children and the program’s activities.

“Sa Pantawid, ang pagsusugal ay isa sa ipinagbabawal. Ang sugal po kasi, habang ikaw ay nananalo, andun ka lang lagi pero sa bandang huli ikaw pa rin ang talo.  Napaisip po ako doon.  At dagdag pa nila, maaaring ikatanggal ko iyon sa programa. Syempre ayoko naman pong matanggal sa programa dahil para sa mga anak ko ‘yon,” Janet relates.

She began to focus on her family and began thinking of other ways to earn income.  She started working for her sister-in-law packing candies and tarts. Her sister-in-law convinced her to pack candies and tarts to divert her attention from gambling.

“Sabi nga po ng asawa ko ay pwede pa pala ako magbago.” Janet adds.

Seeing the value of money

With her attendance to monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS), one of her responsibilities as a beneficiary of the program, Janet has learned a lot of things to improve herself and her family. Valuing money has been the most life-changing learning so far.

The FDS is a component of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program that teaches beneficiaries on various topics including responsible parenthood, children’s rights and financial and home management.

“Natutunan ko ang halaga ng pera, na ito pala dapat ginagastos nang tama at hindi pinangsusugal lang,” she shares.

With the financial support they receive and no more gambling to waste money on, they managed to have savings. And seeing the value of money, Janet spent their savings wisely to help improve their living condition.

They put up a small sari-sari store, which now helps with their daily expenses. Further, Janet proudly relates that they were able to improve their house, which is now more stable and provides better security for them.

Also, she now sells beauty products as an added source of income. If there’s another thing she learned from the program, it is not depending on the financial assistance provided to her family but making an effort to stand on their own.

“Hindi ko na sinasayang ang pera namin ngayon, at higit dyan ay naaalagaan ko na ang pamilya ko. Nasimulan ko na ang matinong buhay, ipagpapatuloy ko na ‘to dahil ayoko nang bumalik sa dati,” shares Janet. ABFrancisco