Comparing herself before and after being a Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary, Aireen Villas, 35 years old from Marikina City recognizes positive changes in her family brought by the program, as she testified during the DSWD-NCR’s flag ceremony on December 15, 2014.

Together with her five (5) children aged 11, 9, 7, 5 and 3 and with her husband Gilbert, 32, an aluminum cutter, Aireen chose to be a part-time manicurist wherein she is earning P2,000 a month.

“Hindi po naging madali para sa aming mag-asawa ang mapag-aral ng sabay-sabay ang aming mga anak, pero sa tulong ng Pantawid Pamilya program, nasuportahan ang edukasyon kasama na ang kalusugan ng aking mga anak,” Aireen proudly said.

Last November 18, 2014, Aireen joined the Search for Ginang Pantawid Pamilyang Marikeño in their city where she represented the Barangay Malanday and fortunately awarded as 1^st runner-up.

 

“Sa patimpalak pong Ginang Marikina ko napatunayan na hindi hadlang ang kahirapan para maipakita kung ano ang taglay na talento ng isang tao. Naging oportunidad yun sa aming nga benepisyaryo na mapatunayang kaya naming magbago ng pananaw sa buhay,” she added.

 

While in front of DSWD-NCR management and staff, Aireen also took the opportunity to express her gratitude to everyone as she acknowledges that the people who are listening to her testimony at that moment, are the people behind her and her fellow beneficiaries’ social development.

 

“Para sa bumubuo po ng DSWD, sa ngalan ng mga kapwa kong benepisyaryo ng Pantawid Pamilya program, maraming maraming salamat po at naging tulay kayo upang makamit namin ang magandang pagbabago sa aming buhay… sa edukasyon at kalusugan ng aming mga anak, at sa mga aral na natutunan namin sa FDS,” Aireen emphasized.

 

Aireen’s family is among the 234,670 household-beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya program in the National Capital region as of December 15, 2014. The program aims to break intergenerational cycle of poverty by investing to education and health of children aged 0-18. ### (DSWD Field Office – NCR, Social Marketing Office, December 16, 2014)