For a solo parent like Roselyn Victorino, raising her children is a tough task. She needs to be strong enough for her family to provide the needs of her children after her husband died decades ago.
“Sobrang hirap maging nanay at tatay. Hindi pwedeng “pa-petiks-petiks” kasi marami ang umaasa sa akin. Noong panahong nawala ang asawa ko, kahit anong raket talaga pinapasok ko para suportahan ang mga anak at magulang ko. Lagi ko na lang sinasabi sa aking sarili na kailangan kong maging matatag, hindi agad sumuko, at hindi dapat magpaapekto sa mga problema (It is really hard to be a mother and a father at the same time. Many people depended on me so I have to focus. When my husband passed away, I accepted various jobs to support my children and parents. I always told myself that I needed to be strong, not to give up easily, and should not be affected by problems,” she narrated.
Roselyn opted to work abroad but had to go back shortly in the country due to homesick. She shared, “Noong sinabi ng anak ko, ‘Mama, wala na nga si Papa, bakit ikaw kailangan mawala din sa tabi namin’, bumalik agad ako. Hindi ko na tinapos ang kontrata ko (When my children said ‘Mama, Papa is already gone, why do you need not to be on our side’, I returned in the country immediately. I decided not to finish my contract).”
After going back, she joined networking business. She persevered to send her children in school. Then, when her daughter had her child, she worked harder because the father did not support her daughter and grandchildren.
“Mahirap talagang maging isang solo parent. Minsan, hindi mo alam kung saan ka kukuha ng panggastos sa mga susunod na araw. Kaya naman, nagpapasalamat ako nang maging benepisyaryo kami ng Pantawid Pamilya noong 2012. Oo nga’t maliit lang yung cash grant na nakukuha namin, pero malaking tulong na rin iyon sap ag-aaral ng apo ko. Bukod dito, pinandadagdag ko rin iyon sa aking negosyo para mas lumago pa (Indeed, it is really hard to be a solo parent. Sometimes, you do not know where to get finances for tomorrow’s needs. Thus, I am very thankful when we became beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilya program in 2012. Though the conditional cash grants are small, it greatly help us in the education of my grandchildren. Aside from it, I also used it to my my business),”
Roselyn happily shared that her son, Jervin, 20 years old, will be graduating this year in Applied Physics, while her daughter Precious Karen, 21 years old, will continue to study in college.
“Sa Family Development Sessions, natutunan ko kung paano mamuhay ng maayos. Ngayon, ako, at ang DSWD, sa pamamagitan ng Pantawid Pamilya, ay magkatuwang sa pagpapalaki ng aking mga anak at apo. (In Family Development Sessions, I learned how to live well. Now, I and the DSWD, through the Pantawid Pamilya program, are partners in raising my children and grandchild.)” she closed.
Recently, Roselyn received livelihood capital assistance from the DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) to further help them improve their level of well-being.
Pantawid Pamilya is a rights-based program which invests in human capital through the provision of cash grants for the health and education of poor families especially for the children aged 0-18 years old. ### (FO-NCR, Social Marketing Office)