The voice of a small intelligent man echoed around the ground floor of Ayala Museum on June 15, 2016  as he delivers his speech in front of the guests and participants of the documentary and photo exhibition of Pantawid Pamilya program dubbed as “Malaya kang Mangarap (Dreaming is free)” led by World Bank in partnership with DSWD.

David Louie Manansala, a freshman Civil Engineering student in UP Los Baños in his own words, expressed his deepest gratitude to the people who are behind the implementation of a program which he considered as significant factor for him to study in college and to eventually reach his dreams.

“Ngayon, ito na ako, agilang humuhusay sa pagdaan ng panahon at sa suporta ng gobyerno… agilang sinuutan ng tapang at binihisan ng katatagan ng loob ang aking paglipad ay ginawa nilang possible. Matanaw ang lahat ng aking pangarap na noo’y isa lamang panaginip. Binuksan nila ang daan sa aming lahat… sa lahat ng kapus-palad, bahag ang buntot at kapos sa paglipad. Mga maikli ang pakpak ay kanilang binigyang lakas tinuruang lumipad ng napakataas kaya narito ako ngayon upang lubos na magpasalamat sa lahat ng taong ginawang makatotohanan ang isang imahinasyon, realidad ang dating ilusyon,” he said.

David previously associates himself to an eagle as he said “ako ay isang batang minsan na ring nangarap ng napakataas, nangarap ako gaya ng isang agila, kung gaano katarik ang kanyang paglipad sa himpapawid at kung paano niya ibuka ang kanyang mga pakpak. Walang takot sa pagbayo ng mga hangin upang makita ang ganda ng karagatan at masulyapan ang paraiso sa likod ng mga kabundukan.”

David is the third of the six (6) children of his parents. With his two (2) eldest siblings who are now in 4^th and 3^rd year in college, David experienced selling of gelatin at Maligaya High School when his father suffered from nervous breakdown in 2013.

Since his father is now incapable to drive a jeepney due to his health condition, David’s mother works hard as domestic helper in order to provide the needs of their family.

Meanwhile, David is among the grantees of the Expanded Student Grants-in-aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) ESGP-PA, a program being implemented by DSWD and CHED in partnership with state universities and colleges that provides educational assistance to some beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya program who are in college.

Under the program, a student-grantee receives a maximum of P60,000 per school year to cover tuition fees, school supplies, food, clothing, lodging and other school related expenses.

Likewise, DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman shared that the exhibit is a form of celebration in which the fruit of the program’s implementation is now being harvested through the significant changes in the lives of its beneficiaries.

“This is an opportunity to celebrate… to celebrate the changes, the victory, the success of the 4.4 million families who have worked very hard to improve their life, and we in DSWD, in DepED in DOH and some of our colleagues who are here, we’re the ones who assisted and ensure that indeed, education and health are in their hands,” Secretary Soliman emphasized.

Currently, there are 230, 267 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in Metro Manila who are benefiting from the program through their compliance in the health and education conditionalities of CCT.###