While people are peacefully sleeping, Lilibeth Davao and her husband are wide awake, procuring various fish in Navotas City for them to sell. She will diligently peddle their acquired fish from house to house using her old “pedicab” in the heat of the scorching sun. Then after a tiring day, she will get to earn Php 400.00 to Php 500.00 a day, an income she needs to frugally budget. Just like the popular idiom, “Isang kahig isang tuka,” they now have money to afford food within the day. And tomorrow is a day of uncertainty, a day of painstakingly working again.
Since Lilibeth is a member of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), it somehow lessened her burden for her children’s education. It helped her hope that her children’s future would be better than the current situation they were in. As she pondered how they would get through poverty, she knew that they could progressively make it if they had extra money to add to their business capital.
Upon learning about the Sustainable Livelihood Program of DSWD, she applied and later passed all the program requirements. Then in 2016, their SLP Association in her leadership as a president had been approved. They were given a Seed Capital Fund (SCF) either as an additional or start-up capital for their business. The SCF grant is given to eligible SLP participants to finance their initial enterprise. It provides the participants with financial assistance and capacity-building training to enhance their capabilities in managing their microenterprise to have a stable source of income.
Through the given livelihood assistance of DSWD SLP and Lilibeth’s dedication to improving their quality of life, their capital in fish vending increased, and they even ventured to start a junk shop business. Their Php 400.00 to Php 500.00 income a day had doubled steadily, and in 2019, they were able to earn Php 2,000.00 a day. Sadly, their fish supplier in Navotas was cheating them with the number of fish they were trading, so they decided to get their fish supplies in Lucena City, Quezon. With this, they continually progressed and decided to give their old “pedicab” to their loved ones to help them with their means of living. They acquired a tricycle to ease their toil in peddling their goods from house to house, and sooner, they bought a motorcycle and even a fish truck. Before, they were just picking up fish from suppliers. Now, the tables have turned. They became a fish supplier to other micro-entrepreneurs and had their place in Bulungan, Parañaque, and Las Piñas where they could market their fish.
“Many great changes took place in my life. First, I was blessed with the additional capital I received. Second, I secured some savings and was able to support my children in completing their studies. I am very much thankful to the DSWD NCR Sustainable Livelihood Program for helping me to be part of this program and for helping me become the president of our Association” (“Malaki po at maraming pagbabago ang nangyari sa aking buhay. Una, nakatanggap ako ng dagdag puhunan; pangalawa, nagkaroon po kami ng savings, napagtapos ko po ang aking anak. Lubos akong nagpapasalamat sa DSWD NCR Sustainable Livelihood Program na naging parte ako ng programang ito at kumatawan bilang presidente ng aming Association.”) Lilibeth appreciatively said.
Indeed, to be born in poverty is not our fault, but staying underprivileged is. And just like what Lilibeth stated, “I believe that everyone has limitless potential, so we should not underestimate ourselves;” believe that each of us has the power to create our fate. Do not wait for the door of opportunity to open but make one for yourself.
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