The 2021 National Women’s Month Celebration with the theme “Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!” serves as a tribute, platform and call to action that highlights the extraordinary roles of ordinary Juanas in the society as trailblazers and harbingers of change.

The KAKAIBA-Ihan stories of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) women are extraordinary feats of overcoming challenges despite poverty, the lack of opportunities, geographical location etc. aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Loving to Serve

Jonalyn Tamayo is a 4Ps beneficiary of barangay Ammubuan Ballesteros, Cagayan. Married to Feliciano, the couple is blessed with four children namely Jovie, Beth, Jay ar and Teofilo III. She recounts their life before being part of the program as being dire and difficult. She would start peddling “kakanin” and fish early morning each day, walking from one house to the other.

She admits that her shyness made it difficult for her to reach out and expand to a bigger market which was why the meagre income she made was just enough for food and other basic necessities for her children.

It all changed when she became part of the program. The FDS she attended monthly gave her the confidence to speak out about her own ideas and eventually she became a PL for their cluster. Her personal growth continued as she became a Barangay Health Worker (BHW) serving for four years before finally becoming a Barangay Nutrition Scholar and has been in that position for 6 years.

Jonalyn suffers from a specific heart condition which should have been a deterrent for her to undertake the rigorous activities expected from local health workers in the area. This was further aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic where she is part of the local frontliners tasked to monitor suspected cases in their area.

“No job is too difficult for someone who loves what they do,” Jonalyn explains. “This is the service I want to give back from the blessings that my family receive from the government,” she adds further.

Jonalyn has been awarded as the Most Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar in the municipality of Ballesteros.

Taking on Multiple Roles

Joan Manait, from Nagtipunan, Quirino, is a mother and primary carer to her 4 children. She has trained her children at an early age to be independent and God-fearing. She contributes to the family income by working as a farm labourer and tending her vegetable garden. With her hard work, she was able to send her eldest and second child to college where they graduated BS in Criminology and Bachelor in Elementary Education.

Apart from her parental duties, Joan doesn’t fail to reach out to fellow women in their community as a Parent Leader (PL). Through her exposure as a PL, she gained the confidence to be a barangay secretary and then went on to become a barangay health worker where she was keen on improving the health and sanitation programs in the locality.

As an adviser for the Rural Improvement Club (RIC) in the barangay, she believed that women have the skills and ability to contribute to the economic well-being of their family. In coordination with their village chief, she organized an income-generating project on candle-making for women.

“I believe that women should recognize their role and importance in the society. But to do so, they should be hands-on in embracing the change.” She said. Her family held the 2019 Huwarang Pamilya title in Nagtipunan, Quirino.

Means and Ways

Venus Bueno lives with her husband Darlito and their 3 boys at Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya. Due to the young age of her children, she remained at home to take care of their needs while her husband worked as a security guard. However, in April 2020, Darlito was laid off as a consequence of the pandemic. With the ongoing community quarantine and difficulty in transportation, he could not find a job replacement.

Without his income, the family struggled to keep ends meet with the meagre amount they received from their bi-monthly cash grants. This, coupled with the increase in the prices of primary commodities made it more difficult for the couple to keep the children well-fed.

But Venus was determined to find ways to keep her family fed and healthy. She learned from the Family Development Sessions, particularly on financial literacy, that she can make use of her skills in order to earn income. In early 2020, the family received a total of 5,500 pesos in emergency fund from the Social Amelioration Program. With the support of her husband, Venus opened up a small sari-sari store with “Lutong Ulam” in a small makeshift shed.

The strategic location of her small store made business very good as she also ventured on re-selling alkaline water. Now, she makes 500 to 600 pesos per day which to her would tide them over till her husband finds employment.

She advises, “Para sa mga kapareho kong kababaihang lumalaban at itinataguyod ang pamilya upang malapasan ang pandemiya ito, huwag sana kayong mapagod. Manalangin tayo sa ating Ama na gumagabay sa bawat desisyon natin sa buhay. Huwag tayong mangambang magtayo ng maliit na negosyo, lahat naman ng bagay ay nagsisimula sa maliit.”

Facing the Pandemic

Like everyone, Mary Ann Cabacungan of barangay Capirpiriwan, Cordon, Isabela, was greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides the fear of getting infected herself, she feared more for her husband who still had to till their land as well as do daily-wage jobs in their community.

Her young children had to stay at home with them and she felt their anxiety at being quarantined and not be able to see their friends or classmates. This meant a much heavier consumption on water and electricity for the household of six. She worried for her parents and other relatives who she cannot visit for the moment and impatiently waited for the day her family could go out and visit them worry-free.

The situation was aggravated by the African Swine Flu that broke out in the province since the couple owned one sow which had just recently given birth. Eventually, the couple was forced to sell the pig at a much lower price for fear that the young will be infected as well.

When the school year started in October 2021, she admits that her children had difficulty adjusting to the learning modality with the distance learning. She admits that as a parent, it was challenging for her to recall previous learnings coupled with the lack of teaching skills that local educators are trained in. “Remain steadfast with your studies and pray for this pandemic to end,” were her daily encouragement to her children.

Yet despite all that, she has not forgotten her role as a PL to her fellow beneficiaries. She exhibited enthusiasm and dedication in coordinating with the Municipal Link for various 4Ps concerns especially for issues on payments and grievances. She even voluntarily collects documents for processing of Beneficiary Update and Compliance Verification when necessary, bearing in mind to heed health protocols.

In one of her trips, she noticed that some of her fellow beneficiaries and other front liners could not procure masks fast enough especially when the disease first broke out. This gave her the idea to sew masks from left-over cloth to give away.

“I thought of giving away masks as my way of helping out those that have less than we do,” she proudly says. “I find satisfaction in knowing that I can contribute to the betterment of this community, no matter how little it may be.”
###with reports from Jane Liezel Nervar, Marlon Catungal, Arnold Birung and Kristle Ann Tasipit; written by Jeanet Antolin-Lozano