“Hindi hadlang ang kahirapan sa pagkamit ng ating mga pangarap, basta mayroong tiyaga at pagsisikap,” Hazel, the eldest among the brood of four, said. Born to parents who both work as farmers, the Calano family lives a humble life in Delfin Albano, Isabela.

Her parents, Jojo and Haydee, wakes up even it’s still the wee hours of the morning to prepare breakfast and to gear up for the day’s work.

“Sobra po akong naaawa sa aking mga magulang dahil maaga silang nagigising upang magtrabaho sa bukirin. Mas nagpapabigat sa aking kalooban ang makita silang nakabilad sa araw habang nagtatanim at nag-aararo,” she shared with a heavy heart, though she knew that this is the only way so that they can survive everyday.

Life is definitely not a bed of roses for the family considering that there are four children whose needs especially in school must be catered to. And in this aspect, Hazel truly feels that they are not endowed with the luxury of money.

She related how she often fall prey to her classmates’ constant picking because of her clothes, and for having a daily allowance that only amounts to P3 pesos or P2 pesos. “May mga araw din na wala na talaga akong baon pero pumapasok pa rin ako, at tinitiis na lang ang kalam ng aking sikmura pag ‘recess’ na,” Hazel added.

“Pero sinisikap ko pa ring pumasok para lang makatapos ng pag-aaral at balang araw, makatulong sa aking mga magulang,” she continued.

But what really broke Hazel’s heart was when her mother decided to work overseas. This has brought sadness in the family especially to the children as they have to live without their mother. Like a table that cannot stand firm because of a lacking leg, the Calano family is crippled without their maternal fortress.

Hazel knows that what her mother did is also for their benefit, so that they can have a good life, but it was really a sad picture for her, until a ray of sunshine beams in – her family became a beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

“Hindi ko maipaliwanag ang kasiyahan na aking naramdaman nung nakasama ang aking pamilya sa programang ito,” she gushed.

The Pantawid Pamilya is a poverty-alleviation program that invests in the health and education of poor Filipino children aged 0-18 years old. The beneficiaries receive monthly cash grants in exchange of compliance to health and education conditionalities, and parents must also attend the Family Development Sessions or FDS.

Since then, life began to play a sweet tune for the family because aside from the income of her parents, the cash grant they get augments in sustaining their needs, especially for the school expenses.

“Ngayon kahit papaano, nakakapagsuot na ako ng magandang damit at hindi na tampuhan ng tukso ng aking mga kaklase,” Hazel managed.

She is determined to finish schooling and have a good job someday so that she can free her family from the choking grasp of poverty. Because of her diligence and as a Pantawid benificiary, she became a recipient of the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) in their school that allowed her to have an extra allowance. This gave her an opportunity to lighten the financial demands of her family.

Hazel continues to brave life’s challenges and maintains a positive outlook. She believes that her family will transition to the self-sufficiency level, because all of them are doing his part in the attainment of this goal. His father, battling the scorching heat of the sun to plow the fields; her mother, fighting thousands of miles as she works in a foreign land; and them children, toiling hard in their studies. And also with the help of Pantawid Pamilya, the Calano family is being guided in the right track towards the road to progress.

“Tunay akong nagpapasalamat sa Pantawid Pamilya sa patuloy na pagtulong sa tulad naming mahihirap. Sa mga tao sa likod ng programang ito, asahan niyong hindi ko kayo bibiguin,” Hazel concluded, accompanied with eyes that glitter with hope and a voice that resounds determination. ### By WILMA PASCUA, Municipal Link