In a society where tight-knight family circles is the rule, we don’t often find young adults readily willing to accept independence when it means being away from their family. The comfort of being in a familiar place and with the support of the people that has been there for them since childhood is too difficult to give up. We often find men and women having their own family whilst continually staying in their old folks’ houses.
But in cases where an individual desires to take off and make their own mark away from the comforts of the familiar, one must have not just guts and braveness but an equal amount of wit and smarts as well. This includes looking for a work that can sustain their needs as well as the additional wants which like it or not, linger more than we care to admit.
When a person finally breaks free and succeeds in his desire of trekking his destiny alone, the sense of fulfillment comes rushing thereafter. The feeling of finally being able to fly with their wings after years of packing the needed strength to break free is a feeling only few other moments can match.
Shalom Galang is one of those individuals who desire independence. After years of being taught in school and following the old familiar, he just needed a way to move forward and live alone, which means looking for a sustainable job that can support him as he trudges his own path.
Mr. Galang was one of the hundreds of applicants that applied for a field staff position for the 2nd round of household assessment, doing so with a hope that he’ll be chosen and get the chance to provide for himself.
“Nag-apply ako at pinalad naman akong makuha. Masaya ako na naging bahagi ako nitong assessment dahil sa wakas meron na akong work na makakabuhay sa akin at nakakatulong pa ako sa ibang tao,” Mr. Galang said about the opportunity given by Listahanan to him.
He said that while the field work was tough, the satisfaction of working and earning for himself and not relying on his parents was more than he could have ever dreamt. He finally was able to spread his wings and go through life alone.
“Nakakapanibago nung una kasi nga sanay akong nasa mga magulang ko at sila tumutustos sa mga pangangailangan ko kaso natuto din naman, masaya pala magtrabaho at pinatatag ako ng Listahanan para makatayo sa aking mga paa,” he said.
He added that working for Listahanan made him learn to be sovereign and develop skills that he previously thought was out of his reach. He learned the art of planning to be able to do the assessment fast and accurate.
“Sa field kailangang mabilis dahil kung hindi, aabutin ka talaga ng siyam-siyam. Sa FAF (Family Assessment Form) kunyari, 30 minutes lang dapat tapos ka na sa isang household. Kung mabagal, talagang maiiwan ka. Nag-isip ako ng diskarte para mapadali ang trabaho ko pero manatili pa rin yung pagiging tama nung ginagawa ko, Mr. Galang said.
With the regular assessment coming to a close, Mr. Galang said that he looks forward to continuing to work for DSWD if his services are still needed. He said that he would not mind another round of assessment if it means being associated with the project (Listahanan) that he has grown to respect and appreciate.
“Kung tatawagin ako ulit, oo sagot ko siyempre. Malaking privilege yung binigay sa akin at sa iba kong mga kasamahan. Kung nagustuhan man nila (Listahanan) naging work ko at papayagan nila akong mag work ulit dito, magiging masaya ako,” Mr. Galang said.
Listahanan is about to enter the next phase of the assessment, the validation phase. With it, there will again be a demand for workers like Shalom to land their hand in the completion of the activity. Workers like him are the reasons why DSWD FO2 Listahanan consistently ranks high when it comes to finishing the household enumeration and the completion of the encoding of FAFs. Workers like him are the heart and soul of the Listahanan project. When it starts, Shalom will surely be called upon to work for the project again.
Listahanan is a reliable basis of stakeholders and data partners to select the worthy beneficiaries of their social protection programs and services. ### Written by Chester Carlo M. Trinidad, Listahanan Information Officer