Pantwid Pamilya parent leader Melina Honrada.

COMPOSTELA, Compostela Valley Province (DSWD XI) – “Opportunities don’t just happen. You have to create them,” Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary and Parent Leader Melina P. Honrada declared.

Having been a Pantawid parent leader in Barangay Ngan for years now, Melina now traverses over a new career path as a newly-hired Local Government Unit Link (LGU Link) in their municipality.

As LGU Link, Melina assists in the conduct of Pantawid Pamilya activities like subsidy payouts, Family Development Sessions, updating of beneficiary profile, among others. Presently, she also sits as acting livelihood focal in the locality.

“Sa una naga volunteer lang gyud ko sa amoang munisipyo sa ilang mga activities. Wala ko nagdahum nga mamahimo nako nga parte sa ilang empleyado (I was just a volunteer before in different activities in our municipality. I didn’t expect that I will become an employee),”Melina happily narrated.

Melina graduated in Computer Secretarial. She has two children. Her husband Roberto is a welder. Melina balances her time now, between serving the community as a parent leader, as a mother and, as public servant.

“Sa una nga wala gyud ang Pantawid, pait jud kaayo amoang kinabuhi. Usahay ga laborer lang mi sa koprahan para naay pagkaon sa lamesa (Before we became grantees of Pantawid, our life was really hard. There were times we had to work as copra laborers just to put food on the table).”

Pantawid is a great help for Melina not just because of the financial augmentation to health and education needs of her children but also for the various trainings and seminars provided to them that are deemed very useful especially with her new job as LGU Link.

“Wala ko naglisod pagsulod nako sa akoang trabaho karon.  Sa akoang pagka parent leader, tanan natun-an nako. Na apply nako labina unsaon pag entertain og kleyente, lider nga mapahiubsanon sa trabaho, ug pagiging tinuod nga public servant (I didn’t encounter difficulties when I entered this new job. Being a parent leader, I assimilated all and I applied it especially on how to deal with clients, being a humble leader, and being a genuine public servant),” Melina proudly related.

Melina earns P 286 per day as LGU link. She also plans to study again and earn a college degree for the better future of her children.

Nagpasalamat jud ko aning tanan kay kabalo ko dako gyud ni nga blessing sa Ginoo para sa akoang pamilya (I am so grateful for all these for I know this is a great blessing of the Lord for my family).”

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor families, primarily those with children aged 0-18. It provides monthly cash grants to beneficiaries who comply with the conditions of sending their children to school, bringing them to health centers, and attending the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

Melinas’s family is among the 234,556 active partner-beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Davao Region. Pantawid Pamilya also serves 29,000 families under the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Indigenous Peoples. (MCCT-IP). (DSWD)