by Miriam G.Desacada
At a tender age of 10, Jenecile Parambita lost her father from cardiac arrest. She knew that life is hard and the death of her father only meant the family is bound to be miserable. Her mother Arlyn however was not ready to yield to life’s challenges. She fought on, juggling different kinds of work to keep them and her three siblings survive. Arlyn worked as a babysitter, house helper, and laundress in the neighborhood. Being sentient of the struggles of her mother, Jenecile’s elder brother and sister, sentient of the struggles of their mother, had to leave to fend for themselves.
Seeing the harrowing episode of her family’s life, Jenecile was determined she had to be competitive both at school and in everyday life. She believes that education is one of the keys she can use to help her family overcome poverty.
4Ps SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AS SUPPORT TO EDUCATION
Arlyn persevered to sustain their daily needs, but she was always grasping at straws. Their family hoped for just one twist of fate that would carry them across and break the walls between survival and giving up.
Their hope was answered when their family became a beneficiary of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 2014. The 4Ps was of enormous help to Jenecile and her family especially after the devastation of super typhoon Yolanda a year earlier. With 4Ps’ support and her mother’s dogged determination, Jenecile was able to finish her secondary education. In college, she was a scholar of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The 4Ps also helped to support the education of Jenecile’s younger sibling who was diagnosed with autism. The program helped her sibling get into school, meet new people and enjoy the privileges of education despite issues on learning and socialization capabilities.
MORE THAN THE CASH GRANTS, 4PS HELPS MITIGATE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The social assistance of 4Ps helped to empower Arlyn by enhancing her ability to sustain the needs of her children — free from any male backlash. Arlyn also widened her social network support by attending the Family Development Session (FDS) of the program.
The learnings and insights from the FDS motivated Arlyn more to stand up for her civil rights and made her also realize the rights of her children to have a healthy and safe environment at home. The impact of FDS on their family is indeed irreversible.
The domestic violence that Arlyn went through made her a staunch advocate for Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) for which Jenecile delivered her testimonies on how victims can assert for their rights.
EXCELLING TO ACADEMIC SUCCESS AMID CHALLENGES
Jenecile considered herself competitive and driven at school. In high school, she garnered awards for leadership and journalism. Her academic persistence was rooted in her goal to finish her studies and help her family get out of poverty. When Jenecile reached college, she took up a Bachelor of Science in Social Work at the Leyte Normal University (LNU) in Tacloban City, a course and a school that she came to love.
At the university, she joined various organizations and held officer’s positions in these, such as the Junior Social Workers’ Association of the Philippines-LNU Chapter (JSWAP-LNU) where she was a year-level representative for freshmen and the vice-president for two consecutive school years. She became a representative of the Supreme Student Council, and also a core official for the Academic Team of the LNU Student Ambassadors for Internationalization. She further spearheaded and helped in the formulation of new university-wide projects and activities for the student body.
Moreover, Jenecile got into socio-civic activities off-campus when she was selected representative of the region for the World Vision Philippines’ Student Ambassadors, engaging in national fund-raising activities, virtual community visits, and helping in the establishment of World Vision and institutional or organizational partnerships.
In addition to her academic excellence, she received a partial international scholarship for a short course at the State University of New York-Albany (SUNY). However, she was not able to pursue the short course due to the health risks brought about by the pandemic, aside from financial issues.
These academic and socio-civic involvement and engagements led her to be hailed among LNU’s Top 10 Model Students for three consecutive school years. In 2022, Jenecile topped her class and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
BECOMING A REGISTERED SOCIAL WORKER: PAYING FORWARD
In 2022, Jenecile passed the Licensure Examination for Social Workers. This year, 2023, she joined the DSWD workforce that implements the 4Ps. Her assignment is in Ormoc City. This is the moment of paying forward her blessings to the public.
Jenicelle shared: “Being a 4Ps beneficiary for years, it opened so many opportunities for me to make my future better. Aside from that great deal of fulfillment, being a part of the DSWD workforce as 4Ps City Link provides me more opportunities to help families whom I serve now and make them realize their strengths and potentials; to help mothers and their children break free from the threats of domestic and gender-based violence— tulungan silang makita na hindi sa kahirapan dapat matapos ang buhay. At ang wastong paggamit ng mga oportunidad at social welfare services ay isang susi para sa mas maginhawang buhay.There is nothing impossible for a child and a family that hopes and strives for a future free from the ties that bind of generational poverty. Bilang batang 4Ps noon, isang tunay na karangalang magsilbi bilang DSWD employee ngayon.”
Jenecile knew that being one of the employees of the DSWD, a social protection agency, does not only strengthen her professional competence as a registered social worker but most importantly, widen her opportunities in empowering more families and communities.– Miriam G.Desacada