Mary Che de Jesus Vitor, 23 of Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City finds inspiration to excel in her studies from her family and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. (4Ps)

Graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the Philippines-Cebu with the degree of Bachelor of Arts of Political Science for the School Year 2021-2022, Mary Che shares her story on how the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through 4Ps made her dream big and achieved it.

The second child of the seven Vitor siblings, May Che, disclosed that her family had difficulty addressing their needs before DSWD put them under the conditional cash transfer program of the national government.

“Before becoming a 4Ps beneficiary, my family had difficulty addressing the necessities each family member needed for survival and the essentials of three students required at school.

“It was a challenging situation since my mother had to budget the 365-day salary of my father as a security guard back then with seven people with different needs.

“Another thing that added to the financial burden my mother and father had to carry was the medication for my older sister, who has cerebral palsy. My Ate has to maintain her medication for her to live longer. It was heart-wrenching to watch that my mother had to beg so that others would lend her money to make ends meet for the family,” said Mary Che.

At a time, Mary Che’s parents would quarrel because her mother could hardly budget the small amount of money left from his father’s monthly salary.

“This borrowing system continued, which worsened our situation, leading to many sacrifices within the family. Instead, my father’s meager salary would be for our food; my mother had to use a part of it to pay the debts. The debts were the reason my father and mother often quarreled, which as a daughter, was a hard thing to witness. While listening to their arguments, you cannot help but question if there is a brighter future ahead of us; a future where everyone in the family has the chance to experience waking up in the morning without thinking about financial constraints,” Mary Che said.

4Ps: a breath from financial strangulation

Mary Che is among the first batch of 4Ps beneficiaries who graduated under the K-12 curriculum of the Department of Education in 2018.

Since her basic education curriculum studies in Kauswagan Elementary School and Cagayan de Oro City National High School, she has been a consistent honor student; Mary Che considers 4Ps a breath from financial strangulation.

“After becoming a beneficiary of the 4Ps program, my family was able to breathe from the financial strangulation. My parents can now afford to buy food, which is enough to feed seven mouths three times a day, the necessary goods at school, and the medicine my older sister needs,” said Mary Che.

Mary Che’s eldest sister, Mary Love, has cerebral palsy.

“My siblings no longer fight over a small amount of food at the table every meal, and we no longer experience envy at school when other students have the requirements while we don’t. 

“Also, my mother no longer runs and begs lenders to support the family. The program also enabled my mother to do business, significantly impacting the family. My mother had also used the money we had received to fund my mother’s small business in which she cooked and sold viand to an establishment. 

“Aside from the fact that we would no longer think of our viand every meal, it was also an additional income for the family. My family’s situation after being placed under the program made me dream bigger and inspired me to do well at school,” said Mary Che.

DSWD is a blessing

“DSWD has provided me with the necessary means to excel in academics. Through the program, they have given me the chance to appreciate education’s value and continue despite the hindrances that would come along the way. 

“Through 4Ps, DSWD extended their hands to assist me in seeing the value of education to those trapped by the teeth of poverty. 

“Through the financial aid they have given me, they have nurtured not just my physical state but also my mental state, which is essential in performing well at school. 

“DSWD has inspired me to push further and realize that my current struggling state will not define my future. The presence of DSWD in the lives of children who are members of less fortunate families just like me is truly a blessing. 

“The presence helped me become determined to finish what I had begun because I knew they were always there to support me,” said Mary Che.

Tries part-time jobs in college

Mary Che tried to accept part-time jobs in college in Cebu City to finance her needs further.

“To quell my worsening situation rooted in my financial constraints, I applied for a part-time job at Manulife Cebu and managed to get it. 

“I was also accepted when I applied for a job in a church, where I helped my boss during wedding seminars every Sunday. But, during that time, it was tough to balance my time as a student and a worker,” disclosed Mary Che.

Mary Che managed her time to cope with the demands of her studies and part-time jobs. In the morning, she will assist her boss in preparing for seminars while she devotes the rest of the day to her studies.

“I have overcome financial constraints. I have also applied for various scholarship grants outside and inside the campus after my first year in college and managed to get one with a monthly stipend. 

“Despite all of these hardships and difficulties, my dream of graduating someday has fueled me to continue and push harder at that time,” said Mary Che.

‘Don’t think of learning as a burden’

Mary Che offers pieces of advice to 4Ps beneficiaries.

“Always see the beauty in learning. Do not think of learning or studying as a burden. Instead, treat it as a ticket for you to become successful someday. Learning can be challenging but think of it as an opportunity to improve yourself. 

“In this way, your drive and passion for continuing and excelling will be fueled, leading to your academic success. Moreover, do not lose hope and courage whenever you get low scores or fail significant exams. Hence, make every failure a motivation for you to strive harder and aim further. 

“Do not even question and invalidate your capabilities whenever you fall, for it is a fact that failures are unavoidable in this lifetime. You have to handle it with poise and grace. A loss is an event, not a person. 

“Remember always to take risks, ask big questions, and not be afraid to make mistakes. Also, I would like to impart the value of time management. Learn to manage your time for you to yield quality output and, at the same time, maintain relationships with everyone that matters to you. 

“Indeed, there’s always a brighter future ahead of those who believe they are bigger than their insecurities and doubts,” said Mary Che.

Mary Che plans to enter into the government’s labor force “to help a wider scope of Filipinos, including those who are less fortunate and marginalized.”

Also, Mary Che plans to pursue a master’s studies “to broaden my knowledge regarding my field and to be able to teach the younger generation.”

The former 4Ps grantee hopes the program will continue making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate families. 

“Continue building a better future for children impeded by the torturous nature of poverty,” stressed Mary Che. 

4Ps is a program of the national government implemented through the DSWD that invests in human capital by providing cash grants to program beneficiaries upon compliance with certain conditions in health, nutrition, and education. 

Program conditions include:

• Sending and keeping their school-aged children in school.
• Pre and post-natal care for mothers.
• Regular and preventive check-ups for children aged five and below.
• Deworming for children aged 14 and below.
• Attendance in the monthly FDS.

The FDS provides psychosocial and psycho-educational components.

Currently, Northern Mindanao has 262,588 active 4Ps household beneficiaries.

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