“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest,” so goes the quote of Benjamin Franklin, an American writer and patriot.

The essence of this quote demonstrates the education goal of the couple, Gloria and Antonio Equia, a beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from Barangay Sabang, Lipa City, for their 10 children.

The 4Ps is a flagship program of the national government on poverty reduction and social development with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the lead implementing agency.

The conditional cash transfer program provides cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education of children aged 0-18. It invests in human capital to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty among poor households.

“Wala man kaming ipon na pera, pero nag-iipon naman kami ng edukasyon,” Gloria happily said.

But it is not an easy task.

For Gloria, caring for 10 children is indeed difficult, more so sending them to school all at the same time. Thus, she and Antonio made it their priority to find ways to at least have food on the table when their children come home for lunch from school.

“Ayaw nilang lumiban sa klase kaya pumapasok sila na walang baon at walang almusal. Wala silang perang pambili ng meryenda at kinakailangan pa nilang maglakad galing sa school dahil wala silang pamasahe (The children did not want to miss their classes even if they have not eaten breakfast nor have money to buy snacks),” Gloria sadly narrated knowing fully well how hard and tiring this daily setup is for her children.

To remedy this situation, she often borrowed rice from the store. There were also times that Gloria’s mother and siblings offered her rice or money, which she always found hard to pay back.

“Dahil nakakahiya na hindi ako nakakabayad, sinusuklian ko ang tulong nila sa paglalabada. Pumupunta rin ako sa ibang kamag-anak para makapaglabada at kumita ng pera (Since I was unable to pay them back, I repay their kindness by doing their laundry),” Gloria pointed out.

Despite not knowing where to get money for their children’s education, Gloria and Antonio were firm in their decision to send them to school.

Antonio worked non-stop in repairing appliances such as televisions, electric fans and washing machines. Despite this, his income was still not enough to support their daily needs, much more their children’s school needs.

“Para makatulong, ‘yung mga anak ko ay nagbabalot ng yemang kendi mula Biyernes ng hapon hanggang Linggo upang may pandagdag sa pambaon (To be able to help raise for their school allowance, my children wrapped yema candies every Friday until Sunday),” Gloria recalled.

When two of her children reached college, they experienced more hardships because of the increasing expenses.

This was when their family became a beneficiary of the national government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, more popularly known as 4Ps.

Under the 4Ps, households may enroll up to three school children to benefit under the program and be provided with educational grants for a maximum of 10 months per year.

For elementary students, the educational grant is P300 per month, while junior high and senior high school students receive P500 and P700 a month, respectively.

According to Gloria, the grants from the 4Ps had been a great help for the family, especially when it comes to the school allowance of her children.

“Pero bagamat may tulong na ng programa ay mahirap pa rin dahil sa dami ng nag-aaral. Sadyang napakahirap magpaaral ng mga anak kapag walang pera (But despite the grants from the program, it was still difficult because of the big number of children studying. It is indeed difficult to send children to school if you do not have the resources),”Gloria shared.

As such, Gloria and her husband continue to work hard. Their college children, on the other hand, became working students. They even walked to and from school to save on transportation expenses.

Gratefully, their third child, Ruffa Mae, was chosen as a beneficiary of the Expanded Students Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGPPA). The ESGPPA is a program implemented by the Commission on Higher Education with the DSWD, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

The program prioritizes members of 4Ps households and provides subsidies covering the tuition, books, uniform and other expenses of the students.

Ruffa Mae was able to finish BS Psychology with full support from the program.

All these years, Gloria is proud of their accomplishments as a family. Her eldest is a graduate of AB Psychology and now has a family of her own. Her second child is now a private school teacher. Her third and fourth children are graduates of Psychology and Business Management, respectively.

“Malaki na ang pagkakaiba ng pamumuhay namin(Our life has changed),” Gloria said as she emphasized their family’s cooperation and working together through the years.

Gloria proudly shared that her six younger children, who are still studying, no longer experience the same hardships they had to endure some few years back.

“Lagi na silang may baon. Nakakabayad na din kami ng electric at water bill. Ang tinitirhan namin dati na butas-butas ang dingding ay mas matibay at semento na (They now have allowance for school. We can already pay for electric and water bills. Our house, which used to be dilapidated is now concrete),“ Gloria explained.

With their improved living condition, the family is set to graduate from the 4Ps this year. Though the family still has six children to support, Gloria remains positive of their future.

Carrying the lessons learned as a beneficiary of 4Ps, Gloria remains a dedicated and determined mother who is certain that through their hard work as a family, they will be able to secure all of their children’s future through investing on their education.

The Equia family is among the more than 4.3 million beneficiaries of 4Ps nationwide whose journey towards an improved quality of life is marked by their sheer determination and strong belief on the importance of education, complemented by the modest help from the government. #