Being a member of an Indigenous Peoples (IP) group was the motivation of Gena Jane S. Jamili, a former Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) monitored child, to reach for her dreams.

A member of the Tribu Panay Bukidnon, Gena Jane is the daughter of a farmer and a housewife in Barangay Yabon, Janiuay town in Iloilo. She is the fourth child of six siblings.

“Bata pa lang kami ay naranasan na namin ang kahirapan sa buhay. Isa ako sa naging malnourished noong bata pa ako at nakitira lamang sa bahay ng aking lola dahil masyadong masikip na ang bahay para sa aming lahat. Nakaranas kami na kumain ng dalawang beses sa isang araw dahil nagtitipid ng bigas hanggang makahanap ulit ng pera ang aking ama. Kung minsan, pumupunta kami sa ilog para mangisda o kaya kumain ng ‘tam-is’ (root crop) para magkalaman lang ang kumakalam na sikmura (When we were young, we experienced hardships in life. I was a malnourished child. I lived in my grandmother’s house because our house was too small for my family. We also experienced eating only twice a day to save rice until my father was able to purchase some of it again. Sometimes, we also go to the river to fish or to eat “tam-is” (root crop) just to fill our empty stomach),” Gena Jane narrated.

Gena Jane grew up as a bright student. But despite being at the top of her class, she still experienced discrimination because of her family’s poverty.

“‘Mahirap ka lang,’ ito ang parati kong naririnig na sinasabi ng mga taong nasa paligid ko. Sabi kasi nila, mahirap ka lang kaya hindi ka na dapat mangarap ng mga bagay na hindi mo maaabot. Mahirap ka lang kaya imposible na makatapos ka sa iyong pag-aaral. Mahirap lang daw kami at hindi bagay sa akin ang mangarap na maging doctor, pulis, o guro man lang. Wala daw akong karapatan na mag-aral sa syudad dahil mahirap lang ako. Ang mahirap na bagay basta wala kang ginawa mananatiling mahirap iyon. Para sa akin kasi hindi kasalanan ang ipinanganak na mahirap kundi mas makasalanan kung wala kang ginawa na maiangat mo ang iyong buhay (‘You are just poor,’ this is what some people said to me. Because of poverty, I should not aspire for bigger things that are impossible to reach, they said. They also said it was impossible for me to finish my studies. Because we are poor, we are not allowed to dream big things like to become a doctor, a policeman, or even a teacher. They said that I also have no right to study in the city because I am poor. But I believe that a difficult thing will remain hard to achieve if I do not do something about it. For me, it is also not a sin to be born poor, but it is more of a sin if you do not do anything to improve your life),” an emotional Gena Jane recalled.

After graduating from elementary as the class valedictorian, Gena Jane was given the opportunity to become a monitored child of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 2012. Through the program, Gena Jane’s parents were able to send her ad well as two of her younger siblings to school.

4Ps is the national anti-poverty program of the Philippine government that uses the conditional cash transfer scheme to provide cash grants to the beneficiaries who comply with the program’s conditionalities.

In 2018, Gena Jane was able to finish senior high school with honors. Because she was no longer eligible to become a 4Ps monitored child, she looked for other opportunities to send herself to college. Thankfully, she was able to secure a scholarship under the Iskolar Iloilo Program (ISIP) of the Iloilo Provincial Government.

After four years, she finished her Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Filipino and graduated Magna Cum Laude at the West Visayas State University.

Gena Jane is also a proud passer of the 2023 Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).

When asked about her message to other IP children, Gena Jane said: “Ang pagiging IP ko ay siyang ginawa kong inspirasyon upang maging malakas sa pagharap sa mga hamon ng buhay. Naniniwala ako sa kasabihan na hindi porket na tapos na ang laban ay talo ka na sa laro. Para sa akin, walang pagbabago kung hindi mo pagsisikapan para maabot mo ang iyong mithiin” (Being an IP member is what inspired me to be strong in facing the challenges in life. I believe in the saying, “the game is not over until it’s over.” For me, your life will not change if you do not work hard to reach your goal). #