“Since I have nine children, feeding them was difficult; sending them to school was harder. Food was easier to look for, but educating them was really tough. As a parent, I do my obligations, since being a parent is a real obligation. Because of the help of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program, I am able to pay (my children’s) school without so much effort. When the releases arrive, (since there are times, particularly when there are no classes that we receive a lower amount of cash grant during releases), these conditional cash grants lessen the burden of payments. Once classes end, the payments end, too. Unlike before when we would work so hard for three days, and this saying holds true: “one works hard for three days but this hardly brings food on the table”. Now, we have enough food, thank God! Kaya ko ang pagbabago. I can make a change because I believe that poverty is not permanent in the life of a person. If a person is industrious, s/he won’t experience difficulties. If one is lazy, s/he will experience hardship. So, from being a worker, doing any job no matter how odd… Well, I did many odd jobs before with me being the middleman – a seller. I made people trust me. They give me a little capital to start a business with; I do the work with their money and make the business grow. Our family has been a Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary for five years now, and I can say that I have become successful in my quest for development, since I am now a Barangay Administrator of our barangay. And aside from my other ‘businesses’, I still do odd jobs left and right, I also receive a little salary from our barangay. This is an added help in our source of livelihood. I can make a change! Kaya ko an pagbabago.” — Julieta “Ollie” P. Payno, a Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program parent leader from Northern Samar