A mother is always the proudest whenever her child succeeds, but of course, would also wish to be someone whom her kid can be proud of.
Luzviminda Lubiano, a mother of 12, feels more blessed when she received her national certificate II (NCII) on massage therapy last June 27, 2017 in Matag-ob, Leyte.
Together with 56 more graduates from the town, she celebrated her graduation day, after 25 days of training at the Bridges Multi-skill Training Center, Inc. Thanks to the Sustainable Livelihood Program of the DSWD!
“I am very happy to be given this opportunity of becoming a certified massage therapist. I am now holding a certificate which serves as a proof that I am not just an ordinary ‘manghihilot’. I can now show this to other people,” she expressed.
Luzviminda grew up in a family who practiced traditional ‘hilot’ in their community. This was her key in participating the massage therapy training.
Upon hearing about it, she immediately visited the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) in their municipality and took actions to be prioritized.
Having finished grade three, she considers the massage therapy training a door widely-opened for her to earn more money. From Php100.00 that she used to earn from traditional ‘hilot’, her income grew to Php400.00 per day.
“When my husband left us 13 years ago, I planted root crops for us to have something to eat.
One hundred pesos per day was not enough for my children’s needs. Fortunately, I’ve got wonderful children who worked to be able to finance their own education,” she shared.
Despite being a licensed massage therapist, she stressed that she is open to help her neighbors who are less fortunate and would need her service.
“I want to use what I have learned from the training not just to earn money but to extend arms to other people. I want to share the knowledge and skills to my children so that in time, they will also be able to help others,” she said.
Currently, Luzviminda is not yet employed but getting a good number of clients for home service massage. However, she is also willing to work in any massage spa that will consider her age.# #DSWDMayMalasakit