ACHIEVER. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) congratulates Mark Anthony Arcayan for topping this year’s mechanical engineering licensure examination. His family was a recipient of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps). (Photo from DSWD)
TACLOBAN CITY – For the two individuals whose families received grants from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for years, attaining self-sufficiency was achievable.
One of them is Mark Anthony Arcayan, 24, of Merida, Leyte who ranked first in this year’s mechanical engineering licensure examination.
Arcayan, who graduated magna cum laude from the Visayas State University (VSU) in 2020, noted that his childhood and education were full of challenges as he and eight other siblings were raised by poor parents.
His relatives and friends even doubted that he would be able to finish college.
Arcayan’s family used the cash grants from the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) to finance his secondary education.
“Since we are poor, my secondary school teacher encouraged me to take the scholarship examination of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to finish college,” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday.
Because the release of his DOST scholarship allowance was sometimes delayed, his parents had to work hard to help finance his studies.
He also used some of the financial assistance from the DSWD to buy materials needed for his engineering courses.
After graduation, Arcayan accepted the job offer to teach at VSU, a premier state university in the Visayas located in Baybay City.
Another achiever is Erika Setosa from Tacloban City who ranked eighth in this year’s social work licensure examination.
Raised in a poor family, she is also a beneficiary of the 4Ps.
“A big chunk of my father’s income was spent to buy food since there (are) six of us in the family. Only a meager amount was left for education,” she recalled.
Setosa just graduated this year and their family is still categorized as poor, but one thing they have learned from 4Ps is how to manage their finances.
“I realized, understood, and appreciated the government program for poverty alleviation. It created opportunities for me and helped us (find) resources that we couldn’t provide for ourselves,” she added.
The 22-year-old social worker graduated cum laude from Leyte Normal University in 2021 and took the licensure examination this year.
She recently got an offer to work at the DSWD field office here.
The two achievers are among those recognized by the DSWD during a ceremony at the Robinson North Tacloban on October 1.
The region has 286,081 families who are active 4Ps beneficiaries and are being monitored regularly by the DSWD.
Since 2021, a total of 15,926 beneficiaries from the region have graduated from the program after their families' well-being has moved to a sufficient level or they no longer have children less than 18 years old.
Even though they already graduated from the program, recipients could still apply for assistance from the DSWD, such as the livelihood program provided by the department and partner agencies to sustain the family’s economic upliftment. (PNA)
