Six years ago, a woman, aboard a rented boat, sailed mid-ocean to fish. She was alone. It was 3 in the morning and the ocean was quiet. Her husband has been sick for a month and her two young children was in dire need of food. While the ocean was calm and promised a good catch, her mind wandered aimlessly further beyond the ocean – would life be any different?

Jennet Rosales shed tears while recalling her experience, “hindi makapagtrabaho ang asawa ko noon, at wala kaming ibang mahingan ng tulong,” she said weeping. She had to fish twice – in the afternoon up until 10 in the night, and early in the morning until sunrise. Their family suffered a great deal at the time when her husband was sick. “Pero hindi po ako sumuko, dalawa po anak namin at kelangan namin kumain kahit papaano”.

Jane of all trades

                In a tiny community of 4 households lie a secluded sitio called Albon of Barangay Kay Duke in Torrijos, Marinduque. Jennet and her husband built a small hut in the sitio, which, for over 10 years have witnessed their struggles as a married couple.

Their home is symbolic of the modest lifestyle they live. It is situated at the farthest corner of Albon, surrounded by age-old trees offering shade at the height of noon. A sari-sari store sits behind a fenced entrance leading to their front door. “Yung mga konting kita namin sa tindahan nakakadagdag din sa araw-araw na gastos namin,” explained Jennet.

In 2009, Joven, her husband, fell sick and had stopped working for over a month. Having two mouths to feed, Jennet took on her husband’s source of livelihood, which was fishing, to provide for their family. “Pumapalaot po ako ng alas singko ng hapon hanggang alas dyes ng gabi,” said Jennet. She added there were moments when she wakes at 3 in the morning until 7 in the day to compensate for the needs of their family. “Mahirap, lalo at babae ka, kailangan mo ng lakas talaga para pumalaot at mangisda.”

                Jennet took action. She did not wallow in pity, she stood to hold her family together. This innate personality was what brought her to lead several social organizations in their municipality. In 2011, when her family was listed to become a Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary, it did not take long before her peers noticed her capacity to lead. “Masipag talaga sya, at malimit magbigay ng payo, lalo kapag patungkol sa pag-iimpok,” said a member of SEA-Kaunlaran Association of SLP Torrijos to which Jennet was the leader of.

Bgy. Chairman Simon Rioveros vouched for Jennet’s great contribution in the accomplishment of various KALAHI – CIDDS sub-projects in their site. “Makikita mo talaga yung dedikasyon nya sa ginagawa nya, bilang leader ng Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee (BSPMC) sa amin,” said Rioveros proudly.  Jennet, who is now pregnant with her fourth child, walks 3 kilometers from her house to town proper to attend regular meetings of BSPMC. She is devoted to taking part in the accomplishment of the on-going water system sub-project of their barangay. “Masaya po ako na kahit maraming oras na ang nagugugol ko dito sa proyekto na ito, malaki naman ang magiging pakinabang nito, hindi lang sa akin, pero sa mga susunod pang henerasyon.”

As a Parent Leader to their Pantawid Pamilya cluster, Jennet took the initiative to provide guidance to her fellow beneficiaries. She constantly remind them to attend Family Development Sessions and assure that they adhere to the conditionalities set by the program.

Of family obligations

Jennet’s mother-in-law Carmencita, commends Jennet’s ability to divide her time between her family and volunteer works. “Minsan maghapon syang wala dahil sa mga volunteer duties nya, pero umuuwi sya bago gumabi para matutukan naman ang mga anak nya pagkagaling sa eskwela,” she said.

Having 3 young children while sustaining commitment to at least 4 organizations is arguably one of the hardest tasks to fulfill.  But despite of it all, Jennet always look after the welfare of her family. Her husband was understanding enough to compromise with doing household chores in her absence. “Pagkagaling ko sa laot, ako na magaasikaso sa mga bata kung sakaling wala sya, at mga gawain bahay ay tinatapos ko na din,” said Joven.

Her children’s educational welfare come first. “Yung makatapos ang pag-aaral ang mga anak ko ang importante,” said Jennet. The cash loan she was granted with from SLP was used to buy a fishing net and fish cages. They used to loan a net from their neighbor and divide the profit of whatever catch they had for the day. “Bukod pa po doon magbabayad din kami ng gasolina kaya medyo maliit kinikita,” added Joven.

The couple is dedicated in saving for their children’s future. They bought their own set of fishing equipment in order to increase their profit. Of everything they’ve learned in over a decade of being married, the value of saving had the utmost importance. “Mabuti po talaga na may nakatabing pera, ngayon na may sarili na kaming gamit pangisda, mas malaki na ang kinikita namin,” said Joven.

Jennet is only a few days far from delivering her fourth child. On a day-to-day basis, she is on-foot, trekking the slopes of a path leading to her commitments. Late in the afternoon, she would return to her home, to fulfil yet another obligation that she wholeheartedly embrace without questions.

Between her trips to the town and back to her house, she paves the way for women to walk her path. Her steps allow someone who walks behind her to one day become another leader, another servant, working for the good of their own people.