Malate, Manila – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is now reaping the fruits of its labor from its flagship program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program through its first batch of high school graduates this year. A total of 333,673 children partner-beneficiaries graduated nationwide. Out of the total, more than 14,000 came from MiMaRoPa region.
Out of this number, 4,909 came from Palawan; 5,249 from Oriental Mindoro; 1,836 from Occidental Mindoro; 1,464 from Romblon while 1,246 are graduates from Marinduque.
A post-graduation celebration was held at the Araneta Coliseum last April 23, 2015 with more than 10,000 students in attendance. Five representatives from each of the provinces in MiMaRoPa region were present in the event. They were the top honor students in their schools.
The theme, “Pagtatapos Nyo, Tagumpay ng Pilipino,” recognize the efforts of the graduate beneficiaries as they finish a chapter in their academic life.
Arnaldo Bautista, the class valedictorian of Ligaya National High School from Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro said “Poverty is not a hindrance to success,” adding that life is not easy, but it is not a reason to give up.
Her mother accounted that, “Hindi mo mapapa-absent ang batang yan kahit walang pamasahe o baon makapasok lang sa school”. Arnaldo has to walk four kilometers from their home to school at times when they have financial difficulties. With Pantawid Pamilya, Arnaldo’s ‘baon’, school supplies and uniform were covered whenever they received their cash grant. For Arnaldo, graduating from high school is just the beginning and a step towards achieving his dreams.
There is still a lot of work to do for the young people like Arnaldo to reach his goals in life but fueled by love for their families and the help from others, it is not impossible to attain them. The DSWD ensures that assistance does not end in graduation celebration but also ushers them to the better life they want.
The post-graduation celebration of the region will be held in Boac, Marinduque, to honor selected Pantawid Pamilya graduates along with their parents on May 20.
For the complete list of names of the Pantawid Pamilya graduates, please click on the link below.
