“Hindi ako nagsisi kahit madami sila…medyo hirap, pero kinakaya tsaka masaya naman (I do not regret having many children…it is sometimes hard, but we get through it and we are happy)” said Marlyn Geonzon, a mother of ten.

Being economically challenged and having more children to feed, Marlyn and his husband, Maclyn, work hard each day to support the needs especially the education of their children.

 

One Big, happy family

In a typical Filipino family, the father is in charge of earning a living for the family while the mother is expected to take care of the children. But Marlyn and Maclyn tend to defy the norm as they consider each other as their ultimate partner in life. Marlyn and Maclyn support each other in providing for their family; however, both of them do not have stable jobs as Maclyn works as a tricycle driver while Marlyn is a food vendor.

They met in 1988 and both have been working hard since then. As their family is growing, the couple knows that they need to earn more in order to sustain the needs of their children.  Both of them wake up at 3:00 in the morning to cook arroz caldo and other viands for lunch which Marlyn sells in government offices and houses near them. She also sells bilo-bilo, pancit, and rice porridge for merienda. When the clock hits 5 in the afternoon, she goes back home to prepare barbecue which she sells in front of their house. Marlyn was able to get a job as a Public Service Foreman in a Job Order Contract in the Municipal Assessor’s Office in 2006, but she continues selling food in their office for extra income.

According to Marlyn, they are lucky enough to be given ten obedient and wonderful children, of which five are girls while five are boys. And despite being economically challenged, the couple was able to give Mark Francis, Mae Sheila Ann, Mary Lovely Jane, Marc Lester, Marc Philip, Mary Apple Rose, Michelle Ivy Zhielaxy, Maclyn Jr., May Angel Catherine and Michael John Irish access to good education.

 

Getting through life’s hardship

Marlyn and Maclyn strive hard to provide the needs of their children. Just like most parents, they prioritize their children more than themselves. And with the help of certain programs of the government and their family’s efforts and hard work, Marlyn said that they have somehow get through with life’s hardship.

It was in 2009 that they have been listed as a partner-beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, which had greatly helped in their family’s finances. Marlyn is serving as a Parent Leader in their cluster since 2011. “Ang programang ito ng gobyerno ay napakaganda dahil kung ihahambing natin ang panahon noong wala pa ang Pantawid ay maraming palaboy-laboy sa lansangan at hindi nag-aaral (This program of the government is helpful because before the intervention of Pantawid, children are seen in the streets instead of studying in school),” she explained.

She is thankful of the program as it helped them in financing for the education and health of their children. Together with the cash grant that they receive and the scholarships that her children obtain from several government office and other organizations, four of her children had already graduated college – Mark Francis, their eldest graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Programming; Mae Sheila Ann graduated Secondary Education; Mary Lovely Jane in Business Administration; while Marc Lester finished his degree in Electrical Engineering. Even though the grant they receive from Pantawid is not much, it helped them a lot especially since it has been difficult for them to send all of their children in school all at the same time.

 

Working together for a bright future

Children growing up in big families are said to become happier and more successful in life. The Geonzon Family might be a big one, but they believe that as long as they are together, they can overcome anything. It might take a while before all of them graduate from college, but they believe that everything will be worth it once it happened. Little by little, they can soon reach their dreams, knowing that they have their strength in numbers. ###