30/09/2026
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ: ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ง
Every peso she earns has a purpose for one mother in Buruanga, Aklan: to help her child stay in school.
For Snooky E. Patricio, joining the Department of Social Welfare and Developmentโs (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa KahirapanโComprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program as a woman worker for the first time was more than an opportunity to earn. It was a chance to send money to her child studying in Iloilo City and help cover the daily expenses of continuing an education away from home.
Patricio is among the workers hired for the construction of a barangay health station with amenities in Barangay Tag-osip, Buruanga, Aklan, under KALAHI-CIDSS.
With her child living away from home for school, the expenses do not stop when the dayโs work ends. There is food to buy, daily allowance to provide, and an education she hopes her child can finish.
โFirst time ko mag-join sa KALAHI-CIDSS bilang trabahante ag nalipay ako nga mabahoe gid ro nabulig agud mapa eskwela nakon mapadaehan it pang allowance ro akon nga unga nga ga-eskwela sa syudad it Iloilo,โ she said.
(This is my first time joining KALAHI-CIDSS, and I am happy because the program helps me provide for my childโs education in Iloilo City.)
Her family knows how difficult it can be to continue studying when money is tight. One of her children had to stop studying upon reaching nearly the second year of college, leaving the other child as the one still pursuing an education.
She does what she can to support the child who remains in school, sending part of her earnings for daily expenses. The money may go quickly, but knowing she can contribute to her childโs needs makes the work worthwhile.
For Patricio, the hope of seeing her child graduate gives meaning to every day she spends working. Her wages may not cover every expense, but they provide additional support that helps her child continue studying.
Earning with dignity, building a healthier community
As construction of the barangay health station progresses, Patricioโs work also takes on another meaning. Every shovelful of soil raised and every step toward completing the facility brings the community closer to having a place where residents can access health services more conveniently.
Once completed, the health station is expected to make consultations and the provision of medicines more accessible to her fellow residents, helping address their basic health needs closer to home.
The work becomes a reminder that while Patricio earns to support her family, she is also contributing to something that can benefit her community. The health station will serve residents long after the construction workers have completed their tasks.
Her experience has given her another reason to take pride in her work: she receives the same wage as male workers.
For Patricio, equal pay reflects the value of womenโs labor and their ability to contribute to their families and communities. Through the opportunity provided by KALAHI-CIDSS, she can earn an income while helping build a facility that responds to a need shared by her fellow residents.
KALAHI-CIDSS supports community-driven development by enabling residents to participate in projects that address local needs. Through paid labor, eligible community members also gain opportunities to earn income that can help sustain their households.
These two benefits for Patricio come together in a deeply personal way. Her work helps bring a health facility closer to her community while giving her the means to help her child pursue an education.
As she looks forward to the day her child graduates and the health station opens its doors to residents, she carries two hopes: to see her child finish school and to see her fellow residents benefit from the facility she helped build.
Her work may be temporary, but its value reaches beyond the wages she brings home. With every day of labor, she moves closer to her childโs dream while helping create a healthier community.
For a mother who wants nothing more than to see her child graduate, every peso earned through KALAHI-CIDSS is more than income. It is another step toward a future she is working hard to make possible./dswd6/fcsa/ep
Interview and Photo by: CDO II Evone Pendon
