CEBU, Philippines – Famed to be a tropical paradise, Apo Island, off the coast of Dauin town in Negros Oriental, had captivated people with its emerald sea water, secluded beaches, colorful corals and rich marine life. It is a haven and a bigger-than-life aquarium where you can freely interact with sea turtles.
Despite its natural beauty, however, the income generated from this tourist destination has not been enough to address Dauin’s poverty incidence rate of 32.7 percent (based on small areas estimates of 2009).
For years, Mary Lee Alatun, a mother of four in Apo Island, did various menial jobs, like being a manicurist and resort housekeeping assistant, just to augment the meager income that her husband brought in as a fisherman.
Then came the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), the government’s information management tool in identifying who and where the poor families are.
Alatun’s family is one of the 44 households in Apo Island assessed by NHTS-PR to become beneficiaries of 4Ps.
“In 2009, enumerators of NHTS-PR visited us and asked how many we are in the family, how many boys and girls we have and what’s the job of my husband,” Alatun said in the dialect. Her family was among those identified belonging to the poverty threshold level.
“I asked myself if it’s realty true that somebody will give us something, because that was impossible,” said Alatun who, despite her family’s condition, has treasure silently in her hear her four children.
“I’m so happy that because of NHTS, we are now included in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and I can now provide the needs of my children. I can feed them thrice a day and that includes buying vitamins for them,” she said.
Alatun is proud of her three children who excelled both in academic and extra-curricular activities. Although the eldest child is mentally-challenged, she still manages to bring her family together. “Poverty is not a hindrance to go to school,” she realized.
Meanwhile during the dry season, Alatun’s and other households in the island-barangay of Apo get their supply of fresh water in the mainland that cost them P15 to P20 per container.
Recently, the DSWD-7 and the Dauin LGU started a sub-project called the Multi-Purpose Building-cum-Rain Water Harvester with Ground Water Catchment under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS).
Once the project is completed, Alatun, for one, will just pay P2 to P4 per container. She now sees a brighter future for her family and the rest of the islanders.
“DSWD believes that no one should be left behind. We climb mountains and traverse seas just to reach the remote places and deliver the right programs and services to them,” said regional director Mercedita Jabagat of the DSWD-Central Visayas. — contributed by Kerwin Macopia/DSWD-7 (FREEMAN)
