Former 4Ps monitored child now a licensed CPA

Testimony of Angobel Z. Glabin, CPA

BINGAWAN, Iloilo – Life has never been easy for me. From a very young age, my family faced constant financial struggles. My father began working as a tricycle driver when I was still in kindergarten, and later became a tricycle driver when I reached grade 9. On the other hand, my mother helped sustain our daily needs by working in a carinderia.

Together, they worked quietly and tirelessly, doing everything they could just to keep my brother and me in school.

My parents did not finish their studies, yet they carried a dream greater than their own limitations. My mother would always tell us, “Biskan waay kami ka-graduate, mabawi na lang kami sa inyo. Tinguhaon gid namon nga makagraduate kamo duha ni Toto mo,” she said in a vernacular words.

Those words stayed with me as I grew up, shaping my resolve and giving meaning to every sacrifice they made. I learned only how to do my best with whatever little we had. There were nights when I studied under dim light because electricity was uncertain, days when I had to set aside my own needs, and moments when giving up felt easier than continuing. I was never the smartest nor the strongest, but I persisted, knowing that my family was also doing their best, each in their own quiet way.

It was during my grade school years that I first heard about the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from my mother. At that time, I did not fully understand what it meant to be a beneficiary. As I grew older, however, I realized how deeply it helped our family, especially throughout my elementary and high school years.

The support from 4Ps eased some of my parents’ burdens. It covered needs we could not always afford and allowed me to continue studying despite the many challenges we faced. Looking back, I am deeply grateful for every sacrifice my parents made and for every opportunity that 4Ps provided.

Our family was a beneficiary of 4Ps from 2011 until 2020. When we graduated from the program, we received livelihood assistance from the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) that allowed us to start a small sari-sari store. Until now, that little store still stands, carefully preserved by my family, as a reminder of how 4Ps supported us during the years we needed it most.

And now, by God’s grace, that quiet and simple child who was once a 4Ps is finally a Certified Public Accountant from Saint Vincent College in Leganes, Iloilo, Batch 2024.

Not by strength alone, but through God’s goodness, my family’s unwavering hard work, and the support we were blessed to receive.

My journey is testimony that humble beginnings do not define where one can go. With faith, perseverance, and the belief of those who walk beside you, dreams, no matter how distant they seem, can truly come true. (Submitted by: ML Chelsie de los Santos, Bingawan MOO, Iloilo POO)