Provincial Level
“PAG-ABOT sa Pantawid Pamilya, na pobreng arang-arang na mi!” declared the 55-year-old Ofelia Campugan.
(When Pantawid Pamilya came, life became easier).
The Campugan family from Cordova town on Mactan Island, Cebu, are this year’s winner of the search for the provincial level of the Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya. Together with her spouse and five children, they received a certificate and a cash prize.
Out of the 160,000 Pantawid families in Cebu province, five families were picked as finalists and three came out the winners.
The other two winners are the Villegas family from Medellin town in northern Cebu and the Garciano family from Poro, Camotes Island, who bagged second and third place, respectively.
Campugan shared that she was once afraid of getting married for fear of being likened to her siblings. “Dili gyud unta ko maminyo kay mahadlok ko nga maparehas sa akong mga igsuon nga nakabana ug palainom. Pero naa ju’y mga higayon nga mura’g haw-ang gyud (I shouldn’t have gotten married for fear of being likened to my sisters who got married to drunkards. But there were times when I felt something was lacking,” she said.
Upon her mother’s urging, Ofelia got married at 31 and bore six children to her husband, Clodualdo, 54, a construction worker whom she described as “pinangayo nako sa Ginoo (asked from God).”
Coincidentally, the awarding was held on the date of their 23rd wedding anniversary.
Ofelia said that confidence and self-esteem were among the things that she passed on to her children.
“Ako, baga-baga jud ug nawng. Mang-angkat ko og pagkaon basta lang maka-kwarta. Bisa’g unsa basta tinarong. Kon duna’y contest akong paapilon akong mga bata (I put aside my shyness. I sell food on a commission basis to earn money. If there’s a contest I would encourage my children to join),” she narrated.
She said that being shy will get one nowhere. “You can do whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt anyone,” she added.
Despite having a stage 3 breast cancer, Ofelia is actively participating in Pantawid activities.
“Ako nalang gyud gi-tugyan sa Ginoo ang tanan (I leave it all to God),” she told Cebu Daily News.
“Inubanan sa akong mga bata, akong giingnan nga, ‘salig gyud mo sa Ginoo.’ Akong giingnan silang tanan salig lang og pag-serve sa Ginoo kay siya ra’y magahan-ay sa tanan (I told my children to have trust in the Lord. I told them all to trust and serve the Lord and he will arrange everything for us,” she said.
Her husband, Clodualdo, said the program has alleviated their socio-economic condition.
“Nakatabang gyud sa pag-eskwela sa akong mga anak (Pantawid has helped in the education of my children),” he said.
Kerwin Macopia, Information Officer of the Pantawid Pamilya Program said the Campugans will proceed to the next round of selection this July for the regional level of the search. /CNU Intern Laksmi Cañedo