28/04/2026
Breaking cycle of poverty: From 4Ps beneficiary to social worker
IVISAN, Capiz (Aspiration) – I am Zarah Angel P. Bernas, a native of Mina, Iloilo and currently a Municipal Link of this municipality. Our family became a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 2014.
At that time, my mother worked as a laundress and my father as a construction worker. With nine children to support, life was difficult, yet our parents held firmly to one dream that all of us would finish our education.
An opportunity came when a relative offered to bring me and my brother James to Davao City so we could continue our studies. While we were there, our mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. She passed away at the age of 43. After her death, I returned to Iloilo to help care for my younger siblings, while my father became our sole provider.
At a young age, I stepped into the role of a second parent. I managed our household, attended Family Development Sessions (FDS) as my father’s representative, and carefully budgeted our cash grants to ensure my siblings could stay in school. There were days when we survived on rice and salt, but we never gave up. What mattered most was that we stayed together and continued to dream.
Despite the hardships, I pursued a Bachelor of Elementary Education at West Visayas State University – Janiuay Campus, supported by the CHED Tulong-Dulong Scholarship and 4Ps assistance. In 2019, I graduated Cum Laude and passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers in the same year.
Driven to support my family, I entered public service through the DOLE Government Internship Program, later serving as a Job Order employee in our LGU’s Budget Office. I also worked as a teacher in a private school. However, when the pandemic affected our finances, I sought more stable opportunities to sustain my family’s needs.
In 2021, I was hired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as a Social Welfare Assistant assigned in Bacolod City. This is my first time being away from my siblings since our mother’s passing. In 2023, I applied for the position of Municipal Link and was fortunate to be selected. I was first assigned to Santa Barbara, Iloilo under a Cost of Service/Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) arrangement for six months, then to Toboso, Negros Occidental as a contractual Municipal Link, where I served for nearly one year and six months. I am now assigned in Ivisan, Capiz, just three hours away from my family, a blessing that allows me to support them while serving fellow 4Ps beneficiaries facing challenges similar to ours.
While working, I enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Social Work program at Colegio de Sagrado Corazón de Jesus. Now a third-year student, I continue to balance my studies with helping sustain my siblings’ education. The values I gained through 4Ps such as responsibility, resilience, and gratitude are continue to guide me.
Today, our household has successfully graduated from the program under Code 3 – Self-Sufficient Level of Well-Being. The 4Ps was more than financial assistance, became our anchor during one of the most difficult chapters of our lives. Through the FDSs, I gained essential knowledge on family welfare, children’s rights, disaster preparedness, and gender sensitivity.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share my story. I hope it inspires other beneficiaries to dream boldly. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big because dreaming big means setting clear goals in life.
Gratitude remains at the heart of my journey. Being thankful for every blessing, big or small, keeps me grounded and humble. By sharing my story, I hope to encourage others to remain resilient and determined. Through hard work, perseverance, faith, and the right support, meaningful success is possible.
My journey proves that poverty does not define one’s future. With determination and opportunity, struggles can be transformed into strength and dreams into reality. I will always be grateful to 4Ps for being part of that transformation. (Prepared by Municipal Link Zarah Angel P. Bernas, Ivisan MOO, Capiz POO)
