In a room full of children, 12-year-old Joshua Estonilo, a Grade VI student from Western Bicutan, Pasig City, easily stands out.

Soft-spoken yet articulate, Joshua was chosen as winner of the Search for the Huwarang Bata ng Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The annual search is held in connection with the celebration of the 22nd National Children’s Month with the theme “Bata Kasali Ka, Ikaw ay Mahalaga!”

The theme emphasizes the rights of every child to a meaningful participation in the decision-making processes at all levels including the family, community, barangay, organization, and society.

Joshua said that the award he received fueled his desire to excel even more in his studies and be successful someday.

Recently, he was also chosen as one of the advocates promoting children’s rights.

To prepare for this task, Joshua attended the Training of the Pool of Advocates on Cyber Pornography and Children’s Rights held recently at Bayview Park Hotel.

Organized by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the three-day training honed the speaking and writing skills of  20 selected children recommended by local government units,  residential and community-based centers and facilities managed by local government units and non-government organizations, and schools.

 Opportunities

Doors to opportunities opened up for Joshua  when his family became a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilya,  the government’s flagship poverty reduction program which invests in children’s future by ensuring that they are kept healthy and in school.

A consistent honor student since Grade I, Joshua is the youngest among the three children of Jose and Lina Estonilo of Barangay Western Bicutan, Pasig City.

 “Ang Pantawid Pamilya ang nagsilbing inspirasyon ko upang magsikap ako sa pag-aaral at maging top 1 (The Pantawid Pamilya program served as my inspiration to persevere in my studies and become a top 1 honor student),” he stated.

Moreover, Joshua realizes the importance of education in achieving his dreams.

“Napakapalad ko po at nabigyan ako ng ganitong pagkakataon na makapag-aral sa kabila ng aming kahirapan. Alam ko pong ito ang susi upang makaahon kami sa kahirapan (I am very fortunate to have been given this opportunity to study despite our being poor. I know this is the key so we could get out of poverty),” Joshua said with conviction.

Maturity

The value of education as a tool towards empowerment and success is also shared by 15-year-old Diosa Mae, from Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City.

 Diosa Mae was also one of the contenders in the Search for Huwarang Bata ng Pantawid Pamilya last year.

Like Joshua, Diosa is a consistent honor student.  A third year high school student, she displays an amazing maturity when she explained how she handles life’s daily grind.

 She considers the trials and hardships that she encounters as part of God’s plan for her, never losing sight of her goal to finish her studies.

With such strength of character, it is no wonder that Diosa was also chosen by CWC as one of the advocates promoting children’s rights.

“Isa sa mga natutunan namin bilang benipisyaryo ng Pantawid Pamilya ay ang manindigan sa aming mga karapatan. Ang pagkakapili sa akin bilang isa sa mga child advocates ay maituturing ko pong isang napakagandang oportunidad upang maipaalam namin sa publiko ang mga karapatang ito  (One of the things I learned as a beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilya is to stand up for our rights. I consider being chosen as one of the child advocates as a great opportunity to inform the public about these rights),” Diosa said.

Joshua and Diosa are just two of the 10,964,254  million  Pantawid Pamilya children-beneficiaries who now have the chance for a brighter future.

Pantawid Pamilya provides monthly cash grants of P500 for health and P300 per child in elementary or P500 per child in high school with a maximum of three qualified children per household for their educational and nutritional needs. They have to comply to program conditions of sending their children to school, bringing them to health center for check-ups, and attending Family Development Sessions (FDS). ###