The next six months would have been uncertain for the family of forty-seven-year-old Dolyn Braulio.
Dolyn, a mother of five from Sitio Bulabog, Barangay Balabag is among those who have lost their source of income because of the temporary closure of the tourist island.
She used to work as a private nanny for the guests of a resort in the island. When not working for the resort’s guest, she sells “kakanin” (Filipino delicacies) as an added income for the family.
Her husband, working as an on-call mason carpenter for a private construction firm, also lost his job.
Apart from them, two of Dolyn’s children — one working as a housekeeping staff in a resort while the other as cashier for a bakery lost their jobs too.
With four of them in the family losing their source of income, the mother is anxious on how they will survive after April 26.
But a ray of hope has shined for Dolyn and her family. Not only the mother but also her husband was hired for a 3-month service by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Dolyn is one of the three Pantawid parent leaders hired as a cook by the agency.
She works at the operation center of the DSWD at Faith Village in Barangay Manocmanoc. The operation center serves as the office for the agency’s more than 100 staff members both from the provincial and regional level deployed in the island.
Aside from the DSWD staff, the community kitchen is also serving other partner agencies and volunteers helping the agency in performing its responsibilities.
With two of them working, the family is now more secure despite the closure. For Dolyn, the job opportunity given to her is a big blessing to the family.
“Gapasalamat gid ako sa DSWD.Dako gid nga bulig ang nahatag sa akon,” (I thank DSWD. This is a big help that was given to me,” the mother said.
With her new job, Dolyn can now feed her family and even save enough for the education of her youngest daughter who will return to school this June.
In the midst of the crisis faced by the Boracay community, Dolyn, and the many less fortunate families remains as the priority of the DSWD. She has been a member of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P) since the program started in Boracay in 2011. She is just one of the 640 household beneficiaries on the island.
She said: “Gapasalamat ako kay sa kadamo sa amon nga miyembro, isa ako nga napili. (I am grateful that I was chosen among the many members),” she said. Apart from the job, Dolyn is glad that by serving DSWD, she is also extending help to the displaced workers of the island.
By helping the staff, they could serve more people of my fellow Boracaynon and fellow workers affected by the closure, she shared./dswd6