Testimony of Engr. Jiezel Mae del Rosario

Former 4Ps monitored child

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, ANTIQUE – In a world full of challenges, the story of my student life breaks free from the test of poverty. The assistance of government particularly the 4Ps stands as a powerful testament to whatever empowerment and transformation it gave to us as a 4Ps beneficiary.

Born into a low-income family, I faced numerous obstacles in pursuing my education. Our father works as a construction laborer while our mother is a seamstress. Thankful for the program because when I step on my Grade 7 at the Antique National School in San Jose de Buenavista, I am already one of the monitored children wherein I am the youngest.

After graduating from senior high school, financial constraints always challenged us and even questioned me on how to get a brighter future. However, the government’s intervention, in the form of 4Ps and other scholarship programs provides a lifeline that enabled me to dream beyond the limitations of any circumstances.

I enrolled in college at the University of Antique in Sibalom town and took the Mechanical Engineering course where I availed of the Tulong Dunong scholarship program of the Commission on Higher Education. As a 4Ps beneficiary, the cash grants that we receive every two months are being paid for our school fees and other needs.

Despite these, financial problems never hindered my academic life and my dreams of someday I will become an Engineer. To cut the long story short, I graduated, not only with a diploma but with a newfound sense of empowerment and possibilities. I also achieved my dream of becoming a Licensed Mechanical Engineer after passing the 2024 Mechanical Engineers Licensure Examination taken last February 20-22.

Our journey from poverty to prosperity was not merely an individual triumph but a testament to the effectiveness of government policies in breaking the chains of the intergenerational cycle of poverty. I am forever grateful to our government particularly the DSWD and CHED for all the assistance extended to us. Without them, I cannot reach what I am dreaming to become.

Again, I am Engineer Jiezel Mae del Rosario, a proud daughter of a 4Ps beneficiary Rowena and Jovito del Rosario Jr. (Antique POO)