The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office IX recently concluded the regional search for Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya and the Exemplary Child 2017 on July 4, 2017 at the KCC Mall de Zamboanga.

Laquio family from Barangay Patalon, Zamboanga City hailed victorious as the region’s Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya while a child from Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur, John Rey Wayco, was named as this year’s Exemplary Child.

Laquio family is composed of 8 members. Ireneo, the head of the household, was a former security guard before he suffered from stroke. Because of his condition, Gemma, his wife, had to stand as the provider of the family. Gemma worked in a canning factory in order to provide the needs of the family and to send their children to school. Aside from working in a factory, Gemma also maintained vegetables and fruit trees in their backyard as augmentation to their income.

Despite the hardships that the family went through, Laquio family manifested resiliency and became more determined to overcome life obstacles. In fact, three of their children had already finished schooling, two of which took up Bachelors in Elementary Education and vocational course, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Exemplary Child 2017 was a proud son from Zamboanga del Sur. Jhonn Rey Wayco, 13 years old, is very active in his academic and extra-curricular activities. His academic performance has earned him a handful of recognitions in the municipality and at the regional level. Other than being a performer in school, he also actively participates in community advocacies and religious activities which made him not only a deserving beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program but also a model child who serves as an inspiration to other beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries alike.

“I would also want to be an inspiration to other Pantawid beneficiaries to strive more in life, perform their best in everything they do, and always put God at the center of every action they take,” said Wayco.

The objective of the search is to give recognition to Pantawid beneficiaries who exemplified outstanding performance in their compliance to the program’s conditionalities particularly in education, health and attendance to the Family Development Session; contribution to the community; nurture of Filipino family values; and active participation to social causes.

Other winners of the Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya are as follows: Duron Family from Zamboanga del Sur (2nd Placer); Allones Family from Zamboanga del Norte (3rd Placer) and Obnimaga Family from Zamboanga Sibugay (4th Placer).

For Exemplary Child search, RJ Somosa from Zamboanga City was ranked 2nd Placer, Krizle Joy Corpuz from Zamboanga Sibugay and Mary Maica Nicol Elnasin from Zamboanga del Norte were ranked 3rd and 4th Placers, respectively.

The regional winner for Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya and Exemplary Child will be DSWD Zamboanga Peninsula’s representative to the National Search which will be held in Manila this September in line with the celebration of National Family Week and November for National Children’s Month celebration.

Regional winners of Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya2017 (Laquio Family from Zamboanga City)
and Exemplary Child 2017 (Jhonn Rey Wayco from Zamboanga del Sur)
in their victorious moment held in KCC Mall de Zamboanga last July 04, 2017