Nothing is more precious than seeing the delightedly bright smiles in the faces of your loved ones. To know that the people you cherish are happy is the sweetest thing of all. That is how Evanjelyn feels whenever she sees her children as they share a meal as one happy family.

But her happiness sometimes becomes short-lived because she knows that she cannot provide everything to her children. In most cases, she could hardly provide for their daily consumption even for food. This breaks the heart of poor Evanjelyn.

Evanjelyn T. Del Rosario, or Bangge as she is fondly called, is a 40-year old housewife living in a humble abode in Barangay Tapian, Municipality of San Miguel, Zamboanga del Sur. She and her husband are blessed with six (6) wonderful children that bring joy to their household. Despite the adversities in life, the couple maintains a healthy relationship, sharing abundant love and respect for one another.

Surviving in a poor and unfortunate situation has always been the life of the couple. They are used to being poor and having less as they say. But now that they already have children to provide for is a completely different story. Of course, as parents, they would dream of putting their children in a good school, provide what their children need and want, and secure delicious food for their family. But how could they?

Her husband is a farmer in a land that they do not own. This is where they get their daily consumption and income to support the expenses in school and at home. Being a corn farmer is not a lucrative job so most of the time, what they get from farming is what they serve on their plates.

Unlike many of us who live in an urban community, Del Rosario family eats ground corn in substitute for rice. Though grateful, it is inevitable that their children would sometimes ask about why they eat corn instead of rice.

“Moreklamo man gud sila panalagsa kay hait daw itulon ang mais (Sometimes they would complain because corn feels itchy and can be difficult to swallow),” said Evanjelyn when asked about how her children described their meal.

It brought her tears to know that they cannot sufficiently provide for their children’s physiological needs.

Just when she started to think about it, a good news came to her through an orientation by the DSWD’s Municipal Link in San Miguel. They were oriented on the additional provision of Rice Subsidy to compliant Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino beneficiaries worth P600 per month.

She was elated and became more than ecstatic after hearing the news. To her, it was an answered prayer which made her feel that God listens and works through people who show compassion and care to the needy.

In an interview, Evanjelyn was asked how she manages their consumption since P600 or equivalent to a half sack of rice seems not enough to feed an entire family in a month. She shares that sometimes they mix rice with ground corn to make a satisfying meal for their family.

Evanjelyn recalls the first time she prepared cooked rice for her children and cannot forget how their reaction was.

“Ay, humay! Salamat Mang! (Oh, rice! Thanks Mom.)” And they hugged her tight.

Evanjelyn Del Rosario narrates how DSWD’s Rice Subsidy
significantly helped nurture her relationship with her children.