Life was simple for little Cerirose L. Bucoy or simply Cerirose. Now 24, she realizes that all her struggles in life when she was younger prepared her for a beautiful tomorrow. Although they had very little in life, Bucoy family had one thing that they held onto which brought them success in life. They had a DREAM. This dream became their source of strength, a reason for perseverance, and their guide to sail onto the waves of life.

Young Cerirose is 1/5 of the blessings that were bestowed upon married couple, Ceriaco and Rosemarie Bucoy. These 5 children brought laughter and joy to the poor yet determined household. As you can already tell, her name is a combination of the names of her parents. This is very typical for pinoy couples to name their children based on their names, probably to let the world know that the child is a fruit of love between two individuals.

Like many ordinary Filipino families, Bucoy family lived a simple life in a small suburban area in Curuan, Zamboanga City. Cerirose’s father worked as a driver in their barangay, and her mother is a stay-at-home mom, mostly taking care the children and household chores. With 5 children to feed, Ceriaco and Rosemarie did their best to make ends meet. But no matter how hard they put themselves to work, Ceriaco’s income was just enough to survive daily. As much as it pains them, they could barely provide enough for other expenses such as for educational needs of their children.

Cerirose recalls the days when her parents could not give her allowance, so she would walk her way to school with nothing but determination. Before the school year starts, Cerirose worried about getting school supplies. As a kid, she would see her classmates with new shoes, new notebooks, new dress and uniforms. Nonetheless, this did not deter her desire for learning.

One thing that Cerirose knows is that when one needs help, God always provides. Her uncle Zaldy and auntie Ednabel Angeles would provide little Cerirose with the things she needed before classes began.

“Their kindness inspired me to keep going, even when life was tough,” Cerirose said in a statement.

The kindness of people around her was enough to let Cerirose know that there is hope and that one day, she wants to be the one who helps other people who are in need as well. And so no matter if it was raining, flooding, or the mornings were too cold because of the wet rice fields, she persevered and went to school every single day.

“I stayed strong because I dreamed of finishing school and giving my family a better life,” Cerirose added.

She worked hard in elementary school and graduated as Salutatorian in 2012. Despite this achievement, an inevitable worry kept crawling in her mother’s heart. Seeing that teenagers in poor communities often end up getting married at a very young age, her mother Rosemarie feared that her children would end in the same fate. This actually happened to an elder sister of Cerirose, then to another, and to another sibling.

“You might not finish school,” her mother, Rosemarie told Cerirose in one of their conversations.

Hearing this broke her heart. But, instead of giving up, she used her doubts as a challenge to work even harder.

In high school, she was determined to prove everyone wrong. She stayed focused on her studies and earned honors every year. During this time, Bucoy family were blessed to be part of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This government program provided conditional cash transfer to help low-income families like Bucoy family.

It was this period when they felt that the government’s aid to poor families really creates an impact in the lives of its beneficiaries.

“It helped my family meet our daily needs and allowed me to continue my studies with less worries,” Cerirose shared.

4Ps envisions a community where the children are able to go to school, their healthy minds and bodies are able to focus on learning, and families are able to uplift themselves from poor situations. The program mainly invests on education and health of children by providing conditional cash grants. The conditions include getting at least 85% attendance rate in school, availing health services such as deworming, preventive check-ups, pre and post natal check-ups, vaccinations and others.

As a determined, young girl, Cerirose finished secondary school with flying colors, proving that with dedication and focus, one can achieve his/her dream.

When she graduated high school, she was faced with yet another concern. The family thought that they could no longer send Cerirose to college since her educational assistance from the DSWD’s program has already stopped. According to Republic Act 11310 or the 4Ps law, the program can only provide for education and health of children until they finish high school or until they reach the age of 18, whichever comes first. This meant that they will have to figure out how to support her tertiary education.

With a pleading heart, she held on tight to even the tiniest hope and enrolled herself in college. She chose Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering at the Zamboanga State College of Marine Science and Technology. With this decision, people were quick to judge and doubted her choice. People said that the course she chose was expensive, and that she would not finish her studies. Some said, being a woman in maritime is too hard. But these words did not discouraged her one bit. She worked harder and grabbed every possible opportunity to facilitate her education.

As part of the empowerment to 4Ps members, the program introduced its beneficiaries to other social welfare services from the government that they can avail in order to attain an improved level of well-being. Through Family Development Session (FDS), a monthly learning session for 4Ps beneficiaries, they learned about the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), a program that is implemented by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to which Cerirose became a beneficiary as well. This helped pay her tuition fee, school supplies and daily needs in college. Additionally, Cerirose was also working student, helping teachers in the office and in return, I received free meals during school days.

Finally, in 2021, Cerirose successfully realized her goal to finish her studies. Not to mention, she graduated with honors. She also received an academic award, the Vice President of Academic Awards (VPAA).

According to Cerirose, “It was one of the happiest moments of my life because I proved to myself and others that I could do it.”

But graduating from college was just the beginning of her journey to the real world and her success. In order to make it in the maritime industry, she needed an apprenticeship experience. It was in the middle of the global pandemic due to Covid-19 and finding a company where she could get her apprenticeship was nearly impossible. The restrictions were everywhere, no one can go someplace unless you are a frontline officer and/or if you have the necessary documentation to show that you are safe to enter borders.

Cerirose felt hopeless and did not know what to do. It was as if her sail towards success was being washed ashore.

Then in June 2022, a blessing came when a teacher informed Cerirose about an international scholarship in South Korea offered by GOBT institution. Seeing this as an opportunity, she applied without hesitation. Her credentials and performance in school was enough merit to be accepted in the said scholarship.

Training in South Korea was challenging, but it also refueled her hope. After completing the program, she applied for an international company as an engineer cadet. She was accepted. With hard work and perseverance, she climbed her way up. Today, Cerirose is a proud 3rd engineer in an international cruise ship. For once it was just a dream but now a reality.

Looking back, Cerirose realized that life will always be full of challenges, but these challenges make us stronger. It prepares us to the bright future ahead of us. Success starts with a dream. If you have the power to dream it and you see it happening, then you can definitely find a way to make it your reality. Who would have thought that a 4Ps beneficiary like Cerirose L. Bucoy who belonged to the poorest of the poor families in the Philippines would one day travel around the world bringing with her the pride of being able to escape the bondage of poverty?

As of the recent Social Welfare and Development Indicator (SWDI) assessment administered by the DSWD, Bucoy family is now at Level 3 or Self-Sufficient level. This means that they have already exited from the 4Ps program and will continue to live as a successful household who managed to improved their life with hope, hard work, and social services interventions.