“Habang may buhay, may pag-asa” is a famous Filipino proverb that translates to “While there is Life, there is Hope. This proverb summarizes that as long as a person is alive, positive change is always possible, despite adversity.

No matter how difficult or challenging the situation may be, there is always the potential for things to get better as long as one is alive and able to take action.

This is the life of the Dawog Family, one of the households subject to interview during the 4Ps Special Assessment of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga through the Listahanan Project.

A family of seven members, the Dawog Family, led by its household head Rogelio, who works as a farm laborer, lives in Purok 4, Barangay Pakwan, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur- a barangay situated in a Geographically Isolated and Disadvantage Area (GIDA).

Riding in a habal-habal motorcycle, the assigned enumerator Roniel Flores, travelled along a rough road for two hours to reach Barangay Pakwan. While he was approaching unfamiliar places, Family Dawog, residing in a light material house without a front door, welcomed him with smiles and greetings- which turned an ordinary day into an extraordinary exchange.

After the interview, Mr. Rogelio, who has some difficulties in speaking, showed his optimistic side as he uttered, “Habang may buhay, may pag-asa.” He was also happy that they were visited and interviewed by the Listahanan enumerator, even if their home was far from the bustling center of the barangay.

“Bisan paman sa kalisod sa among kahimtang, andam gihapon ko magpa eskwela sa akong mga bata. Mangita mga lagotmon para ipakaon sa akong pamilya, mangita trabaho para naay kita (Despite the difficulty of our situation, I am determined to send my children to school. I will look for food just to feed my family, I will look for a job to earn money),” Rogelio said.

When asked why he was not assessed in 2019, he said that the family went to San Miguel town while the regular assessment was conducted.

Although the purpose of the assessment was explained to the said family, Mr. Rogelio is hopeful that he will be back with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program after he was not able to receive grants due to his unassessed status based on the Listahanan database.

Currently, through its hired Field Workers, the Department is conducting 2nd round special assessment for 4Ps beneficiaries who were not interviewed during the Listahanan 3rd-round household assessment in 2019. This assessment aims to update their current status and be included in the updated Listahanan database.