At 66 years old, Ms. Crisanta walks with quiet strength and vision—ironically, a vision not of sight, but of survival, love, and finally, homecoming.

Born with a congenital eye impairment, Crisanta grew up in Barangay Afga, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur. At just 17, driven by a desire to support her family, she left the mountains of Agusan for the concrete jungle of Manila. There, she found work as a house helper. The pay was meager, and the chores heavy, and she soon realized it wasn’t worth the sacrifice.

At 18, she found work helping a vendor in the bustling streets of Divisoria. Amid the chaos of commerce, she also found love—a common-law partner with whom she would start a family. Life brought them to Bataan, where they tried to build a life of modest dreams. But fate had other plans. When her partner passed away and her children started their own families, Crisanta was left with grief and growing uncertainty.

With no stable support, she turned to backbreaking work as a packer and bagger of fertilizer in the port. Her strength never waned, but her hope dimmed. She had long lost contact with her family in Afga. For 50 years, she carried not just the weight of sacks on her back but also the ache of not returning home—not even when her parents passed away.

As time passed, Crisanta’s shelter became the city streets. Alone, she lived day by day. That is, until a beam of hope reached her in the form of DSWD’s Pag-abot Program, which found her in Lawton, Manila. When social workers spoke to her, she didn’t hesitate—“Huling makita ko ang aking mga kapatid, bata pa sila, matapos ang 50 na taon, gusto ko na pong umuwi,” she said with tears in her eyes.

And so, on March 10, 2025, Ms. Crisanta was finally brought back home to Barangay Afga—50 years after she had left.

Her journey did not end there. On May 23, 2025, surrounded by local officials, DSWD staff, and her community, Ms. Crisanta received ₱80,000 in livelihood assistance through the Pag-abot Program. She expressed deep gratitude, sharing her plans to use the assistance to start a sari-sari store that will include frozen goods, a small business that will not only support her daily needs but also help her reintegrate fully into her community.

The payout was held at the MSWDO Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO), witnessed by SB Salvador Bares, Jr., DSWD RPMO representatives Ms. Reysthy Gundaya, RSW (SWO III/RPC), Ms. Mary Jane Guadalupe, RSW (SWO II), and Mr. James Calimas (PDO II); MSWDO staff Ms. Cristy Rulida, RSW, and Ms. Shaira Lou Sodejana; and representatives from the Barangay Local Government Unit.

Through tearful eyes, she expressed her appreciation: “Ang DSWD ang naging daan para makauwi ako sa aking mga kapatid.”

Her story is not just a tale of return—it is a story of resilience, of never giving up despite life’s darkness, and of the power of programs like Pag-Abot to light the way back home.