The Mabantas did not imagine winning the National Search for Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya in 2013. They thought they were just a simple family from Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte who loves gardening and joining activities in their community.
Little did they know that their passions would earn them the title of huwarang pamilya.
“Unexpected po ‘yon. Sa dinami-daming kasali kami pa ‘yong nakuha… Pag-uwi namin maraming nag-congratulate na mga kakilala namin, kapit-bahay. Masaya sila kasi sa lahat ng beneficiaries ng 4Ps kami ‘yong nanalo sa buong Pilipinas,” said Helkent, the eldest among the five Mabanta siblings.
The Mabantas are known in their barangay for their home garden. Plants that bear fruits and vegetables were abound in their lot. After winning the search, people went to their house and were inspired to start their own home garden.
“Maraming tao dito sa bahay. Masaya sila nanalo (kami). Maraming dumating na kamag-anak kinumusta kami… Maligaya ako maraming (taong pumunta dito)… kahit yung mga kapitbahay ko naengganyo mag-garden na maging kagaya namin,” Helen Mabanta shared.
Six years after that momentous event, the Mabantas’ passion for gardening has been shared to other communities as they started getting invitations from various government agencies and organizations asking Helen and her family to be resource persons in gardening training workshops.
The Mabantas have also joined other various pursuits, such as the local poverty reduction action team of their municipality, PAMANA (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan), Kalahi-CIDDS (Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Services), and other groups and activities in and out of Brgy. Libertad.
According to Kauswagan Municipal Link Junaida Dimapandog, the family’s engagement in community activities and the good relationship within the family have made them a true huwaran for all. They are a family that leads by example.
“Hindi kelangan na magsabi (ka) sa kanya (na), ‘Ito gawin mo’. Pinapakita niya na gagawin niya talaga (ang trabaho),” said the DSWD staff who serves to 1,631* Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households.
New endeavors
The Mabantas’ latest endeavor is a karinderya which gives additional income to their household. Helen enjoys her time here and meeting different people who patronize their delicious meals.
She said, “Okay naman (ang kita). Marami kaming nakakahalubilo. Meron pang galing Manila.”
The Mabanta siblings have grown up and beginning to have their own lives. Helkent, an agricultural entrepreneurship graduate, is now employed at the Department of Agriculture. As the eldest Mabanta child, he understands the need for him to play the role as “pangalawang magulang ng mga kapatid (ko)”.
He shared, “Tutulungan ko sila hanggang sa makakaya ko… (Bilang panganay minsan) gusto mong pumunta ng ibang lugar pero ‘di mo magawa dahil uunahin mo kapatid mo para makatapos. Uunahin (ko) si mama at papa para tulungan sila.”
Helqueen, the second child, is a criminology graduate and soon to be employed at the Philippine National Police. The prize the Manarpaacs won during the national awarding of the search was used for her criminology board exam fee and requirements and other necessities in their house.
The other three children are still in high school and grade school.
“Gusto kong maging teacher (dito sa Libertad) para makatulong sa mga batang mabasa at magsulat,” said Heart Queencess the youngest among the Mabanta siblings.
Helen’s husband Rolando works as maintenance staff. Their combined incomes are being saved to send their younger children to college. They want their children to value education that will help them achieve their dreams.
“(Pangarap ko) makatapos sila ng pag-aaral kasi ‘di mawawala sa kanila ‘yan. ‘Pag bumili ka ng lupa, pag-aawayan ‘yan eh… Kahit ganito lang kami, mahirap ang trabaho ko… pero tinitiis ko para makatapos sila,” said Rolando.
He added that he is so happy and proud of his eldest kids who have finished their college education.
Staying committed
The Mabantas have shown that being a model family does not mean that they are free of troubles. They showed that amid the challenges, they are capable of being graceful and committed to taking care of each other and their community engagements.
Helen was a PAMANA volunteer in 2013 and became the chairperson of Kalahi-CIDDS’ Barangay Subproject Management Committee the following year. Her team’s proposal was building two evacuation centers because they reside in a flood-prone area.
To say the least, there had been challenges within their group that their project did not almost push through. But despite this, Helen’s sense of leadership and accountability prevailed and she chose to continue leading the group of volunteers and focus on the importance of their mission.
“Ako ang pumirma (sa mga papeles). Mahalaga sa amin ang project kasi (bumabaha) sa amin,” said Helen.
Aside from having a sense of commitment, Helen is inspired to work for the project because her family always supports her. During those times when Helen’s group was having problems, Heart Queencess was there to cheer her up. “Pinapatawa ko na lang siya,” she said when Helen was feeling down.
Helen and her husband Rolando’s passion for serving the community does not go in vain. In fact, it is one of the things that their children want to emulate from.
Helkent said, “Iyong tumutulong na walang kapalit. Tumutulong ka sa kapwa ng buong puso (at) hindi ‘yong may kapalit ‘yon ang gusto kong gayahin.”
The Mabantas enjoy learning from the training and seminars they attended, which were brought about by being a grand winner of the search. It became an instrument for them to show that poverty could be a driving force to help the community, join various activities, and learn new things.
More importantly, they are able to share the knowledge they gained from the initiatives they participate in.
Helen said, “‘Yong mga knowledge na nakukuha ko sa mga napuntahan ko shine-share ko sa mga anak ko para malaman nila mabuti talagang makihalubilo ka sa mga tao para marami kang malalaman.”
The Mabantas definitely has had a fair share of life’s ups and downs as they cross the bridge from poverty to being self-reliant. They know that making their dreams come true would take more time than they wanted but they are patient to take things one at a time. ###
*Data as of June 2019