THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office in Iloilo City hopes a national winning couple of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) this year will come from a small island in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, who successfully hurdles the hardships in life after suffering from the oil spill in 2006.
For Rosell and Roel Tacda of sitio Punta, Panobolon Island, considered as a geographically isolated and disadvantage area (Gida) in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, being one of the beneficiaries of 4Ps since 2012 is a blessing and challenge for them to raise their three children and rose from the oil spill tragedy.
The Tacda family bagged first place in the regional competition for search of outstanding Huwaan Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and were awarded last September 8.
They will also represent the Western Visayas in the national competition slated in month of October in Metro Manila.
First runner-up is couple May Jane and Rodrigo Garcia from Concepcion, Iloilo who have eight children; and second runner-up is Ma. Jesusina Semilla of Tobias Fornier, Antique, who single-handedly raised her nine children with the help of the government's poverty alleviation program.
The Tacda family is undaunted by the oil spill, which destroyed their small seaweed farm. Together, they rose to rebuild their family of three small children.
Rosell became a day care worker and volunteer barangay health worker, while husband Roel became a barangay tanod commander and caretaker of a Kalahi-CIDSS pathway project and at the same time, a fisherman and member of the Panobolon Unifie Fisherfolks Association.
The Tacda family is known as community leaders and a family that maintains strong ties and harmonious relationship and upholds Filipino values despite the challenges that poverty brings.
They also practice and promote healthy living, and take care of the environment by leading in the planting of mangroves in their barangay.
The couple is actively involved in community affairs and inspired other community members to plant more mangroves after the whole island was declared free of oil spill in 2009.
They were given free seaweed seeds by Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, and today, the whole community is enjoying harvests of their seaweed every three months where an investor from Cebu is buying all their produced seaweeds.