PANTAWID GRANTEE. Jiezel Mae Del Rosario on her graduation day. Del Rosario, who earned her engineering degree with the help of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in high school and a government scholarship in college, said in an interview Tuesday (May 21, 2024) that job opportunities are opening for her after passing the 2024 Mechanical Engineers Licensure Examination. (Photo courtesy of Jiezel Mae Del Rosario)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Job opportunities are opening for a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) after passing the 2024 Mechanical Engineers Licensure Examination.
Jiezel Mae Del Rosario, 23, said she received offers from companies in Iloilo City and Antique, although she has yet to take her oath on June 5 after passing the exam on Feb. 20-22.
“I am so grateful to the Pantawid Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), considering that I am able to finish school and get invited by some companies to join them,” she said in an interview on Tuesday.
Del Rosario is the youngest of three siblings. Their father works as a construction laborer while their mother is a seamstress.
Their family was admitted to the program when she was in Grade 7 at the Antique National School in San Jose de Buenavista.
As a 4Ps beneficiary, she used her monthly grant to pay her school fees and other needs.
“There were times when I could not attend our online class because of the problem with Internet connectivity, but I made it a point to ask my teacher and classmates about my missed lessons,” she said.
She pursued her college degree at the main campus of the University of Antique in Sibalom town, where she availed of the Tulong Dunong scholarship program of the Commission on Higher Education.
Del Rosario said she was motivated to finish school and earn a degree because it is the key to landing a better job and helping her family.
“Once I am employed, I will dedicate myself to helping my parents because they sacrificed so much for me,” she said.
She also encouraged other beneficiaries to focus on their studies and be determined to finish school while they have the opportunity with the help of the 4Ps. (PNA)
