The Unsinkable Camacho Family of Brgy. Paragos, Bayambang, Pangasinan

 

The Unsinkable Camacho Family of Brgy. Paragos, Bayambang, Pangasinan

 

Like many people who have tasted the bitter pill of poverty first-hand, Norelyn and Henry Camacho Sr. are no big fans of it, especially its romanticization. They know that it is an ugly social evil that must be rooted out, for they know how it is disempowering on all levels, from the physical to the spiritual. Being born into poverty not of their own choosing (unlike, say, nuns who make a solemn vow for it), they have been bowed down several times by its seemingly unrelenting fierceness, indiscriminate nature, and utter lack of mercy. What stands out, however, is that the family remains uncowed and unbowed by it all and in fact keeps on rising up. Their secret? They refuse to make poverty their core identity. This way, they avoid making it their destiny.

Feeling trapped early on in life with all sorts of barriers to entering a better socioeconomic station, the Camachos slowly clawed their way to where they are now, of course with proper guidance from the 4Ps Program and their grand-level implementors.

Norelyn Mauricio, 37 years old, of Davao met Henry Camacho, 44 years old, of Brgy. Paragos, Bayambang, Pangasinan in Manila in 2000.  After their marriage in 2009, they settled in Brgy. Paragos as farmer laborers, and built a humble home with three kids.

Life in their chosen home ground was far from easy – not at all. Their area of residence remains highly underdeveloped despite Bayambang town’s status as first-class municipality and despite the current dispensation’s relentless fight against poverty through the Rebolusyon Laban sa Kahirapan. This means that they daily negotiate a rough road, no electrical connection of their own, and no running water. To harvest farm produce in their barangay and nearby barangays, they often need to cross the Mangabul Lake to get to their workplace and the road getting there can get muddy.

Small-time farming proved to be inadequate as a source of living at the time, thus the household had to constantly make both ends meet. To make matters worse, Norelyn was unable to finish high school, while Henry had completed basic schooling but did not get to have college education, leaving the couple very few options for employment. Norelyn tried working one time at an electronics firm in Batangas, but gave it up eventually because the work proved to be an inadequate source of income.

The family therefore heaved a sigh of relief when they got accepted to the 4Ps Program in January 12, 2012. The monthly stipend gave the family an opportunity to recover in many ways. This gave them hope and, apart from that, something equally crucial: self-confidence. From being confined to the four corners of their residence, they learned to go out and interact with their farming community, armed with newfound knowledge from their Family Development Sessions with the DSWD-RO1 Municipal Link assigned to them.   

But the unpredictability of life of being poor would not spare the Camachos. In 2016, Henry admitted to being a user of illegal drug and submitted himself to authorities to seek help. With courage and humility, he underwent rehabilitation, repenting of his mistakes, and gladly joined the DSWD program called Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities Training or ERPAT.

In 2020, their humble hut made of wood, nipa, and bamboo was destroyed by typhoon Ulysses, and their sad lot caught the attention of no less than former Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao and wife Niña. The Quiambao couple quickly donated construction materials, and this kind gesture prompted the whole neighborhood to help the Camachos rebuild their home using sturdy materials (concrete and iron bars). It was also raised to a two-story affair to accommodate the reality of perennial flooding in Paragos.

In the same year, Jane Mae, the eldest, caught a lung infection and needed to be hospitalized, and this of course was a huge setback to the family, a drain on their already meager resources and a threat to their reserve of energy and sense of well-being. Mercifully, the family survived this ordeal with their faith in God intact.

Through these blows, however, Norelyn somehow found the resolve to finish high school through the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System (ALS). She even found herself being a Parent Leader in her area. What’s more, she was voted as the President of the Managbangkag Farmers’ Association of Brgy. Paragos, bespeaking well of the kind of respect and trust she has earned from her peers.

Of course, these mean serious leadership roles outside home that each demands an amount of time and effort from her. As Parent Leader, she has to be a role model parent to her co-beneficiaries. As farmers’ president, she makes sure the government’s allocation of farm inputs (seeds, fertilizers) go to the neediest members, not to those closest to her. Through trial and error, she has eventually learned to balance the demands of each role.

On the other hand, Henry continues to be a farm laborer working on corn, onion, and other vegetables and Norelyn continues to sell carpa, gourami, tilapia, dalag, and aruho in the Paragos talipapa. But one of Norelyn and Henry’s crowning achievements is having Managbangkag Farmers’ Association chosen as a certified supplier of standard big-sized white onions for Jollibee Foods Corp., a no mean feat considering the discriminating requirements of a top fast-food corporation such as Jollibee. This speaks of the high trust that the fast-food firm has in Norelyn, Henry, and fellow farmers.

Aside from the Pantawid program, the family’s source of strength wells up from their faith. As members of the local Catholic church, they make sure to regularly attend to their church obligations. From time to time, as budget permits, they bond by eating out together.

The Camachos have a busy household, as each one takes part in the various assigned chores at home. Their yard is planted to mango, kamias, and banana trees, plus they tend a patch of garden planted to various vegetables. Together, the family also raise chickens, ducks, and goats, so each member is occupied with making sure they have additional source of nutritious food that they don’t have to buy from the market.

They also strive to make a compost out of their biodegradable food waste, and segregate recyclables for the barangay Materials Recovery Facility. They avoid burning their garbage.

Having established a firm connection with their community, the family is always present during community affairs like fiesta, sportsfest, clean-up drive, tree planting, and backyard gardening, and school activities.

In school, the children are surprisingly doing well despite the odds. James (Grade 10) even managed to get recognitions such as the Most Kind, Most Industrious, Most Obedient, and Most Cheerful at Paragos Elementary School, while Henry Jr. (Grade 8) was awarded Batang Matulungunin at the same school, has a certificate in Computer Tutorial Training, and has experience as a boy scout.

Jane Mae, the eldest, finished secondary education at Bautista National High School and is now gainfully employed at ShopLine in Manila as a certified online seller. Jane Mae has even successfully completed and showed exceptional performance in the Training Program for Online Sales Representative given by ShopLine Philippines Inc. She is now living on her own with her own family in Manila.

Norelyn doesn’t shy away from any gainful opportunity, as attested by her completion of participation in Profitable Squash Processing Business Ideas and Opportunities (DOST), Agro-Entrepreneurship Training - Module 2 (Jollibee Group Foundation), and Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation Island Wide Cluster Summit 2022 (DA-ATI CAR).

One of the accomplishments of Mangbangkag Farmers’ Association is securing a grant for a Shallow Tubewell Irrigation Project from the provincial government, with the help of the local Agriculture Office.

Furthermore, as if the abovementioned are not enough, she also spares some time for school concerns as Vice-President of the local Parents-Teachers Association.

Meanwhile, Henry Sr. has also completed a training in Hilot (Wellness Massage) Leading to NC II provided by Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation’s TESDA-certified trainor.

Conclusion

Poverty deals such a humiliating blow to anyone’s psyche, but this family amazingly keeps on rising up from the destructive 'flood' that is economic poverty, armed as they are with the right combination of support from the DSWD/MSWDO and the LGU in conjunction with an inner compass that tells them to make the right choice each time.

Grit, perseverance, steadfast faith in God --- these are the particular essential ingredients that repeatedly turn up in the journey of the Camacho family in weathering life’s challenges. In particular, they have consistently refused to have poverty as the last word, to let poverty define who they are. The resolute desire to rise up instead is a game changer that makes them continually fight back from any setback. This makes the Camacho family stand out from the rest of potential Huwarang Pamilya candidates. And their achievements speak most eloquently for themselves, certainly no modest accomplishments in the face of the obstacles they had to overcome.