19/02/2026
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Overcoming life’s hardships lead to Magna Cum Laude
Testimony of Ivy Jean dela Serna
BSBA Magna Cum Laude
Exiting 4Ps beneficiary
ANINI-Y, Antique (Pagbabago) – I am Ivy Jean dela Serna, 23 years old, and a proud resident of this municipality. I am the third among four siblings and the youngest daughter in our family. Since my elementary years, we have been a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
My mother worked as a laundress, while my father had no permanent job. He accepted whatever work was available such as jeepney conductor, laborer, carpenter, or fisherman just to provide for our daily needs.
I vividly remember my mother carefully listing all our expenses in her talaarawan, which we called the 4Ps notebook. She treated it as a sacred document, budgeting every centavo of the cash grants to prioritize our needs. She once wrote how grateful she was for the assistance. While others might have seen the amount as small, for us, it meant everything.
Through her, I learned the silent language of sacrifice and the powerful value of education.
From then on, my dream became clear to finish my studies and help my family, especially my parents.
At a very young age, I became a working student in my own way. As early as three years old, I accompanied my mother to her laundry jobs. I helped scrub floors and do household chores in exchange for free meals and a small weekly allowance. I never saw it as a burden, I saw it as a way to lighten my parents’ load.
Life tested us repeatedly. In 2007, our youngest sibling was born. That same year, my mother was diagnosed with gallstones and kidney stones. For seven years, our lives revolved around hospital corridors and surgeries. In 2015, just days before my birthday, she passed away. The pain was unbearable.
Even in her absence, the 4Ps program remained our lifeline. The responsibility of being the household grantee was transferred to me, and the support continued to help sustain our daily needs.
When I entered high school, our aunts became our guardians and mother figures, especially to my younger siblings. Then another tragedy struck when my father was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. We were still grieving our mother’s death when this happened. At the same time, our eldest sister became pregnant. I felt lost and uncertain about how we would move forward without our parents beside us.
I studied in a private school, and my tuition was always under a promissory note. The 4Ps program literally carried me through my junior high school years. In senior high school, I became a working student again. I also went through a period of rebellion like cutting classes and spending time at the provincial jail just to be with my father. Yet despite everything, God never abandoned us. He sustained us through it all.
After my father was finally released following the pandemic, I faced another turning point, my college. I applied everywhere. I qualified for West Visayas State University and also passed the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT). Alongside this, I applied for every scholarship opportunity available. No matter how uncertain the future seemed, I held on to one thing, my burning desire to graduate and lift my family out of poverty.
When I began my college journey at West Visayas State University in Iloilo City, I took a leap of faith. I started with almost nothing, no money, no security, and no clear path but only a deep determination to finish my education. Despite confusion, exhaustion, and doubt, I chose to persist.
In 2021, as a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Financial Management student, my classroom was a screen, and my greatest challenge was the internet load. I tutored children during the day to fund my studies at night. When Typhoon Odette struck and damaged our home, leaving us without electricity for weeks, a professor’s kindness led to a campus job that ultimately saved my degree.
Looking back, every hardship strengthened me. I was a consistent honor student from elementary to college, but more importantly, I was a consistent worker.
In 2025, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from my dream university not because life was easy, but because I refused to let it break me.
Today, I am a corporate professional. The 4Ps program was more than financial assistance; it was the foundation upon which I built my life.
My story is proof that no matter how heavy life’s struggles may be, with determination, hard work, sacrifice, faith, and the right support system, success is possible. The 4Ps did not just help us survive, it helped me rise, pursue my dreams, and achieve my goals. (Submitted by Anini-y MOO, Antique POO)
