Combes couple from Amlan town survives pandemic via gov’t grants

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

AMLAN, Negros Oriental – Jeffrey and Miraflor Combes, a couple from Barangay Bio-os, Amlan in Negros Oriental survived the pandemic through government assistance specifically from the Sustainable Livelihood program (SLP) under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

"Walay gisantos ang pandemya.” (The pandemic spared no one.) Miraflor uttered and this has been the common phrase among poor families in the rural setting.

 “Lisod kaayo ang kinabuhi, paet gyud, makahunahuna gyud ta bisan unsa para lang manginabuhi.” (Life is really hard with the pandemic and we have to think of anything to do to earn just to survive our daily needs.) Miraflor added as her family is one of the many victims of the lockdown conditions at the height of the pandemic.

Miraflor, 34, is a mother of two, ages 16 and 3 who tended a small sari-sari store and her husband Jeffrey is a fisherman. When lockdown took effect in 2019, the family’s income and livelihood were greatly affected. They live simply in Bio-os, Amlan where fishing is the dominant livelihood of Jeffrey and most of the husbands in the area.

With the lockdown, Jeffrey could no longer fish. The family’s income dwindled greatly.  “Ang lockdown nahimong sukdanan kung unsaon namo pag diskarte sa kinabuhi, pero hinay-hinay na pud nga nahurot ang among puhonan, tungod kay wala na usab ka panagat akong bana.” (The lockdown has become a measure of how we approach life, but our investment is slowly running out because my husband can no longer fish.) Miraflor said.

But they have to strive.  With a bit of savings, she upgraded her sari-sari store and added some spices and vegetables, so neighbors do not need to go far for their daily cooking needs.  Miraflor bared that that survival is undoubtedly testing the family’s strength and creativity.

As life simply goes by with the Combes, the government through the local DSWD continued to extend its livelihood assistance grant and timely indeed for the Combes.  Miraflor said, it came unexpectedly.

“I did not expect it because I had already received the 6,000.00 from the Social Amelioration Program (SAP). The assistance helped us with our daily consumption, but the Php 15, 000.00 livelihood grant from the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) came as a blessing in 2021,” Miraflor said in the vernacular.

She used the seed money to augment her stocks at her sari-sari store. Her neighbors, she added need not go to the market anymore because her store has all their needs.

Six months after she received the grant, Miraflor saved P18,500. The couple decided to get a motorcycle worth P79,000.00 on an installment basis. They deposited P2,000 from their savings as a down payment. The Combes took the 36-month instalment scheme.

"As soon as the motorcycle was released, we converted it into a tricycle, which will increase our income," Miraflor explained in dialect.

Her husband drives the tricycle now to ferry their neighbors from their barangay to other places. The tricycle became the substitute income whenever his husband cannot go fishing, Miraflor said.

Jessie Jan Plaza, project development officer of DSWD7 saw how motivated Miraflor is now to manage her sari-sari store and the family’s income from Jeffrey’s tricycle services.  Plaza said Miraflor’s success in life can be seen through how the couple strived and valued the grant they received from the government.

Indeed, the pandemic has been a threat to everyone and tested everyone's survival instinct. Because of it, she was able to receive grants from the government and she upgraded her livelihood and stretched all means to survive.   

Miraflor and Jeffrey showcase the products of their hard work to inspire other neighbors to go on, not to give up and pursue livelihood and business with utter grit and determination to manage life. (Photos: DSWD7)