Life is not always about hardships, and for those who believe in that, rewards come in unexpected ways.
For Jeric Amor Villanueva of Paniqui, Tarlac, that belief carried him through years of financial struggles, long nights of study, and difficult choices.
And his hard work culminated in one of his greatest achievements—passing the Bar Examinations. Jeric expressed his thanks to all who helped him including the support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which helped him stay in school and nurtured his dream of becoming a lawyer.
Jeric is a former 4Ps monitored child, and he does not shy away from acknowledging how much the program mattered. For him, 4Ps was not simply a government assistance, it was stability during uncertain years, a quiet assurance that someone believed his education was worth investing in.
Looking back, he speaks with deep gratitude for the support that helped him endure both academic pressure and everyday hardship.
“Kaya maraming salamat po sa 4Ps na nagsilbing tuntungan ko upang unti-unting maabot ang mga bagay na narating ko ngayon. Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng tao sa likod ng 4Ps program, maraming salamat sa ating Panginoon sapagkat siya ay tapat, sa Kanya ang lahat ng kapurihan,” Jeric said as he shared his thoughts with the DSWD Field Office 3 – Central Luzon.
The road to becoming a lawyer was anything but smooth. The former 4Ps child admits that poverty was never an invisible barrier, it was always there, shaping choices and limiting options.
Unlike the romantic notion that determination alone can overcome hardship, he believes practical outlook matters.
“Kailangan po nating tanggapin na hindi totoong hindi hadlang ang kahirapan sa pag-abot ng mga pangarap. Dahil ang totoo, mahirap mangarap kapag ikaw ay mahirap,” Jeric said.
This awareness pushed him to work harder. Every form of help—from the DSWD, from friends, from family — it was something he treated with care and responsibility. He knew he could not afford to waste time or opportunity.
Even before passing the Bar, Jeric earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, another milestone that reflected both his discipline and the value of sustained support.
Like many students, he faced a major setback during the COVID-19 pandemic, when financial constraints forced him to temporarily drop Law school. But he did not give up. He enrolled again, continued, and finished—quietly proving that interruptions do not have to mean endings.
One person who saw his potential early on was Atty. Socrates Padua, his former professor at the Tarlac State University.
Padua remembers a student who stood out not because he sought attention, but because of how seriously he took his studies.
“He topped my class 1st semester of his freshman year. Early on, he showed his intellectual acumen and potential. I knew he was a working student juggling his teaching job and the demands of Law school,” Padua said in a message shared with the DSWD on Friday (January 9).
Padua later learned that Jeric was also a bookkeeper of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) – Pampanga Chapter. It further eased the financial burden of Law school expenses.
For Padua, Jeric’s success reflects someone who works hard, refuses to make excuses, and honors the help given to him.
Now a lawyer, Jeric hopes his story reaches other 4Ps beneficiaries who may still be in school, still struggling, or still doubting themselves.
His message to them is clear: assistance is not something to take lightly—it is a bridge.
“Kaya sa mga katulad kong beneficiary ng programang ito, nawa ay huwag sayangin ang pagkakataon, gamitin ito ng maayos upang sa pagdating ng panahon hindi na ikaw ang tinutulungan kung hindi ikaw naman ang tutulong,” Jeric said with conviction.
Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD spokesperson, expressed the Department’s delight in knowing that the 4Ps are bearing much fruit.
“The DSWD is very proud of Jeric and all the other 4Ps monitored children who recently passed the Bar examinations. Our warmest congratulations sa ating mga new lawyers. Isang karangalan para sa DSWD maging parte ng journey sa tagumpay ni Jeric sa pamamagitan ng 4Ps na ang pinakalayunin ay mag-invest sa edukasyon ng mga bata,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao added that the Department is grateful to Jeric for being a living testimony that investing in children can indeed break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
A 4Ps monitored child is a member of a poor Filipino household enrolled in the DSWD’s conditional cash transfer program which focuses in the education and health of children 0-18 years of age. (KB)
