Before sunrise breaks over the rolling farms of Kadingilan, Bukidnon, a household in Barangay Malinao is already awake. A mother prepares food from what little is available. A father readies himself for work in the fields. And the children begin another day carrying both dreams and responsibility on their shoulders.
This is the daily rhythm of the Rabe family—quiet, disciplined, and shaped by years of hardship that never managed to weaken their resolve.
Their life featured by the DSWD’s Kwento ng Pag-asa at Pagbabago (KPAP) online program is one story shaped by love, strengthened by community, and sustained by the support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Marriage tested by poverty
Marylyn and Anecito Rabe began their married life in 1995, with little more than determination and trust in each other.
Anecito worked as a farm laborer without land of his own, while Marylyn stayed home to care for their growing family. As the years passed, nine children were born into a life marked by daily uncertainty, where waking up early to look for food was a necessity rather than a choice.
Despite the strain of poverty and the pressures of raising a large family, their marriage endured. On their 30th wedding anniversary in November 2025, Marylyn reflected on their shared journey with quiet devotion.
“Ang message ko sayo, sana hindi ka magbago. Simula nung nagsimula tayo, magaling ka mag-alaga sa mga anak natin, hindi lang sa akin. At wag ka mag-alala, dahil kahit seloso ka nandito lang ako palagi sa tabi mo na magpahalaga at magmahal sayo palagi. At happy 30 years anniversary na natin,” Marylyn said in her Visayan dialect.
Anecito, in turn, spoke of love that survived hardship and misunderstanding.
“Maraming salamat sa aking asawa na kahit ngayon na kahit may edad na kami at sa tagal ng aming pagsasama, may panahon na hindi kami magkaintindihan dahil sa mga karanasan sa buhay… Salamat sa aking asawa hanggang ngayon hindi nawawala ang iyong pag-ibig. Yung pagmamahal ko sayo hindi kumukupas hanggang ngayon,” Anecito said in Cebuano.
Motivation for children’s future
Raising nine children on an unstable income pushed Marylyn to her limits, both physically and emotionally. Yet, surrender was never an option. She knew that education was the only path that could break the cycle of poverty that defined their lives.
“Minotivate ko talaga yung sarili ko palagi kahit nakakapagod na, Kahit masama pakiramdam ko, masakit na ang katawan ko. Kaya talaga dahil na-motivate ako sa mga anak ko,” Marylyn said as she recalled the years when exhaustion was constant but her resolve remained firm.
A turning point came in 2011 when the Rabe family became beneficiaries of the 4Ps. Through the program, the DSWD provided conditional cash grants for education and health, while the required monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS) helped Marylyn better understand parenting, health, and financial priorities.
The support did not erase their struggles overnight, but it gave structure and breathing space to their daily lives. With every grant received, Marylyn made deliberate choices.
“So lahat ng matanggap ko, ang priority ko talaga ‘yung kanilang pag aaral,” she narrated.
Education as family’s achievement
The true measure of the program’s impact can be seen in the achievements of the Rabe children.
One of them, John Daryl Rabe, once a monitored child under 4Ps, graduated Cum Laude in Education from the Central Mindanao University. He is now a licensed teacher.
Looking back, he spoke of sacrifice and self-restraint shaped by awareness of his family’s situation. “Pinursige ko yung pag aaral, kahit na mahirap. There was a time kasi na hindi na ako nanghihingi ng panggastos sa parent ko kasi alam ko na mas may nangangailangan pa dito sa amin,” John Daryl said.
John Daryl also shared how every small success was tied back to home. “Pinagbutihan ko talaga yung pag-aaral, pag meron akong sobra sa aking scholarship…pinabibigay ko dito sa bahay para din sa pangangailangan ng aking mga kapatid,” he said.
For John Rey Rabe, now a criminology student, gratitude defines his view of their upbringing.
“Ma, pa, thank you for sa sakripisyo, lahat ng tulong pagmamahal, pag-aalaga na ibinigay nio sa amin mula sa aming pagkabata, hanggat sa kami ay lumaki,” he said, acknowledging how their parents gave everything even when nothing was left for themselves.
As the Rabe family faces every new day with a positive and hope-filled future, they also give thanks to the government for bringing forth the DSWD’s 4Ps program to families in dire need like them.
By extending the much needed help, which brought forth the spark of joyful hope, the Rabe family now looks forward to a future which is surely much better than their past.
The #KPAP — the DSWD’s award winning online documentary – is a joint production of the Traditional Media Service (TMS) and the Digital Media Service (DMS) which are under the Strategic Communications. It is hosted by Information Officer Bianca Piedad-Tamondong and is posted every Tuesday on the DSWD’s official Facebook page. (KI)
