BENEFITS OF SOLO PARENTS: BBM vs VP LENI

 I can only see the pain in Erwin Tulfo's face having a hard time digesting BBM's answer with regards to the Benefits of a Solo Parent. Kahit si Ate dalawang beses pa inulit yung kanyang tanong tapos nag-try mag-expound si Erwin Tulfo at nagbigay ng scenario to broaden BBM's idea about the subject. 

If you haven't watched the video, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGmV5CTHnHQ

One thing's for sure, hindi immersed si BBM sa actual na pamumuhay ng mga ordinaryong tao. There's nothing wrong with that kasi you can always learn pero sana yung 6 years na pinahinga niya kasi di siya nanalo as VP, ginugol niya sa pag-aaral at immerse himself sa actual na nangyayari sa paligid niya especially sa communities na nasa laylayan ng Pinas.

Unang-una, feeling ko hindi siya nabigyan ng advance questions at hindi siya nakasuot ng in-ear monitors kaya walang nagfi-feed sa kanya ng sagot. (Feeling ko lang ha? Char!)

Okay, going back, medyo mababaw yung pagkakaintindi ni BBM at limited lamang ang kanyang understanding about the difficulties of Solo Parents in raising a child. Pag sinabing child (at least here sa Pilipinas), below 18 years old. So sa pagkakaintindi ko, limited lang sa newborn and pre-school yung naisip niya na solution about alleviating the burden of Solo Parents.

Maikwento ko lang, we are 5 siblings and I was 8 years old when my father died. My mom has to raise all of us alone, and thankfully, we all are able to finish school at hindi naging problema sa ating society. But the struggle is real talaga kasi there are times na hindi namin alam kung saan na kami kukuha ng pambaon sa school or pangkain just to survive each day. There are times, especially my 2 older sisters, had a hard time during their college years kasi di kayang pagsabayin. I didn't know about the Benefits of Solo Parents until nakapag-work na ako kasi wala naman ganung help or hindi alam ng mother ko na dapat may benefits siya raising 5 children alone.

You can check the entirety ng kanyang post by clicking this link: Odnamir Enegehr

Okay naman yung may Day Care na pwede pag-iwanan ng bata para makapag-work ng maayos yung parent to sustain the needs of a child. Kaso what if nag-elementary na or high school yung bata, what next? Kaya nabanggit din ni Ate sa kanyang tanong, kung meron way na mabigyan ng scholarship yung bata pag umabot na ng college. We have to understand na iba yung setup ng Day Care sa Pinas at Day Care sa ibang bansa. As much as we want to pattern it to what European countries are doing, our economic status is way behind from them. Kadalasan sa mga Solo Parents here sa Pinas are undergrads or aren't earning enough kasi kulang sa skills to even afford na makapag-sweldo ng minimum wage.

It should be holistic and I think what we are looking for here is to focus on how we can provide livelihood or skills training para sa mga solo parents na hindi nakapagtapos ng pag-aaral para makapaghanap sila ng work na mas mataas ang pasahod sa minimum wage. We also have to push the Teenage Pregnancy Bill and Sex Education in school because unwanted pregnancy especially for teens contributes a lot why we have Solo Parents. We can also make Work-At-Home permanent to Solo Parents so they'll have enough time to spend with their kids. Ilan lang yan sa naisip ko because I didn't have time to check what's included sa existing na Solo Parent Welfare Act.

I also watched VP Leni's interview about this topic and she understood and has an idea that they're trying to ammend the Solo Parent Welfare Act para mas alam ng isang Solo Parent ang kanyang karapatan at mga benefits. Our goal is to ensure that we are raising a child na hindi maging problema sa society and we have to help the Solo Parent and the child until he's on legal age. Pero again, there's nothing wrong with the Day Care Centers and Feeding Program but it's just the tip of an iceberg.