Actress-model Shuvee Etrata is 4Ps beneficiary in Cebu before stardom

“Isa ako sa mga pinapakain ng gobyerno sa 4Ps. As in talagang isa ako sa mga binabayaran ng gobyerno. Kasi nga, walang trabaho ‘yung parents ko. Tapos marami na po kaming magkakapatid ( I am one of the people who was fed by the government under the 4Ps program. As in I was fed by the governments because my parents were jobless and we are many siblings).”

This is how Shuvee Etrata, a GMA Sparkle artist and a housemate in Pinoy Big Brother (PBB): Celebrity Collab Edition described herself before gaining stardom.

She recounted that she was a young girl in Cebu who knew hunger more than comfort, responsibility more than childhood, and survival more than dreams.

Long before stepping into “Kuya’s” house, Shuvee stood in grocery lines as a child, clutching government cash assistance meant to feed an eleven-member household.

The 24-year-old actress and model spoke openly about growing up poor and depending on the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Under Republic Act No. 11310, 4Ps provides cash grants for health, nutrition and education. For the Etrata family, the monthly assistance meant one thing with certainty: there would be food on the table — at least for a time.

“Naranasan ko ‘yung pagbigayan na (cash grant), bili na kami ng de lata. Mag-grocery right away,” Shuvee recalled, knowing that every allowance day brought temporary relief before the cycle of shortage start again.

But even with the program, the family was no stranger to food shortages. Borrowing money was a routine part of survival — and because her parents could no longer get credit, it was the eldest child, young Shuvee, who was sent to borrow money for the family. “Hindi makautang ‘yung parents ko, ako ang pinapapunta nila. Bilang panganay, ramdam ko yung bigat (My parents couldn’t borrow money. They sent me so I know how heavy it felt),” Shuvee narrated.

As the eldest of nine siblings, childhood was replaced by duty. Her days began before sunrise — ironing uniforms, cooking meals, calming crying toddlers, doing whatever was needed to keep the household. Love existed in that home, but so did conflict.

The Etrata family entered the 4Ps program in 2015, was delisted in 2019, then reactivated three months later. They remained beneficiaries until 2022, when they were tagged as “non-poor” and officially graduated from the program. The government’s exit coincided with the beginning of Shuvee’s ascent — a transition from pure survival to the first flicker of possibility for a better future.

At 16, Shuvee began joining beauty pageants. Later, she found the courage to leave Cebu by herself in search of something bigger. “Three years ago, I had the courage to step out, leave my home, leave the island,” Shuvee shared.

Modeling followed, then a chance meeting with talent managers from Sparkle Artists Center, which eventually led to her PBB stint.

Before the TV lights and cameras– a different dream fueled Shuvee. “Ang pangarap ko talaga, maging doctor,” she shared, explaining how in the province, becoming a doctor, lawyer, or an overseas Filipino worker felt like the only ticket out of poverty.

Life, however, placed a different stage in front of her faster than a stethoscope — a different dream, but one that allowed her to uplift her family.

Just months ago, Shuvee moved into a home she could finally call her own — white-painted walls, a proper ceiling, a quiet space untouched by the struggles she once knew.

“Malayo pa pero malayo na. Sobrang daming blessings. Hindi ako makapaniwala na white na yung pintura, 'yung bahay namin sa Cebu walang pintura. Dati gusto ko may pintura 'yung wall, bahala na 'yung higaan, basta may pintura lang yung wall tsaka may kisame. Ngayon (It is still far, but I have come a long way. There have been many blessings. I can’t believe that our house in Cebu is painted white. Never mind that we don’t have beds as long as the house is painted. And we have a ceiling. I’m living that dream),” Shuvee said.

The past remains vivid, not as shame, but as proof. The little girl who once knew only poverty is now a young lady signing contracts and paying for her own home. And through every chapter, gratitude remains constant, not as an excuse, but as a fact of life she finds no need to hide.

Today, Shuvee stands as proof that poverty is not a permanent identity, only a starting point. She may have outgrown the 4Ps line, but not the lesson it gave her. The DSWD program gave her and her family the fighting chance to survive and fueled her resolve to aspire for a better future.

Shuvee’s journey from canned goods bought with government aid to a home she now owns is more than a success story. It is a reminder that when opportunity meets courage, even the quietest child in the queue for help can one day become the voice of her own victory.