‘4Ps graduate “child” succeeds big in coffee venture’

La Trinidad, Benguet (June 6, 2025) -- Former monitored child of government’s Conditional Cash Transfer tact Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Rodiyo Tacdoy of La Trinidad, Benguet had made a huge success in selling coffee beans.



Tacdoy, 22, was able to sell his special coffee beans for a whooping P9,900 per kilo during the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) last May 9, making history in the Philippine-grown coffee business emerging as winner in the Arabica category.

Tacdoy’s coffee made a surprise when a buyer made a bid of P1,158,300 for 117 kilos of his Benguet-grown beans.

His secret, he said, is determination and strong purpose to achieve a better life. This was his way of “giving back to the land that raised him” and brought honor to his family of farmers from his native Barangay Wangal here.

Ten years ago, Tacdoy’s parents and his five all-girl siblings were supported by the 4Ps program. His fruit and vegetable farmer-father was the only breadwinner at that time.

Tacdoy said the conditional cash grants his family received went a long way and was the game changer for his family. He owes it to 4Ps that he got his senior high school diploma despite the odds. The 4Ps program also supported his siblings’ health needs.

“Before kami naging miyembro ng 4Ps, talagang kapos kami sa pangangailangan sa pag-aaral. Ang 4Ps ay nagbigay ng malaking tulong sa amin upang bigyang importansya ang aming pag-aaral. Kahit may kalayuan ang aming eskwelahan, nagbigay sigla ang tulong ng 4Ps sa aming magkakapatid. Dahil sa 4Ps, nakapagtapos ako ng Senior High School,” Tacdoy shared.

Aside from the cash grants, he learned and gained a lot from the Family Development Sessions (FDS) that helped him mature as a responsible and persevering person. “Naranasan ko na mag-attend ng FDS at napakadami kong natutunan doon. Bilang panganay, may mga pagkakataon na ako ang pinapadalo ni mama. Isa sa mga natutunan ko ay ang pagiging isang ehemplo sa aking mga kapatid, paano sila alagaan, at pagiging isang mabuting anak,” the former 4Ps monitored child said.

When his father met a motorcycle accident, Rodiyo’s persevered more to help his parents and siblings. “So parang yun nga po yung simula ng interes sa kape kasi hindi na makapagtrabaho yung father ko wala nang pagkukunan ng gastusin ganon. Tapos ayun, nakita ko nga po yung mga coffee beans ng grandfather ko, tinignan ko bakit nasayang, ano kaya ang pwedeng gawin para mapakinabangan?,” he narrated.

Tacdoy took the chance to learn how to harvest and sell the beans himself. And his entrepreneurship began.

He learned modern techniques like anaerobic fermentation and the cultivation of beans with other flavors such as lychee, tropical fruit, and floral flavors.  “Yung coffee na pinrocess namin na guided by my father, sinali po namin sa La Trinidad competition, naka-second po siya, so do’n po kami nagka-interes about coffee politics. 2020 tinuloy po namin po hanggang 2021 stable naman po yung phasing nasa first and second din ako nung 2023. Nung 2024 po dun tayo nagkainteres na mag-increase sa national PCQC,” he remembered.

At the 2024 PCQC, Tacdoy was the youngest contestant. A year later, he became the champion being the contestant able to sell his coffee to the highest bid ever recorded in the competition.

He plans to pursue his love for coffee, Tacdoy said, while earning enough to support himself and his family.  He also plants continue his studies while pursuing his passion for growing coffee beans. 

 “Ituloy ko pa rin ang pagtatanim ng kape. Pero, gusto kong ituloy ang aking pag-aaral. Balak ko na ituloy ang matagal kong pangarap na kukuha ng Engineering. Pero sa ngayon, kailangan kong mag-ipon para may sapat akong gagamitin sa pag-aaral ko.”

Now, Tacdoy is also mentoring other young farmers and helping others believe that a future in farming is possible and it can be powerful and uplifting.  “Gusto ko rin na matutunan ng iba pang mga kasama na nagtatanim ng kape na bigyang importansiya ang tamang pagtanim at pagproseso ng kape, dahil ang kape natin dito sa Benguet ay talagang may kalidad.”

While his family is about to exit 4Ps as they have attained a level 3 or self-sufficient status, Tacdoy said he will forever be grateful to the program. He is also thrilled to take a leap into the next chapter, knowing so well that a bright future not only awaits him and his family, but also, for the hard-working coffee farmers of La Trinidad.

The young Tacdoy’s heartwarming journey, said DSWD spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Irene B. Dumlao said, “is a great story of perseverance and an example of Filipino’s innate nature of resilience amidst difficulties.” Such real-life stories of personal upheavals abound among thousands of 4Ps beneficiaries who despite the difficult toil of poverty emerged victorious, he believed, with the social protection programs availed to them.

The 4Ps is the government’s national anti-poverty alleviation program implemented by the DSWD seeking to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty in the country.