________“Fathers are not just for bringing home the bacon”. This is the idea learned by Candonian fathers who attended the Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities Training (ERPAT) conducted last July 28, 2011 at the ABC Session Hall of the City Hall.

________The first ever paternal training was initiated by the City Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO). There were 50 participants including staff of CSWDO.  Virginia Sessay, Social Worker Officer III and Head of Social Technology (SOTECH) and Erlito Cacayorin, Project Evaluation Officer I and Focal Person on Family served as resource speakers.

________Cacayorin said that: “with ERPAT, we hope to instill the significant role of fathers in building the Filipino family and in nurturing the growth of the Filipino community and as a nation as a whole.”

________ERPAT is a DSWD service-project that gives emphasis on the importance of knowledge, attitude and skills development among Filipino fathers in performing their paternal roles and responsibilities. It facilitates community-based sessions, conducts training of father leaders and volunteers in the community for them to have collective action and participation in uplifting the roles of fathers in the family.

________Selected father parents from each day care centers of the city who assumed their roles as parents in an unconventional way felt awkward at first. But Ryan Abaya stressed on the other hand that: “there should be involvement of father parents in household chores, and not only for mothers.”

________Mothers, as view in a Filipino traditional culture of parenting are usually perceived as the dishwasher, cook, cleaner of the house, tutor for her children and a loving and faithful wife to her children and husband.

________Now, equal distribution of roles between husband and wives is being encouraged. Fathers must share the roles of their wives in responsible parenting such as providing, nurturing and disciplining their children. They must see to it they become partners of their wives in raising a good family.

________Because it was the first time the participants attended the ERPAT and they learned much from it Abaya suggested then that: “There should be a follow-up training/seminar for our fathers in Candon”.