Ending the 28th anniversary celebration of Maalaala Mo Kaya is a compelling story of a strong and courageous woman named Sarah Custodio, one of the unsung heroes who work hard for their families as an OFW. In the MMK episode “Tubig”, we witnessed Shaina Magdayao giving an impeccable portrayal of Sarah in her rousing story. Netizens even said that one shouldn’t be surprised if Shaina gets an award for the exceptional performance she gave us in the said episode.
READ: Shaina Magdayao proves she’s a top actress in MMK “Tubig”
Here, Sarah personally narrated her heartbreaking yet truly inspiring on her full interview with MMK host Charo Santos-Concio. She shared how she was able to withstand all the hardships and cruelty she experienced in her life.
As what we have also seen in the episode, Sarah grew up adopted by her relatives because her father believed she is a bad omen in their family. During her teenage years, she went back to her family only to get tied-up in an arranged marriage with a man he did not even know. Being a wife and a mother, she had to endure the infidelity and physical abuse from her soldier husband.
Having enough of her husband’s offenses, Sarah knew she had to sacrifice for her children. She tells us, “‘Yong time na sinaktan niya ako tapos siyempre, kulang kami sa financial… Gusto kong mabigyan ng magandang buhay ‘yong mga anak ko, tapos makatulong ako sa pamilya ko. Masakit man para sa akin na lumayo pero kailangang gawin ko ‘yon.”
Sarah flew to Saudi Arabia to provide for her family and help give them all a brighter future. However, instead of having a decent job and earning a great amount of money to fulfill that purpose, she had a demoralizing experience that almost took her life.
When asked about that matter, Sarah could not help but break into tears remembering and explaining the actual traumatic events that took place when she was in Saudi Arabia.
“Nahulog ako sa hagdan dahil sa kagagawan ng aking kasama pero kinayanan ko ‘yon. Sabi ko sa amo ko, ‘Ma’am, Mama, gusto ko na pong umuwi,’ dahil ipadala-dala nila ako kahit saan. Kinaya ko ‘yon para sa mga anak ko, para sa pamilya ko. Pumunta ako sa mga pulis pero imbes na tulungan nila ako, ginawan nila ako ng hindi maganda. Pero ‘yong time na ‘yon, hindi ko nakalimutan ang Panginoon. Hindi sila naawa sa akin… Tatlong araw, tatlong gabi ako sa likod lang ng pintuan, hindi ako pinakain. No’ng pangalawang gabi, pinainom nila ako ng tubig na galling sa C.R. ‘Yong tubig na ‘yon, ang dumi. Sa sobrang uhaw ko po, ininom ko. Masakit… Tapos ni-rape pa ako ng mga pulis,” Sarah wept.
Indeed, Sarah’s strong determination, her bravery and faith in the Lord is certainly captivating and may serve as a great encouragement for everyone. Watch her full interview in this video above.