One of life’s greatest blessings is certainly the person who gave us life, the person who brought us to this world we are blessed to live in. And she’s none other than our mother who make sure we are all well taken care of, that we are safe, that we are loved.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan on its May 8 episode recognizes four mothers who paid their kindness forward and inspired each other to lead better lives.
One of them is Mary Jane Osiana, a loving wife and a dedicated mother of two. She works as a vendor in Tondo, Manila to help in supporting her family. Jane is the youngest among 11 children, and at a young age, they already learned how to work as their father used to rely on them. When they were still young, they were already helping out in their carinderia. But Jane described her mother as a very loving and who would do everything in order to provide for them.
Later on, she went to Manila and worked in Divisoria where she also met her partner. Jane also prayed for nothing but a good future for her two children. When her children already had their own families, it looked like Jane’s responsibilities as a mother already ended there. But then she felt the need to assume the responsibility of being a mother to the nephew of her husband. Jane saw that the child’s biological mother couldn’t be able to provide his needs, so she decided to adopt the baby. Just like what she did to her biological children, Jane also loved him selflessly and provided his needs.
But Jane’s sacrifice and love for her family, especially for his son Ariel was tested when they lost their home because of demolition. It was certainly one of the hardest challenges that she had to face and she didn’t know what to do during those times. They were forced to live in the street, but Jane did not lose hope that everything would get better eventually. And because of her faith, they were able to rent a house through the help of her friend, Gina Gonzales. Gina didn’t think twice in helping her during her lowest times. She agreed to be Jane’s guarantor to the person she’s going to lend money from. And because of Gina’s help, Jane and her family were able to relocate and have a comfortable life again. That’s why Jane is beyond grateful for all the help that Gina has given to her family. She gave Gina a Sto. Niño figurine which would guide her and her family at all times.
Gina is a sari-sari store owner, and just like Jane, she’s also a devoted mother to her children. Gina has also admired how her mother loved them selflessly and always took care of them. She gave back to her mom by being a good daughter. However, just like all of us, she committed a big mistake in her life. During that time, she had a boyfriend, however, there was another guy who caught her attention. One time, the guy invited her to come with him and so she did. However, the guy didn’t let her go back to her family. And eventually, they ended up marrying each other even though Gina didn’t want it.
When she became a mom, Gina wholeheartedly embraced and fulfilled the responsibilities of being a parent, especially since her husband worked abroad. She assumed a bigger responsibility of being a mother because of the absence of her husband who didn’t know that she was also working while he was abroad. Gina faced all the difficulties and challenges in hopes of providing a good future for her children, and in hopes of being with her husband again. However, she didn’t expect that her husband would cheat on her and would abandon their family. Despite what happened, Gina chose to just focus on her children. She had a very hard time providing for their education since her children were already in high school and college during those times. But she was very fortunate to have been helped by her very good friend, Jona de Guzman, who has always been there for her especially when Gina needed a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on. She gave Jona a picture frame where she can put a picture of them on that can always make her remember their friendship.
Jona also works as a vendor in Tondo. She grew up helping her mother in doing the responsibilities in their house, which made her lose her focus on her studies during those times. While her father was working abroad, her mother got addicted to gambling. When her father came back home from abroad, Jona’s parents argued a lot and her father would always blame her mother for putting all his savings into waste. Jona’s father became depressed and alcoholic, and later on died from stroke.
Jona started having grudges towards her mother especially when she was used as a payment for her mother’s debt. She was asked by her mother to stay at her aunt’s place, not knowing that she was going there to be her aunt’s house helper. Jona eventually knew that her service for her aunt served as her mother’s payment for her debt. But it came to a point when Jona couldn’t take it anymore, so she decided to have her own family at an early time. She promised to herself that she would never do the things that her mother did. She has been working hard to provide the needs of her children, especially their education.
But after a long time of being separated with her mother, there came a point where Jona had to help and take care of her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She would take care of her everyday, even when she’s tired from work already. But one day, Gina just found her mother missing. She did everything to find her during those three weeks that her mother went missing. But Jona’s mom was very fortunate to have been seen by a good samaritan, Josephine Llorca.
Josephine saw Jona’s mother talking to a taxi driver. She approached her to check if there was something wrong, and she realized that Jona’s mother actually was suffering from the degenerative disease. Josephine decided to bring her home because during that time, she was longing for a mother’s love. Josephine took her to their Christmas dinner and later on decided to bring her to the Home for the Aged. And that’s where she found out that the old woman was actually lost and had a family that was looking for her. And so with the help of Josephine, Jona’s mother was brought back to her. Jona would forever be thankful for the kind gesture that Josephine showed. For that, Jona gave her an umbrella and a lipstick, which is a favorite of her mom, and these served as a symbol of appreciation for taking care of her mother.
Josephine looks up to her mother very much because of the strength and courage that she witnessed her mother has always possessed. Even her father gets strength from her mom. And when Josephine’s dad passed away, their mother stood strong for her and her siblings. Her mother assured them that she would take care of them. Later on, Josephine saved her money so she could send her mother to Australia where her mom found another man again who made her happy. However, he also passed away too soon. And later on, Josephine’s mom started to lose her memory. Because of this, she decided to take care of her. Josephine described it as exhausting but fulfilling. She dedicated most of her time and energy taking care of her mom. It even came to a point where she had to refuse to go with her ex-partner because it meant leaving her mother. Eventually, her mom also passed away. But Josephine can always rest assured that she did everything she could to take care of her mom. She would always be thankful for her siblings, but most especially to her Ate Ana who was always there to help in taking care of their mom.
Josephine’s unconditional, selfless love for her mentally challenged mother made her help Jona’s own mother who suffered from the same disease, and assisted her to reunite with her family. Josephine’s gesture, in turn, made Jona pass on the kindness to a struggling Gina, who solely took on the responsibility of caring for her children after her husband left them. Gina also showed the same kindness to Jane by making it possible for her start life anew.
Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan, hosted by Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, airs Saturdays 7pm on the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z Channel 11.