‘Best Nanays’ recognized

Recently, the Make Your Nanay Proud (MYNP) Foundation honored 10 of its latest batch of “Best Nanay” awardees, all mothers who have compelling stories to tell about sacrifice, patience, unconditional love and all the other things that come with being a mother.

Lydia Dagamas-Beto, 61, of Muntinlupa, successfully herded all her six children through college, but also helped raise more than 30 foster children. She began fostering children in 1991, after her youngest son Elvin went on a school field trip to an orphanage and convinced his mother to take in one of its wards. Because of her efforts, these children now have a brighter future. In the span of almost 20 years, she and her husband Epifanio have fostered 36 children, for which they were chosen as Most Outstanding and Inspiring Foster Family of the Philippines in 2004, and Best Foster Family Child and Foster Care Advocate in 2011.

Aside from caring for her own children and foster children, Lydia also reaches out to her community by working with organizations that promote and ensure the welfare of women.

The 2015 Best Nanay awardees with the MYNP officials (from left): Bemz Benedito, managing director; lawyer Wendell Dimaculangan, corporate secretary; Gasper Gozo, secretary-general; Nini Borja, vice president; Aileen Robles, treasurer; and the author and founder of MYNP

Fifty-three-year-old Julieta Manalo-Alvarez is a mother of four from Quezon City. She works as a dressmaker, but is a former OFW. When she returned to the country after working abroad, she discovered that her husband had developed a gambling addiction and that her daughter was pregnant. Instead of allowing her circumstances to discourage her, she gave up her job and chose to stay in the Philippines, a decision that turned her and her family’s fortunes around.

Areopahita Babarin Amontos, 65 years old, from Looc, Catarman, Camiguin, is a literacy teacher volunteer who works through the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education (DepEd). At her age, this mother of 10 — despite poverty, she was able to send all her children to school — would walk 16 kilometers everyday to the school where she teaches just to bring education to those who need it, like out-of-school youth and illiterate adults. For this rare display of fortitude, she was honored with an Outstanding Literacy Teacher award in 1990.

Another champion of education is awardee Milagros Abalos-Luna, 54. A mother of five, she became a working student just so she could successfully finish her education and thereby set a good example for her children. She battled through life’s hardships so she could send her children to school. Despite everything, she tried her best to give her family a good life and to reach out to her community, and this is the reason why she is included in this year’s list of awardees.

Life’s twists and turns can be difficult, and that is a lesson that awardee Angelita Abanto-Javier has learned well. Her husband, a seaman, lost his job, and this caused the family to experience severe financial difficulties — and yet, this 51-year-old Batangas native was able to keep her five children in a private exclusive school. By sheer patience and hard work, she took on odd jobs — she worked as a canteen helper, a laundrywoman, and cleaned other people’s houses — just to survive and keep her kids in school.

A former teacher in a trade school, 92-year-old Filomena Enerio Lim of Tagbilaran, Bohol is an active member of the Filipino-Chinese community where she lives. A mother of five children, she lived by the tenet of always putting the welfare of her children before her own. She grabbed every opportunity to earn and support her children. After they finished college, her children distributed salt from Manila to Bohol.  When it flourished the family ventured into resort and shipping business.

A true story of sacrifice is that of Maria Joaquin Enrique, 77, of Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija. Because her husband’s earnings were not enough, she had to work as a kasambahay and became a vendor on the side just so she could help send their children to school. She did everything humanly possible to survive, even putting aside thoughts of her own comfort, for the sake of her family.

A former missionary based in the Middle East, Maria Teresa Artificio-Castro, 55, is a volunteer worker with Basics Global, an organization that assists communities all over the world, and dedicated specifically to working with those who are impacted by disasters and unrest. While reaching out to the community and the world at large, she had to put up with crises in her own family. One of her children was afflicted with cerebral palsy, but thanks to her patient care, learned to overcome the disability and is now employed as a writer with Summit Media. Her husband also suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure while working abroad, but inspite of all these difficulties, she never lost hope.

Since 1997, Andrea Bendana Morelos, 48, of Quezon City, has been working as a kasambahay, while her husband is a rice vendor. Although of humble background, she never let this stop her from trying to give her family the best life possible. She was able to send three of her children to finish college, while three more are still pursuing their degrees.

Emma Bensurto-Dionisio, 69, of Pandacan, Manila is another example of a mother who did not give up despite life’s difficulties. When her marriage fell apart, she took it upon herself to struggle to keep the family together. She went into business and earned enough to keep her two children in school.

MYNP hopes to uphold these mothers — and many others like them — as shining examples of courage, sacrifice and unconditional love, just as mothers should be.