Fe Barin: Chief corporate regulator and veteran mother

MANILA, Philippines - Fe Barin, the mild-mannered but feisty chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the country’s corporate watchdog, can’t help but laugh over the difficult travails of being a mother to six children.

There was a time, she recalls in an interview with The STAR, when she had to wash soiled cloth diapers while cooking a meal and at the same time watching over her children – only four at that time – because all the house helpers suddenly had to leave.

“Motherhood is not easy. It’s not all the time that you will have trusted people to take care of your children,” Barin says, taking time out from her busy schedule to share her stories on motherhood.

Barin, a 74-year old public servant for 52 years now, is a mother to four sons and two daughters. She has been married to Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner Alejandro Barin for 50 years.

At her age, Barin has already hurdled the many difficult stages of motherhood. Her children are living their own lives now with some living in the United States. However, she recalls that it was no easy task raising six children.

“Motherhood is difficult. It is an awesome responsibility but the rewards are limitless,” she says.

Barin says she is lucky that when she was just a neophyte mom, her mother was still alive and was there to help her. Her mother-in-law, too, guided her along the way. “I was quite lucky,” she says.

Despite the help she got, Barin devoted a huge part of herself to her children to be the hands-on mother that she is. “My career took a backseat,” she says without the slightest tinge of regret. A former employee of what was then the Philippine Central Bank, Barin held various positions which were mostly clerical in nature.

Work was not her priority back then. It was her family. “I would go straight home after work. I was not like the others who played bowling after work. The weekends, too were sacred for the family,” Barin says.

She says that spending time with children really keeps them close to their parents.

“That’s why I really believe in the benefits of breastfeeding,” she says. Barin breastfed her children for at least three months. She would take a leave from work for six months after giving birth.

Addressing the physical needs of children, however, is only one part of motherhood.

Barin says it is very important to instill discipline on your children. “Nobody wants to love a spoiled child,” she says. With this in mind, Barin made sure that her children admit to their mistakes. “If they commit something wrong, they have to tell us.”

Aside from discipline, Barin also believes that children should learn the values of honesty, sharing and simplicity.

Finally, she also says that children should learn to live simply and to work hard for their dreams.

Mothers should also be equipped with these values to be able to teach them to their children.

And sharing her secret motherhood formula, Barin says: “It’s simple. Wake up before everyone else does and sleep after everyone else does.”