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OFW finally finds out who his real mother is!
Finally! After appearing on five episodes of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, OFW Ryan Mendoza’s search for his mother has come to an end.
It’s perhaps the most arduous of reunion stories which the show has covered — with lots of claims, twists, dead-ends, and heart breaks. When Ryan first appeared on the show, he had no clue whatsoever. Five episodes later, two women claimed to be his mother.
Ryan Mendoza has been working in Italy when in 2016, his parents admitted to Ryan that he was adopted. Fast-forward to May 2018, he decided to come home and look for his parents.
A parish priest in Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan and one of his parishoners — Father Nick and Charie — first told the KMJS team about Ryan’s predicament.
“Lumapit sa akin ‘yung parokyano ko. Sabi niya, ‘Father, may kaibigan po ako na OFW sa Italya at narito siya para hanapin ‘yung kanyang tunay na magulang…Father, ilapit natin kay Jessica Soho,” Father Nick narrated.
Ryan knew four things: (1) his father was a soldier (2) his mother gave him to a fish vendor (3) his real name was Joel de Vera and (4) he was sold for P3,000.
The fish vendor was named Aling Toyang, who was known in the vicinity as someone who had babies adopted by others. Unfortunately, Aling Toyang already died. She has a daughter, Zenaida, who remembers taking care of a baby named Joel.
When he was in the country in May, the first lead Ryan had was for his father. He met a man named Dominador and together, they underwent a DNA test.
It tested negative.
According to residents of Catanduanes, a certain Gina who worked at a bar in Catanduanes could’ve been Ryan’s mom — and there was in fact a Gina who worked in Jomari’s bar. Her name is Gina Castillo and when she watched a video of Ryan, her heart skipped a beat. She knew Ryan is her son.
Gina narrated how she got pregnant by an older man, who wanted her to have an abortion. She kept her baby but had to give him away because of extreme poverty. “Wala akong magulang, wala akong kapatid, hindi ako tagarito, wala akong malapitan na kahit sino… sana mapatawad niya ako kung ako man ang magulang niya,” Gina said. She also claimed that she knows Aling Toyang.
But another woman came forward and made a claim: Ryan is the son of a woman named Maritess “Mayet” Tolentino.
Mayet knew Aling Toyang the fish vendor because she gave her baby to her.
According to Mayet, she was still young when she got pregnant with the baby of a certain Jessie Santos. “Nawala po siya sa akin nung manganak ako sa ospital, kinuha ni Nana Toyang,” Mayet said.
The two women agreed to take the DNA test, while Ryan flew back home again.
Ryan wished that his mom looked for him — “Sana ‘yun bang sinubukan nila, nagtanong man lang na saan ba. Pero okay na rin po, hindi ko na po kinukwestiyon ‘yun. Ang mahalaga po sa akin, makita ko sila,” Ryan said.
It took another three weeks before the results of the DNA test could be processed and finally, tonight, it was revealed: Ryan is the son of Mayet. — LA, GMA News
