Moms in Tondo’s ulingan get a treat on Mother’s Day

In Tondo's charcoal-making factories, Salome "Bebe" Soria packs charcoal into sacks for ten hours a day, enduring the heat, the grime and the smoke to earn enough to feed her children and send them to school.

And all it takes for her face to light up is proof that her kids are doing well in their studies.

"Nung Grade 3 yung anak ko, naka top-1 siya...ayan," she says, proudly displaying the medals her child has won, in a report by Lei Alviz on "24 Oras" on Saturday. "Tuwang-tuwa po ako nung unang beses ako maka-akyat ng stage, kasi nung bata ako hindi ako naka-akyat eh," she adds with a fond laugh. "Ngayon siguro bumabawi ako sa mga anak."



Moms like Aling Bebe go unrecognized and under-appreciated, but they got at least one treat this Mother's Day, thanks to a non-profit organization that works with people living in the Tondo slums. "I'm turning 50 on May 11 and [my birthday] falls on Mother's Day," says Project PEARLS founder Melissa Villa. "As a thanksgiving for my birthday I want to treat 50 moms sa ulingan, kasi they're the hardest-working moms I've met in my life."

She adds, "It's a day-to-day survival na kakayod sila for ten hours a day under ng init ng ulingan, yung usok, makakain lang kahit isang araw yung mga anak nila."

The report also featured another woman of great generosity, this time in Barangay Holy Spirit in Commonwealth, Quezon City. Gilda Segismundo does not have a foundation, but she relies on donations to put 142 children to school. "Gusto namin talaga na maiahon itong mga batang ito sa kahirapan," she said, adding that they aim to do it through education. "Yung pagaaral ang pinakaimportanteng pamana na pwedeng ibigay natin para matulungan din nila yung mga magulang nila."

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and the moms at heart. — BM, GMA News