What Does It Take To Be A Mabuhay Lady?

[Date Created: August 28, 2013]

by Jaja Reynoso

"What does it take to be a Mabuhay Lady?" is a question I found myself asking not too long ago.

A few weeks ago, I was with a group of volunteers from Singapore and Manila on their 1-week immersion trip at our GK Toyota Village located in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. At the same time, a group of volunteers from FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) Missionaries from the U.S. and Malaysia were also there for a 2-week immersion. I initially thought that this would just be the same as the many other times that I've visited our GK sites. To my surprise, it has been only in this trip that I really got to know and spend time with our "Mabuhay Ladies".

Mabuhay Ladies are residents of our GK villages who are trained with specific skills such as food preparation, cooking and even welcoming the visitors and making sure their welfare is being taken care of.

Let me tell you the stories of 2 wonderful women that I've met on this trip.

All smiles with Nanay Basha

NANAY BASHA

When I got inside the village, I was told that Nanay Basha would be my host for my 4-day stay at the site. I couldn't forget her because of her sweet smile and her red lipstick. She welcomed me in her home and lovingly offered their bed for me to sleep in even if I tried to convince her that I’d rather stay at the sala (living room) instead.

Nanay Basha wakes up at 2 AM everyday so she can go to the market with Ate Menggay and Pangga, to buy what was needed for our meals for the whole day. By the time I wake up, they have already returned from the market and I would find her resting. When I told her that she probably is very tired and still very sleepy, she replied to me saying "Okay lang ako. Masaya kami na nandito kayo. Kung hindi dahil sa GK hindi naman kami makakakilala ng taga-ibang bansa." (I'm very okay. In fact, we're very happy that all of you are here. If it wasn't for GK, we wouldn’t be able to get to know people from other countries.)

Nanay Basha shared with me how different it is now that they are living in our GK communities, comparing it to the kind of life that they have before. How secured she is knowing that she now has a home she can call her own.

The three of us! :) Me, Nanay Basha and Tita Virgie.

TITA VIRGIE

Tita Virgie is also our Kapitbahayan (resident) from GK AMPAPP in Camarin, Caloocan City. She was part of the service team assigned to be with the volunteers and we both stayed at Nanay Basha’s house. She has been away from home for a long time and oftentimes her husband and son would call her to ask when she is going home. There was even a day when her son was sick but she couldn’t go home to attend to him, so she called her neighbor to look after her son. I remember her saying, “Naniniwala ako na kapag nagsisilbi ka sa Panginoon sa pamamagitan ng pagsilbi sa iba, Siya din ang bahalang mag-alaga sa mga mahal mo sa buhay. Alam ko na kahit nandito ako, hindi pababayaan ng mga kapitbahay ko ang mga anak ko." (I truly believe that when you serve God by serving others, God will also take care of the loved ones you leave behind. I know that even though I am here, my neighbors will take care of my children.)

During my time with Tita Virgie, I really felt how she treated each and every volunteer as her own child. When somebody got sick, she made sure that she was there to comfort him or her and provide the needed love and care. She would not allow herself to lose sight of any of them.

I even overheard Alyssa, one of the volunteers, saying to her “Thank you very much Tita Virgie. You took care of me when I was sick. You gave me comfort when I needed it the most. I will miss you.” when we sent them to the airport on their last day.

Tita Virgie together with our FOCUS Missionaries volunteers

Nanay Basha and Tita Virgie are just 2 of the many other Mabuhay ladies who tirelessly serves our communities the best way they know how. They are very instrumental to the kind of experience that the volunteers take with them whenever the immersion trip has come to an end. They become the instant “nanays” and “titas” of people they've just met for the first time but already learned to treat and love them as their families here in the Philippines.

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Gawad Kalinga is not a charity, rather, it's an organization that aims to end poverty by building sustainable communities. GK Mabuhay is a program that allows international volunteers to embark on a journey of caring and sharing in the Philippines. They get to experience the best of Filipino culture and hospitality by immersing in a GK community, and make memories that will last a lifetime as they volunteer for various GK programs and activities. If you want to be part of GK Mabuhay, visit our VOLUN-TOUR page.