May Rose shares the inspiring story of Marylou, her resourceful, resilient, and encouraging Proudly Pinay mom.

May Rose shares the inspiring story of Marylou, her resourceful, resilient, and encouraging Proudly Pinay mom.

As told by May Rose C. Carreon-Mana, a proud Pinay daughter, sister, architect, and Human Nature Dealer. May Rose hails from the beautiful city of pines, Baguio, and is now a proud mother to a 4-year-old son who dreams of being a superhero.

The story I will share to you is not about myself but of my mother, whom I can proudly say embodies the Pinay and Proud identity.

She was born the ninth child of a brood of ten, the youngest of two girls in the family. Due to an unexpected twist in her life she married at a young age of 16. Her marriage to my father brought six beautiful children in the world. My father was a self-made entrepreneur and we were living quite comfortably from the income derived from our business.

However, all of these changed when they got into an accident when I was 3 years old. My father died instantly while my mother suffered multiple injuries and was unable to walk for a while. She was left with six children aged three to thirteen, and there was no other recourse but to go out and bravely face the world as a mother and father to these kids.

She learned new skills like dressmaking, hair cutting, and cooking. Through these, help from my grandmother Maria (who has her own Pinay and Proud story!), and letting us sell the things she was making and cooking in our spare time, she was able to provide for the six of us, sent us all to good schools and inspired all of us to lay down our goals and accomplish them.

Now, she has three nurses, one dentist, one engineer and one architect for sons and daughters. And all of these she did simply because she loved us and was willing to make that sacrifice of being a good mother.

I remember her saying this when we were kids..."Go and get educated, because I do not have much to give you should I die...but the education you have will take you anywhere and help you achieve your dreams in life."

I love my mom and I am sharing our story because we are Pinay and Proud!

Cheers to all the beautiful women of the Philippines!


In photo: Marylou (center, in a blue blouse) with May Rose (right, in a jean jacket) and their family

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