REFLECTIONS : Lola Yayang , Intrepid Woman
by TERESITA BACANI-OROPILLA , MD
Maria was the oldest child of a judge in the then American Commonwealth of the Philippines . Although not formally schooled , her younger sister was , as a teacher , and her brother , as a lawyer .
She was married to a railroad employee , Jose , and together they farmed a few rice and tobacco fields .
Having survived the rigors of World War II and the Japanese occupation , the couple had eight young children to raise and educate after the war .
All went well while the young children were in the provincial schools , but there came a time when they had to go to college . Where to get money for tuition and expenses to stay in the national capital and university city of Manila ?
Maria devised a system . She pawned the few rings she had at tuition time and gradually redeemed them at harvest time . She taught her children to live as a group in Manila , with regular provisions from the province . No plush dorms nor cushy apartments for these determined kids . As the older ones graduated , the younger ones took their place . By then , the older working siblings contributed their share . The harvest was plentiful ! All finished with engineering , teaching and MD degrees .
The dignity of women , their rights and capabilities , have been and still are subjects of conjecture to this day . Little advertised are the deeds of Maria , alias Yayang , and grandmother , alias Lola , that have tirelessly , anonymously labored to better the world behind the scenes . Unheralded , they have been the mainstay of home , hearth and beyond . Never underestimate their worth !
What would we be without them ? Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and psychiatrist .
June 2024 15