Trina and Netty

August 23, 2007

My daughter Demi designed a webpage for me a few days ago. It was a wonderful surprise. I was really thrilled and excited as I admired the layout of my blog. I emailed Demi right away and thanked her. “Ay, ang galing-galing talaga ng anak ko!” I told Butch. Butch, my husband, looked over my shoulder and said, “Now you can write your stories and adventures.” 

Today I will write about Trina and Netty—Trina the devoted daughter and Netty her mother who’s grappling with cancer. Netty and I were high school classmates and chums back in the late ‘60s. We shared four wonderful and fun-filled years at UP High School in Diliman. I remember Netty as a very pretty girl, who would fix her hair in a ponytail or in pigtails. She had an almost perfect oval face, big beautiful eyes, and a set of perfect teeth. She’s still pretty despite her illness. Netty was working in the US when the cancer came back. She decided to come home so that she could be taken care of by Trina and husband Ernie.

Trina is Netty’s eldest child. Her youngest is a boy who is fondly called EJ. I remember them as young tykes running around the neighborhood and Netty shouting to them to be home in time for lunch. The children would look back to their Ma and say “Opo, opo,” and then run back to their playmates, laughing. 

Trina and EJ are grown now. Ej is a musician in California and Trina is a freelance make-up arist. It was Trina who brought her Ma from the US back to Manila. Netty was very weak then. But miracle of miracles! Netty got stronger a few months later and we, her middle-aged gang, took her out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. That was in February of this year. (That's Netty in the middle, in the picture above.)

At the moment Netty is in a special clinic undergoing treatment based on herbs and plants. It is far but Trina is there with Netty, attending to her Ma’s needs.I could not help but notice the tenderness and loving care Trina would give her mother whenever my friends and I visit Netty. I’ve never seen Trina sad or grumpy despite the fact that she’s tired from work and lacked sleep watching over her mother, consoling her father, buying her medicines and other chores.

Whether Netty is in the hospital or at home, Trina would just go about as if everything were normal. She would tell Netty stories and would make her laugh. Every once in a while she would adjust the pillows that support the right arm of Netty that had become painful to move. She reminds Rhea, Netty’s yaya, to check on things while she’s away working. She’s like sunlight. She’s a whiff of fresh air and she’s a gentle song that soothes her mother’s pain. I would gaze at this young woman who was only a child the last time I saw her. Netty raised her well. She must be very proud of Trina. Will I experience that same joy and pride?

I gaze at Trina and I think of my own daughter so far away from me and Butch. Demi got married in April to Jerry, a very loving man who makes Demi laugh a lot. We chat almost everyday. It’s as if she were only nearby. Trina sends text messages to Glo and me everyday, we who are the closest pals of her mom. She gives us updates which we share with Mich, Babes, Tess, Lyn and Steny—the gang or the “Med Squad” of our high school batch (UP High ‘67).

I know Trina is tired but she will not buckle down because her Ma needs her strength and support. I know that behind her sweet smile is a certain fear. But Trina will not allow this fear to affect her because her faith in God is strong. It sustains her. Trina reminds me of my own daughter in many ways. They are strong yet gentle, sensitive, intuitive and tender. Will I be even better when Mama gets sick? 

PS / August 25, 2007

Netty passed away at 7:00 am. Trina was on her way to Tarlac with some needed funds. I was in a taxi on my way to work when I learned of my friend’s death. I said a prayer and a farewell to Netty and let the tears fall quietly.   

A Tale of Two Sisters

This is a story of two sisters whose love and caring for each other has sustained them as they struggle together, tackling the many difficulties and challenges in their lives.

Julita and Enrica Glicerio were born and grew up in a small barrio in southern Leyte to poor parents. They have an older brother named Roberto.

Life was very simple in Barrio Sta. Cruz, Malitbong. There was no electricity and the only transportation was a truck that would pick up copra once in the morning, or a jeep that would pass by at 7 a.m. Home was a small nipa hut with a bamboo floor. Their father was a farmer who planted and harvested coconuts to make copra, while their mother stayed at home to watch over the two children. Sadly, she died young and left the two little girls in the care of her husband. Lita says she was seven years old when their mother passed away, a few months after her Kuya Roberto—then only 12—left for Davao to work in a logging company. Enrica or Baby was four years old then.

The sisters grew up doing things by themselves. After school they would go and gather firewood in the nearby forest. They would go home eager to put down their load and play like any ordinary children. Lita says they loved playing bakya-bakya, tumba lata, shato, habulan, and skipping rope. Their lola who lived nearby supervised them and taught them how to prepare dishes and clean the house. It was Lita who eventually developed an interest in cooking and Baby learned to enjoy other tasks such as sweeping the yard and polishing the bamboo floor. They seldom fought but one chore they would fight over was grating coconut to make gata. They walked to and from school in their bakya. The school they went to was the only public school in their barrio. When the rains came, they would cut banana leaves along the road and use these to shield themselves. The banana leaves didn’t protect them completely from the rain, but the presence of each other provided warmth as they walked along the muddy road unmindful of the mud that stuck to their legs and skirts.

In 1970 Lita left for Manila to work as house help. She eventually found a better paying job after she learned sewing. The distance that separated them only intensified Lita’s concern for Baby. Since she had a steady job as a sewer, Lita made it her responsibility to send school supplies and funds for her younger sister. She continued to support Baby until Baby finished her degree in banking and finance at PUP. Lita eventually got married and bore a son she named Aries, a gift that brought not only joy but meaning into their lives. The years went by, with Aries being nourished by the love of his mother and aunt. Baby contributed to Aries’ education, while Lita continued to work as a sewer.

But in 2003, Lita became gravely ill, when her kidneys failed. She had to stop working, and now needs to undergo kidney dialysis thrice a week. Her body has become thin frail but the love and support that Baby and Aries give her strengthen her spirit. Despite her illness, Lita was given a job by her former employer who now works abroad. She cleans the house and prepares meals for the sons of her former boss. Baby and Aries live with her as well.

I helped Lita open an account with a bank where donations from friends and unknown individuals are deposited for her work-up. This was in February, and since then we have raised P40,000, but we have a long way to go. Help seems to be so far away. But Lita, Baby, and Aries will continue to pray and will not lose hope, for somewhere out there are people who will extend their kindness to them… soon.

If you think you can help give this story a happy ending, please make a contribution directly to the savings account of Julita Peñaflor at any PNB branch; her account is at PNB Cubao, No. 211-575144-4. Many thanks and blessings to you!