Happy Mother’s Day! The fulfillment is indescribable regardless of all the challenges including those in a society that doesn’t fully understand, help, and support the importance of family, children, and parenthood.

I just read this article via social media and it sums up the struggles that women, whether with or without children, have to contend with as members of the filmmaking workforce: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-ca-working-moms-hollywood-20190510-story.html

I personally experienced having to disappear for 1.5 hour for an extended lunch in between a shoot to pump milk inside my car and had to explain to an all-male team (at least they’re all fathers — who understood, i suppose). I pumped milk inside the car with security guards questioning my overtime stay at the parking lot of the school where I teach — and I lost my temper defending my right to stay inside the car (with my own portable fan and a huge bag for the breastpump and another huge bag serving as milk storage with lots of reusable ice packs) a couple of times.

These are just two examples from the many challenges too stressful to even verbalize here. I haven’t even mentioned the grueling experience of pumping milk while traveling internationally between airports. It is Mother’s Day after all, so let me spare everyone from the not so good experiences from trying to be a good enough parent in a less understanding world.

I hope more and more people become aware of these issues — including production houses and schools where I spend most of my time working.

In the Philippines, kudos to Miriam College for having their own daycare for faculty members’ children and Hit Productions for following the government MANDATE on having a dedicated breastfeeding station for offices. Yes, the other places I work (past and present) do not have these, unfortunately. Not even the government-mandated one. And yes, I tried to reach out for suggestions of such, I just don’t know their reactions to them until now, and it’s been quite a while. But since some of them, heads, are actually part of my social media circle where I originally posted this, I hope they get to hear this now and do something about it. It’s for all mothers. And we all have mothers.

If you are really serious of this greeting, perhaps you can take any kind of step to advocate the needs of all kinds of mothers. Maybe you can start with your own domains, your type of workplace. And never treat being a woman as a liability in the workplace.

Again, Happy Mother’s Day to all kinds of mothers out there!