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MANILA, Philippines – Moms occupy a very specific space in Filipino family culture. At once disciplinarians, breadwinners, and caregivers, nanays pretty much do it all. And because they do, we place them on a pedestal, for better or worse. Ma, we’re sorry maaaa.
In Filipino movies, moms are often depicted as long-suffering and self-sacrificing, with a tendency to launch into tearful monologues when things get tense. Those monologues often reveal interesting truths about the roles moms play in our lives. And as with everything moms say, those monologues tend to stick.
As Mother’s Day approaches, here are just some of the lines from movie nanays that we couldn’t forget if we tried:
Grace Salazar (Coney Reyes) in Four Sisters and a Wedding
“I’m not perfect, but I am your mother, and I will always love you the best way I know how.”
Perhaps the ultimate family comedy of the 2010s, Four Sisters and a Wedding follows the Salazar sisters Teddie, Bobbie, Alex, and Gabbie as they try to sabotage their baby brother Reb-Reb’s wedding to his girlfriend, Princess Antoinette May Bayag.
In a pivotal scene, the tensions between the sisters come to a head, and of course, their mama (Coney Reyes) is accused of playing favorites. She admits to this, explains herself, and after a round of apologies, reassures her babies that she loves them.
Josie (Vilma Santos) in Anak
“Sana tuwing umiinom ka ng alak, habang hinihithit mo ang sigarilyo mo at habang nilulustay mo ang perang pinapadala ko, sana maisip mo rin kung ilang pagkain ang tiniis kong hindi kainin para lang makapagpadala ako ng malaking pera rito. Sana habang nakahiga ka diyan sa kutson mo, natutulog, maisip mo rin kung ilang taon akong natulog mag-isa nabang nangungulila ako sa yakap ng mga mahal ko. Sana maisip mo kahit kaunti kung gaano kasakit sa akin ang mag-alaga ng mga batang hindi ko kaano-ano, samantalang kayo, kayong mga anak ko, hindi ko man lang maalagaan. Alam mo ba kung gaano kasakit ‘yun sa isang ina? Alam mo bang gaano kasakit ‘yun? Kung hindi mo ako kayang ituring bilang isang ina, respetuhin mo man lang ako bilang isang tao. ‘Yung lang Carla. ‘Yun man lang.“
The ultimate guilt trip for wayward schoolkids with hardworking parents, Anak (2000) tells the story of Josie (Vilma Santos), an overseas Filipino worker who works as a nanny in Hong Kong to provide for her kids. After years, she finally comes home to kids who barely know her and a rebellious eldest daughter Carla (Claudine Barretto), who resents her for leaving.
In one of its most iconic scenes, Josie and Carla get into an argument, and in frustration, Josie lists down all the sacrifices she made for her family and asks that her daughter at least treats her as a human, if not a mom.
Josie (Vilma Santos) in Anak (again)
“Bakit ganon? Ang lalaki kapag binigyan niya ang pamilya niya ng pagkain, damit, bahay, tapos napag-aral niya mga anak niya, agad sasabihin ng mga tao, ‘Aba, mahusay siyang ama!’ Pero kapag babae ka, kahit ibinigay mo na ang lahat ng iyon sa mga anak mo, kasama pa pati puso mo, pati kaluluwa mo, parang hindi pa rin sapat na tawagin kang mabuting ina.“
If there was ever a character that depicts all the struggles (and hardly any of the joys) of being a mother, it’s Josie in Anak. In another unforgettable scene, she muses on the double standard that women face when it comes to parenting – how men are praised for doing less, while women can never seem to get anything right no matter how hard they try.
Ina Montecillo (Ai-Ai delas Alas) in Ang Tanging Ina
“Walang inang hindi napapagod. Napapagod ako. Pero kinakaya ko. Hindi dahil obligasyon ko ‘yun kundi dahil mahal ko kayo.”
In the 2003 comedy Ang Tanging Ina, single mom Ina Montecillo (Ai-Ai delas Alas) goes through the chaos of caring for 12 kids on barely any money. At some point, Ina understandably breaks down as her kids whine, admitting her exhaustion but reminding them that she is doing everything because she loves them.
Trisha (Paolo Ballesteros) in Die Beautiful
“Hindi ka ba nanay?“
“Nanay. E diba mahal kita. Hindi nga lang ako babae pa, pero ako ang nanay mo.“
This 2016 drama follows the life and death of a transgender woman named Trisha (Paolo Ballesteros), whose friends glam her up in the coffin every night of her wake. After a trying childhood that involved being gang-raped and thrown out of her home, Trisha carved a life for herself as a pageant queen and, at some point, decided to adopt Shirley Mae, the child of a friend who had just died.
In a particularly tender scene, Shirley Mae asks Trisha about her being a mom, and Trisha responds by highlighting the most important thing that makes a mom: not biology or the fact that she gave birth to you, but that she loves you. – Rappler.com
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