Now on its seventh year, the Kasambahay Kasambuhay Pilipinas Awards, a joint endeavor of the Junior Chamber International Senate Philippines, Inc. (JCI) and Palawan Pawnshop Group, has named 10 household workers as this year’s Top 10 Kasambahays. Each winner will get P100,000.
The Top 10 winners are Regimar Cabrera, Rolly Rosero, Edwin Mugdan, Susana Berlas, Milagros Diorec, Myrna Domingo, Daisy Medina, Myrna Gerundalan, Grace Nadine Remetilla, and Betty Acibo.
The winners were chosen from over 2,000 entries, which was later whittled down to 500. The search started with only 339 entries when it was launched in 2016.
The stories of the winners reflect the Filipinos’ love for family, dedication, and loyalty. Each story varies in some ways, but ultimately shows the kasambahays’ admirable attitude towards service. Some of them have shown so much love for their employers and their employers’ children who in turn have considered them as extended members of their families. The anecdotes of the winners exhibit their joy and their perseverance in their line of work.
Regimar Cabrera has worked with his employer for 20 years as an all-around helper, but mainly as a nanny for their child, who is now in college.
“I was only 14 when I started working for the family. I had no choice because we were very poor and I had to earn a living. It was tough being away from my family. I had no idea how to take care of a child,” said Cabrera, whose employers eventually encouraged him to go back to school through the Alternative Learning System (ALS). Thanks to this, he now works at an office while still living with his employers who continue to pay his salary.
Rolly Rosero has been an all-around house helper with the Tan family for 13 years. She cleans the house, cooks, does the laundry, and takes care of the two kids of her employer, who is a single mom.
“My youngest son Coco is on the autism spectrum, and Rolly has been very patient with him. I know it hasn’t been easy so I am very grateful to her for her love and loyalty to our family. She could have gone abroad to earn more money for her own family, as she supports her siblings and her nieces and nephews, but she chose to stay with us and take care of my kids,” said Sheryl Rioveros Tan, Rosero’s employer.
Edwin Mugdan is a family driver-houseboy who has worked for the same family in Iloilo for nearly 29 years. He is very grateful to his employers, who helped send his kids to school. They also allow him to work as a taxi driver to earn extra income.
“Parang pamilya o kadugo ang tingin ko sa kanila. Hindi man ako nakapag trabaho bilang isang seaman, nakilala ko naman sila at nakasama (They’re like family to me and while I was not able to work as a seaman, I am glad I got to work for them),” said Mugdan, who has a degree in Marine Engineering.
Susan Berlas has stayed with the Garcia family for 10 years as a nanny to AC. Like most kasambahays, she works to help support her family.
“Walang kapantay ang pagmamahal, pagseserbisyo, pagmamalasakit, at pagiging loyal ni yaya Susan sa amin ng anak ko (Susan’s love and loyalty to our family, especially our son, is unparalleled),” said Jennifer Bernadette Garcia as she recounted how Susan helped her take care of AC when the child was critically ill.
“Maraming beses ako nakasama sa aking amo tuwing umalis sila abroad. Maraming beses ako tinulungan tuwing may bagyo at pagpagawa ng aming bahay sa Dumaguete noong bagyong Odette. Regular akong nagpapadala ng pera sa aking pamilya sa
Negros gamit ang Palawan Pawnshop - Palawan Express Pera Padala. Mag 15 years na akong customer ng Palawan, at malaking tulong talaga ang kanilang suki card. Napakadali at napakabilis lang ng kanilang proseso (My employers have brought me on to their overseas trips and they have also helped me and my family a lot, especially during calamities and when we needed to have our house fixed in Dumaguete during Typhoon Odette. I’ve been sending money home to my family via Palawan Pawnshop - Palawan Express Pera Padala for 15 years. Their remittance process is smooth and hassle-free),” said Susan.
Aside from the Top 10 Kasambahays, those who will be chosen for the 11th to 30th places (no minimum years of service required) will each get a P10,000 prize. Also, 10 of the most liked and shared Facebook posts will win a P5,000 prize.
Palawan Pawnshop Group, a brand trusted by Filipinos for 37 years, now has over 3,300 branches all over Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. To adapt to the increasing digital transaction needs of its customers, PPG recently introduced PalawanPay, an e-wallet app that lets you send and receive remittances instantly and gives users access to other financial services such as bills payment, e-cellphone load, and scan to pay. Because of this app, Kasambahays are able to send money to their loved ones in a convenient, fast, and secured manner.
“We received almost 13,000 entries for most liked and shared Facebook Kasambahay stories. These include various stories of perseverance in the face of hardship, noble sacrifice, and victory over adversity, all with a valiant, exemplary, and triumphant kasambahay in the center of each tale,” said Palawan Group CEO Bobby Castro.
Through PalawanPay, our Kasambahays are more empowered because they can send money to their families with just a few taps and clicks. PalawanPay is also now QRPH ready, you can now pay your bills, send and transfer money to other e-wallets and banks, and shop at stores using your PalawanPay QRPH code.