Imagine waking up in the morning, breakfast spread on the table, uniforms ironed, and a packed lunchbox—all made by a mother who’s also set to run to her office to go straight to work.

This is the everyday life for some of today’s industry leaders, businesswomen, and entrepreneurs. It may get busy in the workplace, but they will make sure their family’s needs are met. How do they do it?

Manila Bulletin tapped some of today’s modern supermoms across their respective fields. From business and retail to ensuring the country’s energy industry runs smoothly, these women explain how they juggle work and life.

Shop talk

A mom of three with two physical retail stores in Muntinlupa, Regie May Kobayashi brings in luxury goods from Japan to sell in the Philippines—from the trendiest shoes to the most elegant handbags. Together with her husband, she built Sunika Manila and RK Brandedforless from the ground up.

Handling three young kids while growing the business will naturally bring in obstacles, but Kobayashi eventually cracked the code.

“Kids are unpredictable, and so is business. I learned how to adapt quickly on every situation. Whether it’s handling a sick child or a sudden issue with inventory and deliveries,” she said.

With her children still in their early years, she’s often heard people assume that being both a mother and a businesswoman means one role will inevitably be neglected.

“‘You can’t be fully committed to your business’ or ‘being a mom makes you less professional and reliable’, also ‘you must be neglecting your kids. I have faced those and honestly, I believed them during the tough days,” she said. 

“But I overcame them by setting boundaries and surrounding myself with people who support both sides of who I am.”

Community-family relations 

Malou Abayon Reyes’ daily goal is to ensure that all the businesses she handles are well supported.

Public relations, in essence, is about keeping everything and everyone aligned—much like her role at home, where making sure things are in order is second nature. After all, communication is at the heart of both her career and her life.

Throughout her 23 years working for Resty Perez & Co., she has handled various accounts such as DMCI, Universal Robina Corp., Steel Asia, among others.

But as she managed these businesses, motherhood gradually taught her to develop a soft spot.

“I became more soft-hearted, because I take into consideration the feelings of those I encounter at work,” she said.

“I don’t think about [my kids] following my line of work, [because] whatever they want to pursue, they should do it.”

Reyes’ advice? Never settle. 

“I always tell my kids [to] love and value themselves, because as a parent, I always and will always give all for them. They shouldn’t settle on whatever, I want them to give themselves high value just as much as I did for them.”

Light of the home

It’s often said that “Ang nanay ay ang ilaw ng tahanan”. For these industry leaders, they shine just as brightly in their careers as they do at home.

Meralco’s Internal Audit executive and senior vice president Melanie Oteyza raised three children while walking with today’s energy giants to the office. 

“My children were already well on their way to adulthood [before becoming the Group Chief Audit Executive],” she said.

“I was no longer balancing bottle-feeding with bathroom calls, but the responsibilities of motherhood had not diminished as they had simply evolved. Parenting doesn’t stop when your children grow up, it transforms. So did my approach to leadership.”

Leading in audit while raising children wasn’t an easy combination, but much like at work, she negotiates time, presence, and purpose with her family. Because of this, her kids are now leading their own paths.

“My son is now a registered nurse based in Australia. My daughter is pursuing her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification, and my youngest is soon to graduate with a degree in Occupational Therapy,” she said.f

“As a CAE responsible for risk management, governance, and audit oversight in a complex organization, there are high standards and constant pressures… In a function often viewed as rigid or purely technical, I’ve brought a leadership style that values people just as much as processes,” she elaborated.

Fueled to multitask

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) oversees and regulates the downstream oil industry. While it sounds technical, OIMB Director Rodela Romero was still able to serve in the government as well as in her own household.

“Before I became a mom, I was a public servant already… [I] started in the renewable energy sub-sector focused on projects that were pro-poor, high impact, and developmental,” she said.

Her job, which is already high impact and time-consuming, Romero expressed the value of compromising with her husband to take turns on the responsibility. This in turn, allowed her to multitask outside of the DOE.

“I think one of the misconceptions about being a mom and a boss is the inability to balance. I succeeded in my work-life balance,” Romero shared that she is also contributing a part of her life to church service.