Where it All Begins: A Generation Built from Sacrifices

From the gentle hands that wake us early in the morning to the voices fighting for equality today—this is the story of the women who refused to let us settle for less.

It’s still dark outside—too early and too cold for 5:00 a.m. Instead of an alarm ringing, I wake to a gentle hand nudging me. I mumble, asking for five more minutes, but the smell of freshly cooked breakfast drifts through the air, making my stomach rumble. 

With disheveled hair and heavy eyes, I finally drag myself out of bed. “Papasok na naman,” I whine as the same soft, warm hands comb and tie my hair, straighten my uniform, prepare my lunch, and drop me off at school.

Even after I get home, those tender hands are still there to guide me. But they don’t just help with small tasks; they guide us through life’s bigger moments, too.

This pair of hands belongs to a strong woman—like many others—whose strength is quiet but constant. 

She may not be the fictional superhero Wonder Woman, but she embodies what it truly means to be one. She shapes lives with patience, nurtures with love, and carries a strength that often goes unnoticed.

Questions That Often Linger

As children, we often ask ourselves how mothers manage to do so many things at once. Do they ever get tired? Why do they seem to have endless energy? How can they be so strong?

With innocent minds, these are questions we cannot fully understand. Some of them may still linger today—but as we grow older, we slowly begin to recognize and understand the meaning behind them.

It is because of love. The kind of love that is willing to go above and beyond for you. The kind of love that comes with scoldings, yet is always rooted in care.

The very owner of these tender hands; mothers—often the personification of warmth.

The Many Faces of Strength 

Does strength simply arrive the moment a woman becomes a mother? Or is it built through life’s ups and downs—shaping a stronger version of herself not only for her own sake but also for her children’s future?

For Jenielyn Merto, a 42-year-old full time housewife and mother of four, strength wasn’t something that simply arrived with motherhood—it was a shield forged from the experiences she once lived through.

“Ayokong danasin nila yung papasok na walang baon, yung may bayarin sa school pero halos late na magbayad kasi natatakot ako humingi ng pera sa nanay ko noon dahil mapapagalitan ako.”

Her words reveal a quiet promise rooted in childhood memories. Behind her determination lies a past she refuses to let her children relive.

For some women, strength takes them even farther—across oceans and into unfamiliar lands. In the Philippines, millions of Filipinos work overseas. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority for 2024 show that more than half of these workers are women, hoping to provide a better future for their families.

Carrying this hope, Cherry Cuevas, a 41-year-old Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) and mother of three, exemplifies the lengths to which a mother will go to rewrite her family’s future.

“Sinumpa ko sa sarili ko noong bata ako na kapag nagkaroon ako ng sarili kong pamilya, hinding-hindi ko ipaparanas sa mga anak ko ang buhay na naranasan ko. Those hardships na ayaw na ayaw kong maranasan ng mga anak ko. Kaya nag-abroad ako.”

In 2017, Cherry made the difficult decision to leave the country. Carrying memories of the hardships she experienced growing up, she chose to work abroad to ensure her children would not face the same struggles.

Leaving home was painful, but for Cherry—and many other women—it was a necessary sacrifice shared by countless Filipino mothers working overseas.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons mothers appear to possess immeasurable strength—they carry pieces of their past, learn from them, and transform those lessons into motivation to create a different future.

Both women carry not just responsibilities, but memories that fuel their resilience. In reliving their past struggles, they strengthen their resolve to build better lives for their children.

Their purpose, their strength, their motivation: their children.

The Strength that Builds

When love and support continue to pour in, they transform. It becomes courage. Awareness. Voice.

Women who once had to silence their own struggles, who were challenged by time and society, and who endured expectations that held them back nurtured today’s daughters.

Because of the foundations built by mothers like Jenielyn and Cherry, a new generation has emerged—one that refuses to be limited, and instead acquires the freedom to dream and pursue higher ambitions.

Renren, not her real name, a 21-year-old third-year Psychology student at the National Teachers’ College, stands as one of the many living examples of this generation. For her, education is not just a personal achievement, but a direct harvest of those past sacrifices.

“Nakikita ko yung opportunity na mayroon ako ngayon ay bunga ng mga nauna pang lumaban para sa equality, kaya mas motivated ako na gamitin ito nang maayos at maging boses din para sa iba…”

Words that echo a powerful truth: what women have today was not just handed to them. It came from a long struggle that was built by those who came before them.

It was because of these pairs of hands that struggled, cared, and loved that today’s generation refuses to settle for less.

Article: Winslette Kate Baluyot

Graphics: Ericka Castillo