MOTHERS' DAY FEATURE: From the mouths of mom candidates

CEBU, Philippines - Motherhood can well mix with politics. At least to those who are eyeing elected positions in government.

Apparently for mothers who have paved way to being mothers and public servants, running for public office is a decisive moment that entails time management, among other skills mothers are required to have.

But for Mandaue City mayoralty candidate Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, juggling her time being a mother and a public servant is not an easy task.

“It’s not easy, time must be managed well. At home, I am a mother first in foremost. I drop all if Daidalus Nikolai, Alexandra and Natasha need me to watch their school activities, get their report cards and attend school meetings,” she said.

But when there are meetings and invitations during weekends, Ruiz said that if possible, she brings along her children.

“I make them understand my job and they have learned to be sensitive to people’s needs. Maybe God made some women to be mothers and at the same time public servants and I believe I am one of those lucky ones,” she said.

Like any other mother, Margot Osmeña, a candidate for councilor in Cebu City, said she is glad her son Miguel is already grown up. She adds one reason why motherhood is something special because you get to see your child grow up and be a successful man himself.

She said Miguel, doesn’t need a mother who will be beside him all the time.

For her, what makes “Mothers’ Day special is that mothers are special.”

And aside from being a mother to her only child with Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the city’s “first lady” is also like a mother to hundreds of children in the city being the chairperson of the Cebu City Task Force on Street Children, where her “being a mother” always surfaces.

 Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, mayoralty candidate in Bogo City, said she’s fortunate enough to have children who are already on their own business but added “they will always be kids for me.”

“I always communicate with them. I fly to Hong Kong any time to visit them or they come to visit me anytime here,” she said. “I always see to it that all of them will have a healthy breakfast. I am very attentive to their needs,” she said adding that she has always set her priorities right.

For Cebu City mayoralty candidate Georgia Osmeña, once in office, public service would be her priority as her children are already grown-ups.

“Even when I am home, I am on call. It will take an emergency situation to pull me out of quality time with my kids,” she said.

With her children all grown-ups, she explained she can actually focus on being mayor and organize a livelihood assistance program for women and mothers, among other priorities she intends to work on.

Paz Radaza, another mayoralty candidate in Lapu-Lapu City, said that for her, being a mother is an easy task given her natural inclination to like children.

“I only have one (daughter). She’s 26 and we have the same likes and dislikes. It’s so nice having a daughter, especially for girl talk,” she said.

But despite her being a tough person, she has her Achilles’ heel, too. “What makes me cry is when my daughter doesn’t get what she wants,” she said. — /WAB