Carol Araullo: A Streetwise Mom
“She’s a doctor,
iba nga lang ang ginagamot niya” (she just cures a different disease).
This was always the answer of Atom Araullo whenever he was asked by
his childhood friends what his mother does.
BY GUIA ABAD AND
ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
Dr. Carol
Pagaduan-Araullo |
“She’s a doctor, iba nga lang ang
ginagamot niya” (she just cures a different disease). This was
always the answer of Atom Araullo whenever he was asked by his childhood
friends what his mother does.
Dr. Carol Pagaduan-Araullo is the mother
of Sandra, a tri-athlete and physics instructor at the University of the
Philippines (UP); and Atom, a TV sportscaster. They say she is a caring
and thoughtful mother and wants only the best for her children.
But aside from being a mother, she is also
an activist. She is involved in numerous cause-oriented groups. She is the
chairperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic
Alliance), global vice chair of the International League of Peoples’
Struggle (ILPS), co-convenor of the Gloria Stepdown Movement (GSM), and
the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil liberties (MCCCL), to name a
few.
Growing up, Atom always knew that what his
mother was doing was different from what ordinary mothers do. “I always
recognized that it was something that entails sacrifice and love of
country,” he says. “I know that she is always doing something
significant.”
|
“I was always proud because of that,
although when I was just growing up I didn’t understand it that deeply,”
he adds.
Atom describes his mother as
strong-willed. “Hindi siya takot mag-assert ng isang bagay”
(She’s not afraid to assert), says Atom.
He acknowledges that his mother has the
reputation for being masungit (crabby). But there’s a softer side
to her, he says.
“She has a tender heart, especially for
the family and for comrades,” Atom says. “Masayahin din siya” (She
could also be jovial). She is also thoughtful, he shares.
Atom revealed that sometimes his mother
would just surprise them by asking about the latest in pop culture or show
business.
“She likes to watch movies,” he also says.
“When she watches movies she would get so drawn into the story that she
talks to the characters as if they could hear her.”
She also loves pets, Atom says. Right now,
he shares, his mother has four cats and a number of birds.
Being an activist sometimes makes her
absent-minded, he reveals. “She is always thinking about a lot of things,”
he points out.
But Dr. Araullo, Atom says, is a wise
mother who taught them many important things about life. She taught her
children the basic values of living a simple life, he says. She also
encouraged them to stand up for their rights and offer their talents for
others.
“She taught us that whatever decisions you
make in life,” he says, “the guiding principle should always be ‘For whom
is it?’ She also taught us the virtue of dedication.”
Atom himself became an activist when he
was in college, and remains an activist. That was what made him fully
understand what his mother is doing, he says.
His becoming an activist was not borne out
of pressure from his mother, he says. “She allowed me and my sister to
discover activism on our own,” he shares.
It was his own decision to become
involved, but it is with the inspiration of his mother that he continues
to be passionate.
He still remembers a rally in 2003 when,
as the emcee, he had to introduce his mother as the next speaker. That was
the demonstration of about 10,000 people against the visit of U.S.
President George W. Bush.
“It was actually amusing,” he says when
asked how he felt about that. “It was like being in the same office with
your mother and being in the same job as well. It seldom happens that sons
and mothers have anything in common with each other.” Bulatlat
BACK TO
TOP ■
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION ■
COMMENT
© 2006 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications
Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided
its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.