Etiquette de Manille honors Maharlika Women

Maharlika comes from the words maha, meaning great or noble (as in Taj Mahal or mahatma), and lika, meaning creation or expression.

Vida M. Pamatian is married to an architect and a mother to four wonderful children, ages 22, 19, 16 and 14. Coming from a simple family, her children call her nanay and other terms of endearment like muma, moooma. Quite funny children.

On Juggling Roles & Responsibilities: Mothering is a daunting task and a 24/7 role without let up, There’s a popular Jewish line that goes, “God cannot be everywhere that’s why He created mothers.” Outside the four corners of my home, I am a coconut farmer.  After my stint in government service—nine years in the national level (Senate of the Philippines) and three years in the local government unit as Vice Mayor—I once again fell in love with my roots. Since the Philippines primarily an agricultural country, it is a must that we develop and maximize our land particularly our coconut trees. 

Vida’s Favorite Books: Books are my best outlets when I get crazy with the seemingly “unending chaos” inside the house. My favorites are courtroom dramas, espionage and suspense thrillers, the classics, and of course cookbooks. This line-up applies to movies too.


Vida’s Inside-and-out Beauty Secrets : Beauty says a lot about a person’s character, attitude and perception of life. Being beautiful inside and out is about loving, caring and keeping the faith. I always start my day with a prayer: Lord, I am not worthy that you shall enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.


Family Picture (L-R) Jovic 16, John 13, Husband Em, Vida, Julienne 19, Jayvee 22

 

Armed with a passion for farming, I decided to help coconut farmers. My advocacy or “dream,” is still work in progress. I am inspired when I think, “an old oak tree was once a nut like me.” All of us, whatever our standing in life, are all given 24 hours a day equally, nothing more, nothing less. We need to find “that time” to share, to blend, to impart and to help our community. ~ Vida