It is said that there is nothing more powerful than a mother’s love. Adelfa Tapalla, 58, is a living proof of this famous quotation. Aside from loving her family by blood, she is also taking care of a family by heart: pregnant women.
Nanay Delfa, as she is fondly called, is a mother of six children and is already a grandmother. Life is poor for her and her family. She is trying to meet their ends by pangangalakal or waste trading. Despite poverty, Nanay Delfa is wealthy when it comes to being helpful to her neighbors.
Whenever someone is either sick or pregnant, residents at Brgy. Tramo – Bantayan in Kawit, Cavite are asking for Nanay Delfa’s helping hand. Even though she is not a doctor or any other medical professional, she is a good samaritan in their village who assists patients and pregnant women in the hospital.
“May pagkakataon noon na may kumatok sa bahay ko, manganganak na raw yung asawa niya. Nakita ko nakalabas na yung ulo ng bata kaya ako na mismo ang tumulong,” Nanay Delfa recalled in an interview with “Mission Impossible.”
She narrated that during the delivery of pregnant women, she is the one beside the mother instead of the father of the newborn child. Nanay Delfa spent days and nights at the hospital extending her unconditional help for the mothers. From the regular check-ups to the actual delivery, she accompanied the mothers in their new phase in life.
What makes Nanay Delfa’s good deed more admirable is that she has been doing it willingfully without expecting anything in return. From the small amount of money that she gets from waste trading every day, she is saving a part for those who will be asking for her help.
She explained: “Kaya ako tumutulong kasi alam kong walang wala rin sila kaya hindi ako tumatanggap ng bayad. Hindi ako makatanggi kasi kapag nalapit, nangingibabaw ang awa.”
However, because of her old age, she is now weaker. She is also blind in her left eye making her eyesight poorer. Despite these physical conditions, Nanay Delfa vows to welcome anyone who will seek for her help as long as she can.
Nanay Delfa also shared her inspiration for being helpful for those in need. The experience of assisting pregnant women brings her back to the time when she is doing it to her own mother. Helping people, according to Nanay Delfa, is the last instruction she learned from her mother before she died.
“Naisip ko yung karanasan ko sa nanay ko. Nasama ako sa pagpaanak. Nanumbalik yung buhay ng nanay ko kasi lagi niya ako kasama… Parang yung habilin niya na pag may humingi ng tulong, tulungan niyo kasi dugtong ng buhay ng tao. Doon ko sa nakuha ng nanay ko.”
If there is something that the people Nanay Delfa has helped can do to pay her back, it would not be money or anything else material. Nanay Delfa instead is simply hoping for them to emulate her character and also become a blessing to other people.
“Sana kung kaya ng sarili nila, sana magawa rin nila sa kapwa na pag dumating ang panahon na may nangangailangan, tulungan nila dahil iyon ang ginawa sa kanila ng ibang tao,” she said addressing the numerous people she has helped in their vilage.
Currently, Nanay Delfa is an employee in the municipal hall of their town and no longer needs to do waste trading in order to bring food to their table. This was made possible by people who wanted to recognize her work by at least giving her a more decent job. Nanay Delfa has received help from other people this time, and she is grateful for it.
Truly, Nanay Delfa is a mother of mothers. Her story is a testament that it costs no one in order to help people in need. Rather, it only takes willingness, care and most especially, love.
