Pochero for the Soul
Playing mother hen to a team of 30 engineers and security staff locked down in Glorietta malls, admin receptionist Eva Regilme knew just what to do to keep their spirits up
Words by RHYS BUCCAT
Eva Bermundo Regilme stirs a large, steaming cauldron of pochero. It’s enough to feed her 30 “children”—the skeleton crew who have lived in the Glorietta headquarters during the lockdown. The smell of tomato and herbs wafts through the room. For a moment, the dark, deserted mall smells like home.
They had been here since March, when the malls shut down in compliance with the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) measures. They felt it was safer, there was no public transport available and they didn’t want to risk bringing the virus to their homes. “Mahirap at nakakatakot, pero alam naming nandito si Ayala para i-support kami,” she said, adding that the management was quick to provide them with safety gear and everything else they needed.
The mother hen
While the engineers and security staff looked after the mall, Eva felt that her role was to look after them. She had always been the office mother hen. As the receptionist of Glorietta’s admin office, she helped merchants with their requests, complaints, and other concerns. She also looked after the staff, and would even open the door and cheerfully say, “After you.” Even if she seemed intimidating in her shiny leather shoes and the crisp black uniform that bore her initials, everyone knew she was really very soft-spoken and warm.
So, during the lockdown, it felt natural for “Mother Evs” to take care of the crew. “Parang mga anak ko na sila. Ang treatment namin sa isa’t isa, family talaga,” she said.
#AyalaCitizen Diary. Eva used to work as an Ayala mall guard before transferring to the admin office, and has spent more than half of her life with her company. “Simple lang ang pangarap ko—maka-graduate mga anak ko at makapag-work sa Ayala.”
Lifetime of service
The 41-year-old Eva Bermundo Regilme had dedicated more than half of her life to her Ayala Mall family. She started as a sales lady, when Glorietta was still a cluster of stores known as the Quad. She then took the leap to become security personnel, and later the admin office reception.
“Nakaka-proud po na nakaka-serve ako sa kapwa. Masaya ako kapag binibigay ko ‘yung higit pa sa best ko,” she said.
““Parang mga anak ko na sila. Ang treatment namin sa isa’t isa, family talaga.””
While working for one of the country’s biggest shopping centers, Eva had seen fashion trends, brands, and people come and go. But the massive shutdown during the ECQ felt surreal. For the first time in 20 years, Ayala Malls was completely closed. Everybody felt uncertain about what the future would bring.
Eva admitted that she had a hard time adjusting to the situation. But she knew she had to step up, set an example, and help ease her team’s anxiety. And, like many mothers, her first instinct was to cook comfort food.
Market day. Eva wakes up before dawn to buy meat and vegetables for the staff’s meal.
Safety first. Ayala Malls followed strict safety protocols for essential workers during the lockdown.
A chain of kindness and compassion
Every morning, Eva went to the Kalayaan wet market, waking before dawn to avoid the crowd and get the freshest catch. Then, she would go to the staff kitchen and make their meals.
While it wasn’t part of her job, she did this voluntarily to return the kindness she received from both her workmates and the company. Both Eva and her husband, who works as a driver at Ayala Property Management Corporation, had received financial assistance during the lockdown.
“Happy po ako sa aking trabaho. Supportive sila [management team]. Pakiramdam ko, hindi ako iba. Mahal na mahal nila ako. Kaya ganoon din ako sa kanila. Binibigay ko po ýong best ko,” she said.
All my children. Eva has always been close to her co-workers, some of whom are in these treasured pics taken before the lockdown. She says most of them are as old as her own children—and even then, she regularly cooked for them. She even convinced them to like ampalaya, because her dish never tastes bitter.
Pochero for the soul
During the lockdown, Eva longed for her husband and four children. She constantly called them during her free time “Nilalakasan ko nalang ang loob ko. Mayroon namang cellphone para makita ko sila at mangamusta,” she said. She explained to her youngest that she needed to answer the call of duty, especially during these challenging times when the company and her colleagues needed her the most. “Tawag po ito ng tungkulin, at kailangan kong magbigay serbisiyo.”
And just like all moms in the world, everything Eva did was for her family. Every little effort, every single sacrifice, was for her children’s future. The lockdown just gave her an opportunity to be part of something bigger. The simple hot meals had also become her way of fighting the pandemic.
During a crisis, every act of kindness counts. Everyone has been affected — emotionally, financially. The person standing next to you could have just lost a job or a loved one. In that encounter, we can serve a cup of comfort.
Eva stops to taste the pochero. Comfort food is a lot like life’s challenges, she said. Black pepper flakes look like dark spots in the soup of life, but what a huge difference they make in flavor. The sour tomato and the spicy pepper are the essence of the dish, but a pinch of salt and sugar balances and enhances the taste. Compassion and kindness work the same way. Add it to any crisis, and each moment becomes an opportunity to serve. #
PUBLISHED JULY 31, 2020
