MANDING BENING

by AK Eucogco, Helen Grace Calar & Jonnierene Placio

Filipinos are known for its genuine creativity and indigenous culture. Such creativity is even shown to our nicknames or pet names and it’s always been a different kind of tune to hear people especially our elders call each other by names that end with –ing. Clara becomes Claring, Juana - Juaning, Tonio – Tunying, the list goes on. A trend that instead of making a verb into its present tense, these days signify the past tense (forms) of names. Such principle is applied to Lola Benedicta Estil, an 82 year-old woman who goes by the name Manding Bening. An Igbarasnon woman who stood and was tested by time, she endured the World War when she was just six years old, hiding in the caves of Tarugan (a far flung barangay in Igbaras) and grew up as an assisting hand in farming until she had a family of her own with seven children. 

Manding Bening has dedicated half of her life, four decades that is since 1975, helping others especially during the most painful stage of womanhood, transition of being a woman to a mother – giving birth. Her approach is one of the oldest and the most natural way – home delivery without anesthesia and all the other sophistication we have today. In layman’s term her profession has known to be a paltera. She herself is the oldest midwife in Igbaras who continues to assist in birthing. She has earned her knowledge through medical seminars, teachings and trainings by the local health unit understanding her incapability of formal education.

“Being a paltera has helped me send my children to school and earn  a living although unfortunately not all of my children were able to finish high school but then, surviving each day and having food in the table to eat were all because of this,” said Manding Bening. 

 

At such an old age, she continues to stroll the streets of the town when someone needs her help. Strutting the streets with her ismagol, pink headband and the forever handy black bag where she stores all the ointments. However, what’s disappointing is when she reveals that whenever her services and help are needed, she is often unpaid or offered less than the allocated tariff supposedly but she does it anyway. She earns a little more than a thousand pesos only monthly. In her words, “We are too old to complain and too old not to share the blessing of talent given so at the end of the day, you still feel happy because you were able to help and make sure that another life is given a chance to experience the world when old people like me won’t be here anymore.”

 

 According to Manding Bening, she retired two years ago because of her undeniably aching knees and back but there are still numerous of requests for her assistance especially by those who have financial incapability to avail of health center services. Thus, reflecting how our health services continue to be out of reach if not affordable and available for the ones in need which is also the reason who despite the said resignation, Manding Bening still offers help whenever she is needed. “If many families do not have enough resource for health care and childbirth, I sometimes think I am their superwoman so I have to come.”

When asked what she would have been if she had a choice and opportunity, she wanted to become a teacher or a midwife professionally. Then again, she said, “I wasn’t lucky like the present generation who have as much choices as they want so I figured out that all I have to do is help these women give life so that someday all these children will have the chance to be whatever they want to be if it didn’t happen to me.”