Fighting for women, kids

FALLING in love with what you are doing will never be an easy getaway nor a walk in a park. At times, the world has its irony with the fact that doing noble things in life doesn't get much of a pay.

This is what Jeanette Laurel-Ampog has gone through in her almost 30 years with Ta-

in her almost 30 years with Talikala Foundation. She serves as the executive director of the institution since 2007, attending to the needs of prostituted women and children in the city and even in nearby cities and provinces.

“It has never been innate to me to find myself landing in advancing women’s right. Through out my stay in Talikala, the foundation taught me how this world needs to pay more attention to the oppressed women in the society brought by human trafficking and the like,” Ampog said in an interview on Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at Talika Office, J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao city.

Ampog said that she never saw herself as a women and children’s rights advocate at the foundation. As an education degree graduate major in mathematics, she saw herself much more as a teacher when she was still a fresh graduate.

“But my membership with the College Editor’s Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) raised my awareness in the societal issues that our current society is facing,” Ampog said, adding that she never expected the seriousness of her work.

“I started as a writer for Talikala’s publication. And one of the challenges I had to face is to be able to write fluently in Binisaya. Until I got contented with the job, but never in my wildest dream I saw myself as the director of this foundation,” Ampog said.

She started writing proposals for the organization until the management saw her potential.

In 2005, Ampog’s executive director (EO) at that time was telling her she would be resigning, and told Ampog she would be the next director. She evaded the opportunity for almost two years until 2007 came, when she was told it was her time to be the EO.

Twelve years later, she still continues to serve women and children through Talikala.

When asked what made her stay for almost more than a decade in the position, Ampog replied, “Because I believe in the issue. And I believe that there are a lot of things to be done for the women and children who are abused. Talikala can still do something. If not liberate the women from prostitution, at least, help them that they can do something about the situation they are in,” Ampog said.

Looking back, Ampog never regretted her choice. But that never meant everything went smoothly with her stay with the foundation, especially when she was raising her own child.

“One of my struggles is finding time for family. It was hard the most when I had my second child. At that time when I gave birth in 1994, that was also the time the expansion of Talikala grew. I remembered I had to go to Cagayan de Oro to replace another coworker for two weeks who was on maternity leave. And I left my baby in Davao. And for me that was painful,” Ampog said.

She also said attending to the needs of abused women often requires her to go home late at night.

She, however, confessed that Talikala helped her resolve her sad childhood.

“I never had a beautiful childhood. I grew up not understanding why my mother left me with my grandparents. I had a grudge as a result to that. Until I found myself here in Talikala where I realized that no mother would want to give up her child. My mother was just a victim of the situation. She wanted the best for us. And it just so happened, I was the one at stake,” Ampog said.

Whenever she is asked about her dedication to her job, Ampog said that amidst the challenges, "it is still worth fighting for".”

She still sees herself fighting for the welfare of children and women in the coming years.