Maalaala Mo Kaya’s episode for May 6 is about a schizophrenic 58-year-old mother from Bulacan. She became an internet sensation and has gone viral on Facebook because of her winning one-liners. Rosana Roces plays viral mom, Estrelita, while Jana Agoncillo plays Princess, the daughter.
Estrelita has a great sense of humor. This is why she instantly went viral over the net. What a lot of people do not know about her is that in her 20’s she suffered from an assumed nervous breakdown which they later on found to be Schizophrenia. This poses a lot of challenges upon her especially that she is raising her daughter.
Maalaala Mo Kaya Raises Mental Health Awareness in Families
As a young woman, Estrelita has gone through numerous visits to the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong. She has been in medication ever since. However, after 10 years of not going through the usual attacks, she felt she no longer needed medication so she stopped taking her prescriptions. It is at this time she had her daughter Princess. When Princess was 3 years old, however, her attacks recurred.
Estrelita suffers from Schizophrenia. At times she would be found roaming around the neighborhood, singing uncontrollably. Her daughter was dubbed the “crazy woman’s daughter.” This was difficult to have while growing up. The worst cases were when Estrelita would threaten to physically harm those around her, including her daughter and husband. This leads Aurellio, Estrelita’s husband, to take their daughter to child services without informing Estrelita.
Alhough Estrelita is as loving as any mother, she is unable to fully be who she wants to be to her family because of her mental condition. Mental health in families is an important issue to cover. Maalaala Mo Kaya has made a significant effort in sharing this information with its audiences in its story on May 6. The episode is directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar and written by both Joan Habana and Arah Jell Badayos.
Watch what happens at Maalaala Mo Kaya on May 6 at ABS-CBN at 8:15 PM.