MOMMY CHED - 1Lt Dr. Mercedes Cuello Lazaro Musngi

23/09/2026

HAPPY BITTERSWEET BIRTHDAY TO AN UNSUNG HERO @ LNMB

After all the birthday songs, Mommy, we came to visit you in Libingan Ng Mga Bayani

After the warm celebration at the Grave Services Unit, Dad, Spark, Tita Luh, Tita Liza, and I made our way to Mommy Ched’s resting place at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, kindly accompanied and assisted by a GSU staff member and a soldier.

The rain was falling gently as we gathered to say, “Happy birthday, Mommy.”

There we were, together for your 103rd birthday. How I wished we could hear you answer.

After the smiles and laughter earlier, I felt that familiar ache of standing so close to you and still missing you so much. We had so much to tell you, Mommy. So much good news to bring.

I told you about my newspaper articles. That I finally got to write your story on the front page. That AFFRS is published, that people are reading about you, and that we are still bringing your story wherever the LORD opens a door.

“Mommy Ched, I finally kept my promise.”

I wish I could have placed those pages in your hands and watched you read them. But there, beneath the gentle rain, I told you about them instead. Your granddaughter, still wanting to share her little victories with you.

Together, as a family, we all gave our birthday greetings to you with tears and we saluted your grave with tears in our eyes.

A salute for the soldier who served our country, and for our beloved Mommy Ched, whose faith, courage, and tenderness continue to shape our lives. Standing there together, we were so proud of you. And we wished, with all our hearts, that we could hold you again.

Thank you to the GSU staff member and soldier who accompanied us. Your kindness meant so much to our family on a day that held both joy and longing.

Mommy Ched, you would have loved the people we spent your birthday with. They welcomed us, listened to your story, and sang for you. We prayed for them, just as I know you would have wanted. And then we came to you, carrying all that warmth with us.

It was a bittersweet birthday, but such a meaningful one. We got to celebrate your life, pray for others, and stand together as the family who will always love you. Thank You, LORD, for giving us this day.

Happy 103rd birthday, our dearest Mommy Ched. The promise is kept. The love has never stopped. But it keeps on living even when you have passed away

23/09/2026

Happy 103rd Birthday Mommy Ched GSU, ASCOM, PA in Libingan Ng Mga Bayani!

There was thunder, lightning, and pouring rain before we entered that room. And in my heart, I felt reassured: GOD is with us.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

But we never expected such a surprise and meaningful celebration!

With such a generous heart, Lieutenant Colonel Joanne Paule M. Villareiz, commanding officer of the Grave Services Unit, purchased AFFRS comics for the Libingan ng mga Bayani Library and invited us to share Mommy Ched’s story.

And so, once again, I got to introduce my grandmother to people I wish she could have met.

There were smiles, curious questions, and moments when some quietly shed tears. We spoke about her courage, her hardships, her faith, and the love for God, country, and people that carried her through so much. It still touches me when someone who never knew her becomes moved by her life. For a little while, I get to share what it felt like to love her.

We listened, too, encouraging them to treasure their own stories and keep living with purpose in the LORD. Together, we prayed for Him to give them strength for the burdens people do not always see. Behind every uniform is a person with a family, a story, and hopes worth caring for.

Our conversations grew into hopeful exchanges about patriotism, future projects, and possible collaborations to make the stories at the Libingan ng mga Bayani more interactive, visual, and accessible to Filipino families and grassroots communities. We imagined young people coming to know the lives behind the names, understanding what our freedom cost, and asking how they, too, could serve our country.

Thank you, Ma’am Villareiz and the entire GSU team, for welcoming us with such warmth. Thank you for the conversations, the kindness, and for making room in your day to celebrate someone we love so dearly and even singing Happy Birthday to her! What a beautiful, unexpected birthday gift. Thank You, LORD, for this shower of blessings.

We left with happy hearts, knowing how much Mommy Ched would have loved today.

A broken promise no more, Mommy. The promise is kept. And we are still finding more ways to keep it. This time with more veterans, soldiers and masses celebrating your life and remembering your comrades.

Happy 103rd birthday, our dearest Mommy Ched. You are so well loved. Never forgotten!!!

23/09/2026

22/09/2026

A HAPPY FAMILY PORTRAIT: FIRST FRONT PAGE ARTICLE

20/09/2026

"When Grandparents Are Unsung Heroes No More"- A Reflection on The Article "ASK THEM WHILE YOU CAN"

As you all might have discerned and know... for some time, I took a hiatus from being an independent writer and journalist. I stepped away from writing because I wanted to concentrate on turning those words into action through our missions, educational programs, traveling museum and grassroots work.

Then, unexpectedly, someone invited me to write again.

For the Grandparents’ Day issue, I was asked to write an article about how grandparents become heroes to their grandchildren. The moment I received the assignment, I knew exactly whose story had to be told.

I wanted to inititally title it "When Grandparents Become Unsung Heroes" but I was corrected to "When grandparents are unsung heroes no more" as suggested by the Chief Editor himself simply because praises have been sung in honor of her heroism. ❤

I burned the midnight oil writing it, till 4 am! But my literary and journalistic heart was very happy. After a long hiatus, the words came alive again. More importantly, I was finally able to fulfill a long-overdue dream: to give Mommy Ched a front-page tribute, just in time for her birthday next week, September 23. 🥹

It has always been one of my greatest dreams as a writer to someday see an article about Mommy Ched published on the front page of a newspaper. This September, that dream has finally become a reality.

Published this weekend by Malaya Business Insight Weekender, my newest feature article, “When Grandparents Become Unsung Heroes,” tells the story of grandparents whose greatest acts of courage are often never recorded in history books.

LINK: https://malaya.com.ph/weekender/ask-them-while-you-cant-o-honor-grandparents-heroism/

It shares how Mommy Ched’s heroism did not end after World War II. Her battlefield simply changed. She became a widowed mother who raised seven children through fire, floods, loss and hardship. Later, she became a grandmother who passed down lessons of faith, sacrifice, patriotism and resilience.

While writing this piece, one question kept returning to my heart:

“Why do we honor our heroes only after they are gone, and not while they are still living?”

As the granddaughter of a recently recognized unsung World War II heroine, Mommy Ched....that question is deeply personal and stings like a thorn nestled deep within my heart and mind.

Mommy Ched told me many stories while she was still alive, but I did not fully understand that she was a war hero. Hindi ko po alam noon na isa pala siyang tunay na bayani ng digmaan. I only discovered the depth of her service when she was already gone.

That realization broke my heart, but it also gave birth to a mission. And a dream, and a redemption for me who had forgotten...

Through our nonprofit, The Mind Warriors Project KALASAG, we created the Bagong Bayani, or New Hero Traveling Mini-Museum, in the hope of bringing the stories of our forgotten veterans closer to ordinary Filipino citizens and grassroots communities.

Mommy Ched’s story is only one among the countless stories of unsung Filipino heroes. Marahil, marami rin sa atin ang anak o apo ng isang bayaning hindi kailanman nakilala, nabigyan ng medalya o naisulat sa mga aklat ng kasaysayan.

I hope Mommy Ched’s story becomes an icebreaker for Filipino families to begin asking about their own lolos and lolas. Just like what I wrote in the end of the article...

What did they survive?

What sacrifices did they make?

What dreams did they set aside for their children and grandchildren?

What wisdom, pain and courage are still waiting to be passed down before their voices fall silent?

This is the advocacy that continues to burn in my heart: to help bring trauma-informed mental health education, World War II history and the lessons of resilience into schools, colleges, military institutions and communities.

This Grandparents’ Day, and throughout Mommy Ched’s birth month of September, may every family find time to sit beside a lolo or lola, listen closely and ask those important questions. Their stories may reveal that the heroes being searched for were already sitting at the family table all along.

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Maraming salamat po to Malaya Business Insight Weekender and its chief editor, Dafort Villaseran, for giving me the opportunity to write this deeply personal feature and share Mommy Ched’s story with more Filipinos.

Of all the stories submitted for this theme, you chose Mommy Ched's story and I am very grateful and humbled po....

This publication marks another meaningful chapter in my writing journey. Every article becomes another opportunity to bring the stories of forgotten Filipinos into the light. 🙂

This front page is for Mommy Ched, for every Filipino grandparent, our Lolas and Lolos and for all the unsung heroes who deserved to hear “thank you for being my hero... I love you ” while they were still here.

Happy birthday in heaven, Mommy Ched. Your granddaughter finally did it. 💛

I finally did it. A frontpage article featuring you MOMMY CHED - 1Lt Dr. Mercedes Cuello Lazaro Musngi

Thank you LORD for this opportunity... and thank you to every single one of you, family, friends, Christian ministers and pastors, masses, military soldiers, and youths who despite the challenges, continue to encourage me to keep on speaking, writing, researching and educating...

Writing this with tears in my eyes... :(

Please like, share, read the website link and follow as in our journey. GOD bless you all...

19/09/2026

HONORING MOMMY CHED AND OUR UNSUNG HEROES @ Army CMO School, Batch 2026

We were invited to do our lectures for the graduating batch of 2026 at CMO School, Philippine Army. The soldiers walked through the displays, studying the old photographs, historical panels, dolls, books, and stories of Filipinos who endured the darkest years of war. Their faces were filled with amazement and wonder. They asked questions, shared the stories of their own grandparents, and listened with a hunger for knowledge that touched our hearts.

We taught them that resilience is not simply learning how to endure pain. It is learning how to care for the body, soul, spirit, mind, will, heart, and emotions. We spoke about trauma-informed mental health, depression, PTSD, faith, survival, and the invisible battles that soldiers sometimes carry quietly beneath their uniforms.

Then we showed them a brief video about the life of 1st Lieutenant and Dr. Mercedes Cuello Lazaro Musngi, our Mommy Ched.

They watched her story as a young Filipina who entered the war, cared for the wounded as a guerrilla combat medic, survived unimaginable suffering, and continued fighting different battles long after the guns had fallen silent. They learned about the widowed mother who raised seven children through poverty, disaster, loss, and heartbreak. They saw the woman who endured so much, yet still chose to heal, serve, preach, forgive, and believe in GOD.

When the video ended, the room became silent.

The soldiers rose and saluted Mommy Ched for one full minute.

No one moved. No one spoke. :)

As they stood there with their hands raised in salute, tears began forming in their eyes. Some tried to remain composed. Others quietly wiped their faces. In that silence, it felt as though one generation of soldiers was speaking to another. It felt as though they were telling Mommy Ched, “Mommy Ched, we remember you. Your sacrifices were not forgotten. We will continue what you fought for.”