‘Amid the challenges of being mothers, Mae Layug-Madriñan, Rossana Hwang and Lourdes “Bing” Pimentel are dedicated to various advocacies and charities.’
As our way of celebrating Women’s Month, we are featuring three Filipinas whose passion to make the world a better place are worth emulating. Amid the challenges of being mothers, Mae Layug-Madriñan, Rossana Hwang and Lourdes “Bing” Pimentel are dedicated to various advocacies and charities.
Mae Layug-Madriñan is the founder, CEO and president of the fast-rising local makeup brand GRWM (Get Ready With Me) cosmetics. Established in 2021, GRWM has grown to offer about 100 products that are sold online and in several kiosks and outlets — with more products to be launched within the year. Its Shopee store alone has more than 770,000 followers.
Mae, a registered nurse-turned-content creator-turned-entrepreneur, realized that there was a need for makeup especially made for the Filipino market. In the GRWM website she explained: “I noticed that a lot of Filipinas with medium to tan skin tones aren’t able to find their shade. Whether it’s a makeup base or a colored product, I believe that everyone deserves to find a shade that compliments their skin tone and undertone. I also noticed how important it is to educate the market about cosmetics products… I keep it in our mind that the Filipino market deserves good quality and safe-to-use products.”
Her vision has led her to create cosmetics that are innovative yet suitable to Filipinas, such as the Lip Maxx Highly Nourishing Lip Balm (formulated for tropical climate), Face Card Airset Matte Powder Fixer (face powder for oil-control) and Master Gel Liner Duo eyeliner gel, among others.
A recent feat was securing Heart Evangelista as their brand ambassador who has become not just a face for GRWM but also a partner in the company’s advocacies for environmental sustainability and animal welfare. GRWM has launched a recycling initiative wherein customers can exchange used containers for discounts, and it donates part of their sales to animal shelters and foundations such as Pawssion Project.
Mae takes also take pride in her close collaboration with her market; GRWM has an online community of “goal-getters” composed of those who support the brand, give feedback and suggest new products. The “goal-getters” keep Mae inspired and grounded. “Ang sarap ng pakiramdam to really connect with them,” Mae said in a TikTok video. “No matter how saturated the market is, it is each brand’s responsibility to find and nurture its own community.”
By the way, Mae is in her 30s and she just gave birth to her second child last February!
Rossana Hwang, former captain of a barangay in Makati, is a mother of two. Her children are now adults and are pursuing successful careers abroad. She is a businesswoman involved in the printing, food, fashion and art supply industries. She is also a baker known for her sans rival, cakes and pies.
In 2021, amid the pandemic’s stringent health protocols, Rossana produced and co-wrote “The Women of Tonta Club,” a comedy about the challenges and friendship of women working together in a socio-civic organization; the movie was picked up for distribution by a foreign company. Several short films released on YouTube and the program “Pipol of the Barangay” (nominated for Best Original Digital Drama Series at the Asian Television Awards) followed.
In 2024, Kapitana — as Rossana is also called — wrote and produced her second feature-length movie, “Isang Komedya sa Langit,” which is a comedy about three Filipino priests from the Spanish colonial period who time travel to the present.
That movie has a companion book entitled “The Lost Saints,” which Rossana cited as the original inspiration. “While I’m thrilled with how the film turned out, I realized the two-hour runtime couldn’t full capture the depth of the story. There were so many untold elements,” she explained in the book’s foreword.
She also has a deeper reason for coming out with the historical fiction story. “(It’s) for the love of our country and our hard-fought independence. It’s a tribute to the courage and sacrifices that shaped our nation,” said Rossana.
At the heart of all her creative pursuits is a desire to celebrate Filipino culture and promote nationalism. “Books and movies are supposed to change your mind,” said Rossana. “Now, more than ever, it’s time to bring back patriotism to the people. Kung hindi natin mahal ang ating bansa, sino ang magmamahal ng bansa natin?”
Meanwhile, Lourdes Pimentel, fondly called Nanay Bing, is a self-taught composer who has created many songs. These musical works have been recorded by no less than top artists such as Dulce, Freddie Aguilar, Jose Mari Chan and Nora Aunor.
Decades ago, Nanay Bing collaborated with the late Nestor Torre on a musical entitled “Nasaan si Hesus?” Nanay Bing wrote the songs; Mr. Torre was the scriptwriter and director. The play was so successful that it was endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and staged more than 80 times in different parts of the country.
This 2025, Nanay Bing, widow of the late Sen. Nene Pimentel, together with writer-director Dennis Marasigan, are bringing the play to the big screen. The movie “Nasaan si Hesus?” will have singers Rachel Alejandro, Geneva Cruz, Jeffrey Hidalgo in the cast, and contemporary themes and storytelling for today’s audiences.
In the 1990s, there was a clamor for the death of Leo Echegaray, a house painter who was accused of committing rape. Mr. Echegaray, Jr. was eventually convicted and was executed via lethal injection in 1999. The event got Nanay Bing thinking why a Catholic nation would push for the death penalty. “Hindi ba ang Panginoon ang nagbigay ng buhay at Siya lamang ang dapat bumawi nito?” she said in a media conference for the movie, “Nasaan si Hesus?”
Although the death penalty has been suspended, Nanay Bing pointed out that there are still many un-Christian things that Christians still do these days. As such, the movie will depict the difficulties during these times when pressures, temptations, distractions and drastic changes in lifestyles put people’s spirituality to a test.
Through the film, which is eyed for a summer playdate, Nanay Bing hopes viewers will be reminded that Jesus is in our midst. “Sa buhay natin meron tayong mga problema. Tinatanong natin, ‘Nasaan si Hesus?’ Nandiyan lang Siya.”
