IN 1995, HE ABANDONED HIS WIFE AFTER SHE GAVE BIRTH TO FIVE CHILDREN, CALLING THEM A “BURDEN” — 30 YEARS LATER, HE RETURNED TO DEMAND PAYMENT, BUT HIS WORLD COLLAPSED WHEN HE DISCOVERED WHO THE “BURDENS” HE THREW AWAY HAD BECOME
THE ABANDONMENT (1995)
It was 1995.
In a small, dilapidated house in the countryside, five babies cried at the same time.
Maria had just given birth to quintuplets. She was extremely thin, pale, and had nothing to eat.
Instead of feeling joy, her husband Ramon was furious.
“Five?! Maria, five?!” Ramon shouted while packing his things. “We can barely feed one mouth, and now there are five more?! We’ll starve to death!”
“Ramon, please don’t leave us,” Maria begged, holding two of the babies while the other three lay on a mat. “Help me. Let’s work together. We can get through this.”
“No!” Ramon shoved Maria aside. “I don’t want this kind of life! I want to succeed! Those children are a burden! They’re a curse on my life!”
Ramon took Maria’s remaining savings from under her pillow—the money meant to buy milk.
“Ramon! That money is for the children!”
“This is my payment for the misery you caused me!”
Ramon left.
He boarded a bus bound for Manila. He never looked back at the cries of his wife and five children. All he thought about was himself.
RISING ALONE
Maria’s life became a living hell.
To keep her five children alive—Uno, Dos, Tres, Kuatro, and Singko—she worked as a laundress in the morning, a street vendor in the afternoon, and a dishwasher at night.
The neighbors mocked her.
“There goes the mother cat. Giving birth nonstop, that’s why her husband left her.”
But Maria never gave up.
Every night, before sleeping in their cramped room, she told her children:
“Don’t hate your father. But promise me this… one day, we will prove that you are not a burden. That you are a blessing.”
The five siblings grew up intelligent, hardworking, and God-fearing. They witnessed their mother’s suffering, which inspired them to study diligently—even on days when their only meal was rice with salt.
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL (2025)
Thirty years passed.
Ramon was now 60 years old. His dream of success in Manila never came true. He fell into vices, became ill, and ended up poor. He had no family—his mistress also left him when he ran out of money.
He was suffering from kidney failure and needed a large amount of money for surgery.
One day, he saw a headline in the newspaper:
“MOTHER OF THE YEAR: MARIA DE LEON TO BE HONORED AT THE GRAND MANILA HOTEL.”
Ramon’s eyes widened.
Maria! His wife! And in the photo, she looked wealthy.
“They’re rich now…” Ramon whispered. “I have a right. I’m the father! I can ask for money for my operation. I’m sure they’ll accept me.”
Ramon dressed as neatly as he could (even though his clothes were old) and went to the Grand Manila Hotel.
THE GRAND CELEBRATION
At the hotel entrance, a guard stopped him.
“Sir, invitation please?”
“I don’t need one! I’m the husband of the woman hosting the party—Maria De Leon! Let me in!” Ramon shouted.
Because of the commotion, an elegant elderly woman adorned with jewelry stepped out. It was Maria.
“Ramon?” Maria asked in shock.
“Maria!” Ramon ran to her and knelt. “Forgive me! I made a mistake! I’ve come back. Let’s rebuild our family. I’m sick… I need your help.”
The guests whispered.
So this was the husband who abandoned her?
Maria looked at Ramon. There was no anger in her heart—but no love either.
“Ramon,” Maria said calmly, “thirty years. Not a single letter. And now that you need money, you come back?”
“I’m still their father!” Ramon argued. “Where are my children? I want to see them! I’m sure they’ll understand me!”
Suddenly, the lights went out. A spotlight shone on the stage.
“You want to see your children?” Maria asked. “There they are.”
THE FIVE ‘BURDENS’
One by one, five strong and successful men and women stepped onto the stage.
UNO, wearing a judge’s robe:
“I am Judge Juan De Leon, the youngest Justice in the Court of Appeals.”
DOS, in a police uniform covered with medals:
“I am General Jose De Leon, Chief of Police of the National Capital Region.”
TRES, in a business suit:
“I am CEO Marco De Leon, owner of De Leon Construction—the company that built this hotel.”
KUATRO, wearing a priest’s cassock:
“I am Father Lucas De Leon, a priest who serves orphanages.”
SINGKO, in a doctor’s coat:
“I am Dr. Gabriel De Leon, the most renowned nephrologist (kidney specialist) in Asia.”
Ramon stood frozen.
The five children he once called “burdens” and “curses” were now pillars of society.
Ramon climbed onto the stage, trembling.
“M-My children… It’s me… your father…”
Singko—Dr. Gabriel—stepped forward and examined the medical chart Ramon was holding.
“Dad,” Gabriel said, “I saw your name on the list of patients who need a kidney transplant at my hospital.”
“Y-Yes, my son!” Ramon said excitedly. “You’re the doctor! Save me! Operate on me! I’m your father!”
Dr. Gabriel smiled bitterly.
“Do you remember 1995?” he asked. “When Mom begged you to leave the money for our milk—but you took it and left?”
“Because we had no milk, I got sick. I almost died from dehydration. Mom sold her own blood just to pay for my treatment.”
The other siblings stepped forward.
Judge Uno:
“In the eyes of the law, abandonment is a crime. But we won’t send you to prison. Life itself has already punished you more cruelly.”
CEO Tres:
“You’re asking for money? I could give you millions. But my money is only for those who believed in me when I had nothing.”
Father Lucas:
“I forgive you, Dad. I will pray for your soul. But forgiveness doesn’t mean we’ll allow you to disturb Mom’s peace again.”
Dr. Gabriel returned to face his father.
“Dad, I am the best doctor for your condition. I’m the only one who can save you.”
Ramon knelt.
“Please, my son… have mercy.”
Dr. Gabriel shook his head slightly.
“As a doctor, I swore an oath to heal everyone. I will operate on you. I will save your life.”
Ramon’s face lit up.
“Thank you! Thank you, my son!”
“But,” Gabriel continued, “after you recover, never show yourself to us again. This surgery is the last help you’ll ever receive from us. We are now even for the life you gave us. Starting tomorrow, we are strangers.”
ENDING
The operation was performed. Ramon survived.
When he woke up in the hospital, Maria and the five children were gone.
All that was left was the hospital bill stamped “FULLY PAID” and a small envelope.
Inside the envelope was 500 pesos—
the exact amount he stole from Maria in 1995 before abandoning them.
Ramon left the hospital alive in body, but dead in spirit. He saw his children’s success on television and in newspapers, but only from afar. For the rest of his life, he carried the regret that the five “burdens” he threw away were the very ones who could have carried him in his old age.
THE END
THE ABANDONMENT (1995)
It was 1995.
In a small, dilapidated house in the countryside, five babies cried at the same time.
Maria had just given birth to quintuplets. She was extremely thin, pale, and had nothing to eat.
Instead of feeling joy, her husband Ramon was furious.
“Five?! Maria, five?!” Ramon shouted while packing his things. “We can barely feed one mouth, and now there are five more?! We’ll starve to death!”
“Ramon, please don’t leave us,” Maria begged, holding two of the babies while the other three lay on a mat. “Help me. Let’s work together. We can get through this.”
“No!” Ramon shoved Maria aside. “I don’t want this kind of life! I want to succeed! Those children are a burden! They’re a curse on my life!”
Ramon took Maria’s remaining savings from under her pillow—the money meant to buy milk.
“Ramon! That money is for the children!”
“This is my payment for the misery you caused me!”
Ramon left.
He boarded a bus bound for Manila. He never looked back at the cries of his wife and five children. All he thought about was himself.
RISING ALONE
Maria’s life became a living hell.
To keep her five children alive—Uno, Dos, Tres, Kuatro, and Singko—she worked as a laundress in the morning, a street vendor in the afternoon, and a dishwasher at night.
The neighbors mocked her.
“There goes the mother cat. Giving birth nonstop, that’s why her husband left her.”
But Maria never gave up.
Every night, before sleeping in their cramped room, she told her children:
“Don’t hate your father. But promise me this… one day, we will prove that you are not a burden. That you are a blessing.”
The five siblings grew up intelligent, hardworking, and God-fearing. They witnessed their mother’s suffering, which inspired them to study diligently—even on days when their only meal was rice with salt.
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL (2025)
Thirty years passed.
Ramon was now 60 years old. His dream of success in Manila never came true. He fell into vices, became ill, and ended up poor. He had no family—his mistress also left him when he ran out of money.
He was suffering from kidney failure and needed a large amount of money for surgery.
One day, he saw a headline in the newspaper:
“MOTHER OF THE YEAR: MARIA DE LEON TO BE HONORED AT THE GRAND MANILA HOTEL.”
Ramon’s eyes widened.
Maria! His wife! And in the photo, she looked wealthy.
“They’re rich now…” Ramon whispered. “I have a right. I’m the father! I can ask for money for my operation. I’m sure they’ll accept me.”
Ramon dressed as neatly as he could (even though his clothes were old) and went to the Grand Manila Hotel.
THE GRAND CELEBRATION
At the hotel entrance, a guard stopped him.
“Sir, invitation please?”
“I don’t need one! I’m the husband of the woman hosting the party—Maria De Leon! Let me in!” Ramon shouted.
Because of the commotion, an elegant elderly woman adorned with jewelry stepped out. It was Maria.
“Ramon?” Maria asked in shock.
“Maria!” Ramon ran to her and knelt. “Forgive me! I made a mistake! I’ve come back. Let’s rebuild our family. I’m sick… I need your help.”
The guests whispered.
So this was the husband who abandoned her?
Maria looked at Ramon. There was no anger in her heart—but no love either.
“Ramon,” Maria said calmly, “thirty years. Not a single letter. And now that you need money, you come back?”
“I’m still their father!” Ramon argued. “Where are my children? I want to see them! I’m sure they’ll understand me!”
Suddenly, the lights went out. A spotlight shone on the stage.
“You want to see your children?” Maria asked. “There they are.”
THE FIVE ‘BURDENS’
One by one, five strong and successful men and women stepped onto the stage.
UNO, wearing a judge’s robe:
“I am Judge Juan De Leon, the youngest Justice in the Court of Appeals.”
DOS, in a police uniform covered with medals:
“I am General Jose De Leon, Chief of Police of the National Capital Region.”
TRES, in a business suit:
“I am CEO Marco De Leon, owner of De Leon Construction—the company that built this hotel.”
KUATRO, wearing a priest’s cassock:
“I am Father Lucas De Leon, a priest who serves orphanages.”
SINGKO, in a doctor’s coat:
“I am Dr. Gabriel De Leon, the most renowned nephrologist (kidney specialist) in Asia.”
Ramon stood frozen.
The five children he once called “burdens” and “curses” were now pillars of society.
Ramon climbed onto the stage, trembling.
“M-My children… It’s me… your father…”
Singko—Dr. Gabriel—stepped forward and examined the medical chart Ramon was holding.
“Dad,” Gabriel said, “I saw your name on the list of patients who need a kidney transplant at my hospital.”
“Y-Yes, my son!” Ramon said excitedly. “You’re the doctor! Save me! Operate on me! I’m your father!”
Dr. Gabriel smiled bitterly.
“Do you remember 1995?” he asked. “When Mom begged you to leave the money for our milk—but you took it and left?”
“Because we had no milk, I got sick. I almost died from dehydration. Mom sold her own blood just to pay for my treatment.”
The other siblings stepped forward.
Judge Uno:
“In the eyes of the law, abandonment is a crime. But we won’t send you to prison. Life itself has already punished you more cruelly.”
CEO Tres:
“You’re asking for money? I could give you millions. But my money is only for those who believed in me when I had nothing.”
Father Lucas:
“I forgive you, Dad. I will pray for your soul. But forgiveness doesn’t mean we’ll allow you to disturb Mom’s peace again.”
Dr. Gabriel returned to face his father.
“Dad, I am the best doctor for your condition. I’m the only one who can save you.”
Ramon knelt.
“Please, my son… have mercy.”
Dr. Gabriel shook his head slightly.
“As a doctor, I swore an oath to heal everyone. I will operate on you. I will save your life.”
Ramon’s face lit up.
“Thank you! Thank you, my son!”
“But,” Gabriel continued, “after you recover, never show yourself to us again. This surgery is the last help you’ll ever receive from us. We are now even for the life you gave us. Starting tomorrow, we are strangers.”
ENDING
The operation was performed. Ramon survived.
When he woke up in the hospital, Maria and the five children were gone.
All that was left was the hospital bill stamped “FULLY PAID” and a small envelope.
Inside the envelope was 500 pesos—
the exact amount he stole from Maria in 1995 before abandoning them.
Ramon left the hospital alive in body, but dead in spirit. He saw his children’s success on television and in newspapers, but only from afar. For the rest of his life, he carried the regret that the five “burdens” he threw away were the very ones who could have carried him in his old age.
THE END
