Behind every successful company are stories of sacrifice, resilience, and unwavering dedication. This Mother’s Month, Masuma highlights two women whose journeys reflect the strength of working mothers, women who grew alongside the company while building better lives for their families.
One started in packaging as a young mother searching for stability. The other climbed her way from accounting and HR into operations leadership through passion and continuous learning. This is the story of Helen Rosario and Edna Urriza — two mothers shaped by hard work, family, and purpose.
Helen Rosario: A Mother’s Quiet Sacrifice
Sixteen years ago, Helen Rosario entered Masuma as a 23-year-old mother with a six-year-old child. She joined through a job fair and started as a bakeshop assistant assigned in packaging under the bread section.
“Cookies ang pinoprocess ko noon. May polvoron pa si Conti’s dati, mano-mano pa naming ginagawa.” At the time, all she wanted was a stable job for her family.
Choosing to Fight for a Second Chance
Helen initially worked as a contractual employee and eventually reached end-of-contract status. But instead of giving up, she applied again with one goal in mind: “Sabi ko noon, pagbalik ko, hindi ako papayag na hindi ako maging probi.”
Her determination paid off. She became regularized, gained bigger responsibilities, and slowly built a career inside the company. “Habang tumatagal, lalo akong naging dedicated. Bread and butter ko talaga ang Masuma.”
The Challenges of Motherhood
Balancing work and family became one of the hardest parts of her journey. “Challenging bilang nanay na iiwan mo anak mo kahit kailangan ka nila.” Like many working mothers, Helen carried guilt for the moments she missed with her children. But every sacrifice reminded her why she kept going.
“Bakit ako nagtatrabaho? Para sa family ko.” Her family became her greatest source of strength and inspiration.
More Than a Workplace
For Helen, Masuma became more than just a company. “Iba talaga dito. Parang family. Papansinin ka kahit bago ka pa lang.” She says the support and understanding she received through the years helped her continue balancing both work and motherhood.
“Sila pa minsan ang nag-ooffer na mag-day off ako para sa family ko. Feeling ko inaalagaan ako ng Masuma.”
Learning to Believe in Herself
One of Helen’s biggest turning points came when leadership began trusting her capabilities.“Kay Sir Paolo ko unang narinig na malaki yung tiwala na binibigay namin sayo.”
Learning to Believe in Herself
One of Helen’s biggest turning points came when leadership began trusting her capabilities.“Kay Sir Paolo ko unang narinig na malaki yung tiwala na binibigay namin sayo.”
When she was eventually offered a managerial role, she initially doubted herself. “Sabi ko noon, ‘Di ko kaya.’ Pero sila yung nag-push sakin.” Today, she leads with empathy because she understands the struggles of employees who also started from the bottom.
Building a Better Life
After years of sacrifice and dedication, Helen now proudly looks at the life she built for her family. “May sasakyan na kami. Napag-aaral ko dalawang anak ko.” But beyond career growth, she treasures how Masuma shaped her as a person.
“Hindi lang ako hinubog bilang employee. Hinubog ako bilang mabuting tao.” To fellow mothers, Helen shares this reminder: “Hindi madali, pero maniwala ka. Kakayanin mo.”
Edna Urriza: Leading with Heart, Growing with Purpose
Before becoming the General Manager overseeing commissary operations in Taguig, Bacolor, Marikina, and Cebu, Edna Urriza first started as a working student taking up BS Accountancy at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Her career began in accounting before she eventually transitioned into Human Resources, where she explored recruitment, employee engagement, compensation and benefits, and other HR functions.
“I told myself before, if I learn all of these, I can become a generalist.” Determined to grow further, she pursued HR certifications and continuously improved her skills.
Passion That Led to Leadership
For Edna, passion became the foundation of her success. “It’s really the passion that leads you there.” When she joined Masuma as Senior HR Manager, she was given one major challenge: “We need an HR Head in the commissary to turn around the culture 360 degrees.”
At first, she questioned herself. “How can I do that?” she laughed. But despite the pressure especially during the acquisition of Wendy’s Philippines she helped lead major initiatives including training systems and employee programs like Bravo University. “We did it together. I cannot do that by myself.”
“I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses.” For her, understanding people is one of the most important parts of leadership. “I must know the strengths and weaknesses of my staff so I know where I can help them.”
Balancing Leadership and Motherhood
Despite the demands of leadership, Edna also carries the responsibilities of being a full-time mother.
“As a full-time mom and full-time working mother… it’s really hard.” To stay grounded, she starts her mornings with prayer, walking outdoors, and taking care of her health. “I go out and walk for sunlight kasi it gives you shine.”
She believes growth should never stop both personally and professionally.“Kailangan tuloy-tuloy ang pag-improve.”
A Vision Bigger Than Herself
For Edna, success is meaningful only when it helps others grow too. “I always pray that Eight8ate continues to grow not only for leadership, but for all employees and their families.”
She believes teamwork remains one of the greatest keys to success. “Seek help. Work together so we can achieve.” And to working mothers sacrificing every day for their families, she offers this message:
“With patience and hard work, your efforts will never go to waste. Everything will pay off.”
The Strength of Mothers
This Mother’s Month, the stories of Helen Rosario and Edna Urriza remind us that behind every strong workplace are mothers quietly carrying responsibilities both at work and at home.
Different journeys. Different roles. Same strength.
Through sacrifice, resilience, and dedication, both women continue proving that some of the strongest leaders are also the strongest mothers.
