Julius Manalo, the half-brother of Filipino actor Jay Manalo, has reunited with his mother, Oh Geum Nim, after 31 long years of separation.
Julius, a Filipino-Korean police officer, shared the emotional journey of reuniting with his mother in an interview on “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.”
Julius recounted how his father, Eustaquio, and his mother met in Korea before he was born. However, in 1993, his father needed to return to the Philippines, while his mother entrusted Eustaquio to raise their son in his home country.
“Pinakita naman po ng tatay ko kasi sa nanay ko nu’n na inaalagaan niya ako nang maayos. So nagtiwala po ‘yung nanay ko sa tatay ko na dalhin ako sa Pilipinas,” Julius shared, recalling the trust his mother had in his father.
However, upon their arrival in the Philippines, Julius was informed by his father that he would no longer be returning to Korea to be with his mother.
“So pagdating ko ng Pilipinas, ang unang talagang nagulat ako nu’ng inamin na sa akin ng tatay ko na, ‘Hindi ka na babalik ng Korea.’ So s’yempre bilang bata na ayoko sanang pumunta ng Pilipinas at makasama ‘yung nanay ko na lang sana. Sobrang naglulupasay ako nu’n, nag-iiyak ako nu’n,” he emotionally recalled.
Julius shared that he frequently asked his father to let him see his mother again, but his father insisted that he had to focus on his studies first.
For the first two months, Julius and his mother communicated through a neighbor’s phone. However, after two months, he learned upsetting news: his mother had reportedly given him up because she was getting remarried, and her future husband did not want him.
Angry and hurt, Julius confronted his mother, but she denied giving him up because of her marriage.
Through the years, Julius received support from his half-brother, Jay, who provided financial assistance whenever possible.
“In fairness po kay Kuya hindi naman siya ‘yung pinabayaan kami na ‘bahala kayo.’ ‘Pag may sobra siya talagang tumutulong din naman sa amin,” he said, expressing gratitude for the actor’s help.
The long search for his mother took an unexpected turn when Julius met a Korean producer whose daughter was interested in his story. The producer, in turn, connected Julius with an agent who had ties to the Korean TV station, TV Chosun.
Driven by his longing to see his mother, Julius provided the station with his story, which then aired his search for three months until they received the life-changing call that led to the long-awaited reunion.
“Ang unang reaction nu’ng nanay ko is, ‘Kumusta siya and OK ba siya?’ So parang kahit kinakabahan ako na baka hindi niya ako kitain. Although nakita ko na siya, nu’ng pinapanood, parang may kaba pa rin eh,” Julius shared.
In September, Julius flew to Korea to finally reunite with his mother after over three decades apart.
“Pagtingin ko po, may babaeng lumalakad. Nu’ng nakita ko po ‘yung mukha, naaninag ko, doon ko napatunayan na meron palang lukso ng dugo na parang, ‘Nanay ko ‘yun! Alam kong Nanay ko ‘yun!’
So wala po talagang script ‘yun. Talagang napasigaw na lang ako sa kanya na, ‘Eomma!'” he recounted, his voice filled with emotion.
The heartfelt reunion left Julius reflecting on his life journey, as he ran toward his mother, feeling as though he was shedding layers of his life, from a police officer to his younger self.
“Habang tumatakbo ko na parang pakiramdam ko nawawala uniporme ko ng pulis, nagiging uniform ng basketball then mawawala, magiging college student, high school student, elementary. Then, darating ‘yung point na bumalik kami sa airport,” he described the emotional moment.
His mother tearfully apologized, but Julius refused to accept her apologies, instead telling her, “‘Hindi! Hindi,’ tapos ‘I love you! I love you!’ Ganun lang po ang sinasabi ko. Tapos sobrang iyak ko na, na hagulgol,” he narrated.
They shared a Korean barbecue meal, where everyone, including Julius’ wife and mother, was moved to tears, but it was a joyful reunion.
“Hindi ko nga po alam ‘e masaya ako pero naluluha ako habang kumakain nu’n e. Nu’ng nakikita ako ng misis ko na naluluha, naluluha rin siya. Nung nakita naman siya ng nanay ko naluha din ang nanay ko, nung nakita ng kaibigan naluha rin. Lahat kami nag-iyakan na. Pero masaya po kami nun,” shared Julius.
Despite returning to the Philippines, the reunited mother and son now talk daily and plan to meet again.
Julius intends to learn Korean to communicate better and build new memories together to make up for the lost time. He expressed gratitude that his mother waited for him, allowing their reunion after years apart.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa kanya dahil kumbaga nag-stay alive siya, naantay niya akong lumakas at mahanap siya. And nakapag-reunite kami,” he expressed his hope about rebuilding their lost years.
“And itong mga darating na time, gagawa kami ng mga memories na magkakasama kami para maka-catch up sa mga nawalang taon sa amin,” added Julius.
