Manila: Filipino-Korean policeman Julius Manalo's heartwarming reunion with his long-lost mother has gone viral on social media.
In a stark reminder that even in the face of adversity, hope and the pursuit of family can prevail, Manalo was finally able to reconnect with his Korean mom, after 3 decades of searching.
Growing up in the slums of Manila, Manalo (Korean name: Junyeong Oh) faced immense challenges. When he was growing up in Tondo, his father left for Malaysia. He stayed with his father’s friend.
The difficulties of life in a poverty-stricken neighbourhood made it nearly impossible to keep in touch with his mother.
“I arrived in the Philippines in 1993,” Manalo recalls. His father was a musician, who met his mother in South Korea.
“In those days, in a poor district like Tondo, your only hope for reaching out to someone abroad, whether you believe it not, is a long-distance call. Or ‘snail mail’. Back then, not every household had a phone.”
31-year search
Manalo (@julioenforcer) explained in a Tiktok post in a mix of Tagalog-English to respond to a follower’s question: “Why did it take 31 years before you thought of looking for your own mother?”
Manalo said: "It’s actually the wrong question to ask. I’ve been looking for her the whole time.”
“The first time I tried to look for my mother was in 2000, 24 years ago, when I first had access to SMS. I sent text messages to what I hoped was her number. No reply.
“Think about it: How could I have found her? During that time, our focus is to simply live each. Life was hard,” Manalo said.
So far, posts about his story have garnered hundreds of thousands of likes (hearts), and tens of thousands of comments, with at least 10,000 shares.
While in high school, when the internet emerged, Manalo tried using it to find his mother. “When I had access to the internet, the first thing I typed was my mother’s name and the name of my cousin,” he said. However, there was not much data available online at that time.
And due to privacy laws in Korea, the search was made even more difficult. Determined, he explored other avenues—asking friends who owned Korean stores and posting on Facebook groups. Then the pandemic hit, putting his plans to the backburner.
Then his mother-in-law suggested reaching out to TV Chosun. That’s when things started to turnaround. The show aired his story after episodes of *Mom’s Spring Day*.
One of his friend’s mothers saw the announcement, which became the key that finally helped them reconnect.
TV Chosun finally located the mother (whose full identity was not disclosed due to privacy laws), who then told the network: “I didn’t forget Jun Yeong (Manalo's name in Korean). I re`ally haven’t forgotten. He's always in my heart. Sometimes, when I think about it, my heart aches. It hurts. I want to see him. I’m heartbroken and can’t do anything.”
“She then called TV Chosun. That’s how I finally found my mother,” Manalo, now a father of two, said.
Manalo's original plan was to travel to Korea with his wife and children to personally search for his mom. That was before the TV crew arranged for the mother-and-son-reunion in South Korea.
Gratitude
Manalo expressed immense gratitude for the support he received from his family, friends, and the TV Chosun team.
He shared that the timing of the reunion was “perfect”, as he had now established himself in life and could proudly introduce his family to his mother. The
His story serves as a testament to the power of perseverance and the enduring bond between mother and child.
