Bantay Bata 163 medical officer Ann Trinidad accepts her award from the LopezesUpon learning about Bantay Bata 163, Loreta Ann Trinidad, known as Nurse Ann to medical patients and TitaAnn to rescued children and the staff, signed up as a volunteer for six months. She decided to give up her full-time job and take the bigger task at Bantay Bata 163 team on November 2, 2002.

Trinidad started as home care supervisor at Children’s Village. Upon the closure of Children’s Village, she moved to the medical department of Bantay Bata 163.

As medical officer of Bantay Bata 163, she manages the unit single-handedly.

Being with Bantay Bata 163 entails reporting for work six days a week and 24 hours a day, leaving Trinidad only a day to spend with her husband and son, who are among her biggest supporters.

Trinidad always goes beyond the call of duty. She visits her patients even on weekends to make sure that they are being cared for. She uses her own money for the transportation of the parents and their children. She hardly goes on leave because she wants to stay with children who are sick or depressed.

Said Anne Therese Arceo, content officer of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc. who nominated Trinidad for the Unsung Hero award: “Never mo siya makikita na magsasabi na ‘ayaw ko na.’ Sobrang caring niya sa mga bata kahit hindi naman niya kadugo. For 16 years na nag-se-serve siya sa mga bata, simula nung nasa Children’s Village, dun ako bumilib sa kanya. Pinigilan na lang niya yung lungkot, nag-sacrifice na lang siya kasi maraming bata ang nangangailangan ng tulong nya. “Hindi trabaho ang tingin niya sa trabaho niya. Ang tingin niya sa trabaho niya ay misyon niya sa buhay.

Trinidad was part of the core team that enabled Bantay Bata 163, since 1997, to respond to and counsel 381,026 callers on hotline 163; provide medical assistance to 62,131 children; and finance the expenses of 892 scholars from elementary to college.

Unity is one of the Lopez Group values that Trinidad personified for the past 16 years as she has always worked well with everyone.

Nationalism is manifested by her decision to give up her job in a multinational company and join Bantay Bata 163 in uplifting the lives of the children.

Integrity is manifested in Trinidad’s faithfulness to and appreciation for the partners and donors who support Bantay Bata 163 in fulfilling its mission and ensuring that every single peso they give redounds to the benefit of the children.

Her strong sense of social justice is demonstrated by her belief that by offering love and empathy to the children, she can lessen their trauma, making them feel that they can be productive despite what happened in the past.

Loreta Ann Trinidad discovered her calling and decided to devote herself to a career that helped change the lives of many children. She is a nurturing wife and mom and a real mother of Bantay Bata 163.