Vanessa Matsunaga Sunga: Then and Now

While Vanessa Matsunaga Sunga raises her three kids, she is reminded of her own childhood very fondly.

This story appeared in the Modern Parenting Mother’s Day and Father’s Day May 2024 issue.

Every mother was once a daughter, and Mother’s Day is one of those days with Vanessa Matsunaga Sunga — now a mom of 3 — recalling the many ups and downs she’s had with her mother.

Motherhood has given her a newfound sense of appreciation for everything her mom did. “She’s done
so much for me — far more than I could have understood before I became a mom. Although I kinda knew she was always so selfless and always sacrificing for us.”

She adds, “But, now that I’m a mother, I also have a different perspective. I’d like to say to her, ‘Thank you Mom, and may God continue to bless you wherever you go. I’m sorry if there were days I was just so hard to deal with.'”

Paying love forward from the past to the future

However, there’s that pivotal moment wherein a mom lives beyond herself — her family becomes the
drive and reason for everything she does. It’s something immeasurable, Vanessa admits. “You start doing things that you’ve never done before. I have always fought so hard to be a mother to my kids, not just as the one who gave birth to them but that someone they would always want to go to, long for, to be their stronghold.”

“Motherhood has shaped me into a better person, a more selfless one, a more driven one, and pushed
me to break down all the barriers I have once believed to be limitations.” Where does that drive even come from? For Vanessa, it was “that feeling wherein you created something — your cells are in someone else’s body and their cells are in you forever. It’s a lot of things,” she admits.

As she walks the mile in her mother’s shoes, Vanessa feels like it’s déjà vu as her three children’s interactions remind her much of her childhood with her two brothers, Daniel and Gui. While seeing herself in Bella, Daniel in David, and Gui in John, the mom of three hopes to pass on what her parents have embedded in her and her brothers.

“My parents raised us to be there for each other. My siblings and I are very close and we always choose each other no matter what. I hope and pray my children will also grow up to be staunch supporters of one another.”

The core of love never changes.

While she and her siblings and her own three kids are two different sets of people from two different
times, their core remains the same: to never lose sight of who they are and to live not just for themselves, but for others too.

“Never, ever, be selfish. While I agree that you have to love yourself, the greatest love I’ve ever had or experienced is what Christ did for us. I truly believe in that — that, it gives you purpose. Giving is not just donating; it’s receiving ten thousandfold.”

To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day and Father’s Day 2024 Print Edition—available on sarisari.shopping. Download the e-magazine from Readly or Press Reader for more exclusive features and stories.

Words KEVYN GOHU-CATINGUB

Photography KIERAN PUNAY of KLIQ, INC.

Makeup LEVENY DAMIAN

Hair ARVY MALBAS

Art Direction DENIELLE CARAG

Shoot Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA, HELEN SCALES, MAE SICAT, and SHEM BARINAGA

Sittings Editor MARGA MEDRANO-TUPAZ

Shot on Location at AGC POWER HOLDING STUDIOS

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