‘Pikachu’, the yellow rodent with electrical abilities in Pokémon is certainly one of the most hardworking mascots in Baguio City.
But who is behind the costume?
Recently, the story of the smaller mascot Pikachu went viral on Facebook after a netizen posted her encounter with it.
According to Robert James Jobog, he was on his way home around 11:30 p.m. when he noticed the mascot still busking or entertaining people on the street for voluntary donation, along Session Road.
He waited for her out of curiosity, observing how she still maintained her energy at such hour. He had the chance to learn about her story when she finally removed her costume past midnight.
Single mom and breadwinner
The person behind the popular Pokemon character is 25-year-old Abby Tamayo of South Sanitary Camp. She busks every night from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 or 1:00 a.m. on Session Road.
She relayed to Jobog that she’s working harder as she’s a single mother to her 4-year-old son and that she needs to sustain her diabetic mom’s insulin.
She’s the breadwinner as her mom is working as a housewife and she’s the one looking after her grandchildren while her father is a laborer.
Tamayo is the third child of four siblings. She stopped her studies in 2019 due to bullying. Their 14-year-old and youngest sibling is the only one studying now.
Jobog quoted that while others need to work hard because they spend a lot, someone like Abby needs to exhaust her energy because she has a family to support.
“For Abby, at sa mga kagaya n'yang todo kayod din, "Kung may kailangan kang buhayin, mas magsipag ka," he said.
Tamayo who shared Jobog’s post thanked him for appreciating her story.
“Maraming salamat sayo, at na-appreciate mo yung kwento ko. Napaka sarap sa pakiramdam, wala akong masabi sa kabutihan mo. Sana mas marami ka pang matulungang mga tao. Ingat ka palagi kaibigan Robert James Jobog,” she wrote.
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