It was September 2004, when a senator got a shock of his life upon learning that the young lady applicant that he had recently accepted to be his Political Communications Officer, was not really a newbie in the political environment, and someone who just really needs to have a launch pad in public service.
It was already about a week after hiring the said applicant that the lawmaker discovered that his new staff – Angel Pelayo – is not just armed a Bachelor of Science Management in Communication Technology from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Angel is also a graduate of Master in Business Administration at the University Philippines UP Diliman and a CSS Administration and Management degree from the Harvard University.
And to cap everything, Angel belongs to a well-off family from Pampanga, with a known, well-loved local official as her father.
A year after experiencing the life as a senator’s staff, Angel disappeared from the scene and resurfaced in the public service arena. But this time as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.
From 2005 to 2011, the public would see Angel’s face as the frequent source of journalists doing stories about the movement of the prices of basic commodities, congressional and Senate hearings, inspection of markets and other establishments, among others.
“I used to be in government for more than a decade. As a woman, it was hard for me to balance having a career and starting a family. That’s why, I’m now in my 40’s with my first child, but it’s also rewarding in a sense that now like, I can take better care of her…”
Nine years after being an almost regular fixture in the news, this bubbly Angel has shifted her energy in thinking about the welfare of kids, just like the personal needs of her two-year little girl Lexi.
“I was really one of the lucky ones. When I started in government, I was the youngest Assistant Secretary to be appointed, I was 26 or 27. But at the same time, at that age, you should start thinking of getting married because you have to be a mom… That was one of my frustrations, choosing between building my career or getting married and have a child.”
Angel Pelayo-Ty is many would address her these days, is the first entrepreneur to come up with biodegradable baby wipes in the Philippines which also carries a cutie brand name of “Two Little Ducks”.
This earth-friendly baby wipes took Angel two years to come up with the first biodegradable item for kids.
“It’s called Two Little Ducks because my partner and I had our kid almost at the same time; because of our experience raising these toddlers, we wanted to create everyday solutions that we can also share with other moms and dads.”
Angel believes that entrepreneurs like her, should also share in preserving the environment as they strive to make a living and give a mark in the business industry.
Aside from this, Angel also manages a number of restaurants in various malls. One of which caters to the needs of body and diet-conscious individuals.
Today, Angel dabbles her work as a first-hand mom to her baby Lexi, dutiful wife to her husband, the forever bubbly “baby” to her family and friends and a dedicated businesswomen in the country.
All these embody today’s face of a Filipina: dedicated, competitive, yet environment-conscious and a lover of her family.
This women’s month, we honor this lady, called Angel.
