During a more prosperous Philippines, the average Filipino household had at least two helpers to assist “Ate.” “Ma’am” wasn’t used until much later. Of course, in more palatial homes, it was “señora” for them.

In pre-war local movies, therefore, there was always a character playing a house help in the story. In the beginning, the help was only seen serving quietly in the background or sometimes given a line or two.

But the time came when they were used in comedies. Female comic Aruray was very effective in these roles.

The part of the help became so interesting that, in 1962, actor/director Tony Santos, Sr. came up with a movie called Pitong Atsay. It starred Patsy, Chichay, Dely Atay-atayan, Menggay, Elizabeth Ramsey (mother of singer Jaya), Metring David and, yes, Aruray.

In the 1978 Metro Manila Film Festival, there was Atsay that won for Nora Aunor the best performer award. That movie spawned Anak ng Atsay (1980), which also featured Nora, but with Julie Vega this time playing her daughter.

Later, Flora Gasser, Tiya Pusit, Beverly Salviejo and Evelyn Vargas became the in-demand onscreen maids in the movies. They weren’t servants in real life, of course. Flora was married to newscaster Harry Gasser. Tiya Pusit was a radio talent and half-sister of Nova Villa. Beverly is a trained classical singer and mathematician, while Evelyn is an accomplished actress on stage, TV and the movies.

Television also recognized the important role of the house help in the lives of the Filipinos. In the mid-1960s, the old ABS-CBN aired every Sunday late afternoon a show called Sta. Zita and Mary Rose.

Sta. Zita is an Italian saint, patroness of domestic workers and waitresses. Mary Rose, meanwhile, was the show’s host, Mary Rose Jacinto. This program was revived in the late 1980s, but didn’t last very long on the air.

From the time television was introduced in the Philippines, most programs had house help characters as mainstays. In Pancho Loves Tita in the 1960s, vaudeville veteran Chuchi was the helper of Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran (the parents of Francis M).

On GMA, there was Family 3 + 1 that had Caridad Sanchez playing housemaid to Helen Vela and Princess Punzalan. There was also the perennial TV houseboy, Tange, who served Pugo, Patsy and Mildred Ortega in Wanted: Boarders. In another sitcom, My Son, My Son, Tange was also the help of Pugo, Patsy and their son Jay Ilagan.

A rather miscast (but still effective) house help character was Nena Perez-Rubio in ‘Yan ang Misis Ko, which headlined Rosa Rosal and Ronald Remy. A graduate of medicine (she chose acting over medical practice), Nena spoke Spanish in real life and often let out a smattering of Castilian words in the series. (Chuchi, incidentally, also spoke flawless Spanish off-screen — and so did Patsy.)

That Nena spoke in the Castilian tongue while playing a domestic help in the sitcom was acceptable. Until the 1970s, there were still housemaids who were fluent in Spanish, having served in homes where “la lengua Castellano” was primarily spoken.