MANILA, Philippines - Is there any sibling rivalry going on between showbiz sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga? After all, the two belong to rival networks: Toni is one of the most talented showbiz personalities in ABS-CBN, while Alex is slowly building a name for herself at TV5. This May, YES! reveals whether or not a rivalry exists as the magazine visits Toni and Alex in their home in Taytay, Rizal.
Born to a middle-class family, the Gonzaga sisters learned at an early age the value of hard work. Toni tells YES!, “I remember before we never owned a house, it was always an apartment. Bata pa lang kami, pag magche-church kami… lagi kaming bubulungan ng Daddy’t Mommy namin, ‘Ipag-pray ninyo, bahay at lupa.’ Hindi ko pa naiintindihan ‘yon [noon]… na-gets ko lang no’ng high school ako… [na] nangungupahan lang kami.”
Striving hard to enter showbiz, she faced countless rejections on her way to where she is now. Her father served as her mentor, who would offer a word of advice after every letdown. “’Anak, hindi tayo nandito para makipaglabanan ng ganda. Nandito ka dahil sa talento mo,’” Toni recalls him saying.
Then in 2006, Toni found her footing in show business and they were able to buy their own home. The five-year old residence of the Gonzagas in Taytay, Rizal is a dream come true, a product of hard work and perseverance. YES! features exclusive photos of the home’s common areas like the kitchen, living room, and dining room, as well as the newly-renovated pool area and backyard.
Even if Toni and Alex now have their own bedrooms and walk-in closets, Alex likes sleeping in Toni’s room while Toni also helps herself to Alex’s clothes. “We grew up na isa lang ‘yong room namin,” Toni says, “So, kahit no’ng may separate rooms na kami, nami-miss namin ‘yong company no’ng isa’t isa. Kasi before, we used to talk about our dreams before going to sleep… pinag-uusapan ‘yong mga gusto namin talaga. Tapos up to now, pag natutupad ‘yong mga pangarap namin, pinag-uusapan namin sa gabi.”
Aside from taking a look at the sisters’ bedrooms, YES! also takes a look at their walk-in closets. Alex’s walk-in closet, in particular, is filled with Chanel, Goyard, and Louis Vuitton bags, as well as lots and lots of clothes. She tells YES! about becoming a shopaholic because she used to envy her older sister Toni when they were younger. “Siyempre kasi siya ‘yong mas ibinibili ng damit, dahil nga nag-aartista siya. Ang gagawin ko, sa mall, uniiyak ako, pag hindi ako ‘binibili… Kaya ito, no’ng tumanda ako, ‘tapos lalo na no’ng kumikita na ako, talagang bili ako!” she says.
See more of the Gonzaga home and find out more about Toni and Alex’s showbiz beginnings as well as the love-hate relationship that exists between the sisters in the 21-page feature.
The May issue of YES! is now available in newsstands, bookstores and supermarkets nationwide.