MANILA, Philippines — Fatherhood is not new to Vic Sotto. He has five children with four different women.
But when he gave away Paulina, which he calls his ex-bunso, in marriage last January, having another child a month ago (by wife Pauleen Luna, who gave birth to Talitha), is as thrilling as being a first-time father.
“My ex-bunso is 26. So this one (being a dad to Talitha, his daughter with Pauleen) is a new experience,” Vic said at the presscon of “Meant to `Beh!,” his entry to the annual Metro Manila Film Festival.
You sense the excitement in his voice – the kind that stems from bringing forth a new life and facing the challenges it requires. Yes, he has his share of sleepless nights, especially when baby Talitha utters what he calls are sound effects each time she stretches her tiny body. The baby sleeps in her parents’ room, so Vic and Pauleen know every move she makes.
Still, Vic and Pauleen never complain. After all, family for Vic is “importanter,” as he told “Meant to `Beh!” leading lady Dawn Zulueta.
Vic’s pro-family stance is not just lip service. He practices what he preaches at home. Believing that a family is only as strong as its pillars – the mom and dad – Vic makes sure he is always there for his children.
”Differences will always be there,” he observed. “What’s important is you accept each other and there’s enough room for change and adjustment.”
Bonding moments, he added, need not be expensive. Vic plays the simple card game “1-2-3 Pass!” to make his children happy and keep the family intact.
He believes in disciplining children, the way he did when his eldest son Oyo and daughter Danica (now married to Marc Pingris) were children. But Vic thinks there is no substitute for sitting down with your children and discussing problems with them.
“When he was a lot younger, Dina asked me to take Oyo with me at home so I can discipline him. Malikot kasi siya,” Vic recalled.
His parenting style swings from disciplinarian to spoiler depending on the situation.
“I discipline when I have to. I spoil when need to.”
Now that most of his children are grown up, Vic has distanced himself from their affairs. He lets them decide on their own, and only steps in when they seek his advice.
After all, Vic has done his best to raise children who have become the responsible adults that they are today.
Vic’s main focus now are his grandchildren, whose welfare is at the top of his mind each time he comes up with a new film. While he is at it, Vic is only too glad to go back to square one and feel the excitement of raising another child whom he plans to raise well, so she will grow up to become as responsible and respectable as her older siblings have turned out to be.