The former Miss Universe is starring in Regal Entertainment’s Mother’s Day offering, the comedy film Mommy Issues, where she plays a lola who joins forces with her apo (Sue Ramirez) to “intervene” in the love life of her daughter (Pokwang), a single mom who gets pursued by a much younger guy (Ryan Bang).
In real life though, Gloria never made any attempt to “sugod” a daughter because of her love life.
The veteran actress has two daughters, Isabelle and Ava, now both married.
“Di pa ako sumugod either with Belle and Ava because their choices are good,” she said.
Isabelle is married to a French sportswear executive Adrien Semblat, while Ava got married early last year to longtime beau Luch Zanirato.
Gloria, nevertheless, recalled the only issue that cropped up with Ava before, which was her coming home late.
“Coming from the set or shooting, tatawag ako sa bahay, wala pa siya, susunduin ko talaga siya. She has to be home already at a certain time,” she shared.
“But that was a short time only, afterwards she realized…,” she said. “Si Belle, wala eh, alas 9 pa lang dito na sa bahay, tulog na. Si Ava mahilig lumabas noon, pero nasusundo ko naman siya,” Gloria continued.
At the end of the day, she noted, she turned out to be right.
“I knew what should be right and what doesn’t go wrong. I don’t believe in waking up late and partying until past midnight so in a way I was right.”
But all in all, she never had any major “mommy issues” with her girls.
“They never answer back. I don’t think I ever had anything physically disgusting or ano, OK naman sila. Except my son Rafael, talagang hahanapin ko siya sa bahay ng kaibigan niya, but I guess that’s normal right?” she said.
“Wala naman akong masyadong issues with my two girls,” she stressed.
Asked to give some tips to newbie moms, Gloria said she would suggest what Belle did.
“If I had a child again or if my child has a child, I will do what Belle says. Like, she made a doll called the Tralala doll and when you press it, it says, ‘I am beautiful, I’m amazing, I’m great, I’m enough.’”
She added, “I will give my advice to my children, which is to always make their child feel very, very secure, that you’re behind them, that you’re not going to overpower them and that you trust their judgment.”
Meanwhile, Gloria recently welcomed her second apo with her eldest Isabelle Daza, who is now based in Hong Kong with her family.
Gloria talked about her two grandkids — Valentin and Baltie.
“I’m a super lola. Everything is OK with me. And my first advice kay yaya, sanayin mo yan sa aruga. Ibigay mo lahat ng gusto niya. If ayaw niya matulog, then no need to sleep. Panoorin ang cartoons,” she said. “The only thing is to brush their teeth every day. Anything that my daughter is disciplining yung anak niya, kokontrahin ko ‘pag wala siya. Kaya mahal na mahal ako ni Baltie.”
(Mommy Issues is now available worldwide via Upstream.ph, KTX, Iwant and TFC at P250, good for the entire family.)