For Sarah Lahbati, showbiz takes a backseat to family

A statuesque, elegant and subdued Sarah Lahbati in all ebony greeted us this week as we saw her for the first time after the lockdowns for her latest endorsement renewal with Luxe Skin.

Vlogger and entrepreneur Anna Mangkawas threw the event for Sarah as she was coming out of her full-on mommy mode for a local tinseltown’s gathering. “It’s been so long. It is great to see everyone again,” she said.

Sarah has been busy being a hands-on mom to Zion and she just recently sent Kai to face-to-face schooling.

“I just love being a mom. Zion is so good at soccer now,” said she. “This November, we’ll be flying to Singapore for his first competition, Singa Cup, with his team Arayat. Kai is in school in Pre-K (pre-kinder school), so everything is going really, really well.”

Sarah sees herself like her doting mom and her mother-in-law, Tita Annabelle. She calls her “Tita Annabelle because nasanay na ako. She’s the Tita Anabelle of the Philippines, of us all.” She’s thankful though that her M-I-L helps and takes good care of her boys as well.

“Nako, ang mother-in-law ko always spoils the two boys, but it’s great. They love our kids, of course. Whenever they’re with them, pag-uwi nila napaka-hyper dahil kung anu-anong chocolate ang ipinakain. She’s very sweet and thoughtful. A bit of a spoiler.”

From Zion and Kai’s lunch boxes to their games, Sarah is again a hands-on mom, and cheerleader. “Ang daming kailangan gawin with the two boys dahil sa mga kailangan gawin, I’m always busy or running around,” shared she.

Besides this, she still works on the side with tie-ups and endorsements.

“I am a modern mom. Yes, I am hands-on and I work. I try to squeeze everything in and balance our schedules, ‘yun top of everything. I’m proud that I am able to do that,” she said.

Sarah’s career is being managed by Viva Entertainment and mother-in-law Annabelle Rama. The actress has turned down several projects to focus on her family and has no qualms about doing so. ‘Nothing compares to being able to be there for the kids,’ says the hands-on mom to her two children Zion and Kai with husband Richard Gutierrez.

Family photo from Sarah Lahbati’s Instagram

When you see Sarah, you would not imagine her getting down and dirty with all the chores since she emanates such regal beauty at par with Hollywood stars and in my humble opinion, she is so underrated in our local showbiz scene.

She also shared her self-care routine: “No matter how busy (I am), I make sure in the morning I have time for myself to work out. About my diet, on good days I have chicken or fish, mostly pescetarian, but thanks to my slimming juices I can eat rice once in a while.”

Her husband Richard Gutierrez is busy in production for ABS-CBN’s Iron Heart alongside Maja Salvador in Cebu but after this project, they will slow down next year. Sarah and Richard hope that baby number three could fit somewhere along the picture.

“Hopefully, it’s a girl. And hopefully, next year. But you know, joke aside, as long as they’re healthy, no problem,” said she.

Viva Entertainment and Tita Annabelle handle Sarah’s career right now and throughout the lockdowns, Sarah has turned down several projects for her family and she has no qualms about it as it is the right choice for her.

“Nothing compares to being able to be there for the kids,” she said. “Kasi ang kinatatakutan ko ay lumaki sila na busy ang both parents.”

Nothing is written in stone yet but there are talks that ALLTV is coming up with a morning show with her, Ruffa Gutierrez and Toni Gonzaga. Something that is in line with what Sarah is interested in if ever she returns to the limelight.

“Morning show is okay. Hindi pa puwede ang series kasi may lock-in nga,” she concluded.