MANILA, Philippines — Veteran actresses, Janice de Belen and Carmina Villarroel, have conveyed the learnings they have in showbiz industry to their children (apart from inheriting the acting talents of course) who also joined the entertainment business.
Carmina’s twins with Zoren Legaspi, Mavy and Cassy, are talents of GMA Network’s talent arm Sparkle GMA Artist Center while Janice’s daughters, Inah and Kaila, are also forging their own paths in the acting world.
Inah is a Kapuso actress while Kapamilya actress Kaila has heaped praises for her remarkable acting performance in Linlang. The latter also appeared in Viral Scandal and is part of Can’t Buy Me Love.
Janice’s eldest son, Luigi, is a chef; another daughter, Moira; and the youngest among the siblings is Yuan, a DJ and producer.
“Actually what I tell them is since gusto niyo ‘tong gawin, you can’t skip the process,” Janice told reporters during a mediacon for Viva Film’s Roadtrip, which also stars her real-life sister Gelli de Belen, and friends, Carmina and Candy Pangilinan.
“When you get scolded, hindi ako tatakbo diyan para magalit dun sa director dahil napagalitan ka. I will not be there. You’ll have to experience that. Also, always be on time and always be respectful to the people that you work with,” she added.
Carmina agreed and shared that Mavy and Cassy expressed their interests in showbiz when they were in college.
“I also told them that since you want to do this, do it right. You show your love and dedication in your profession. You always have to be professional and that’s what my mommy also told me before,” offered Carmina.
“Always be on time because of course, you should be considerate with other people. Because when you are on time, you also show respect to your co-worker,” she went on and added that she has no problem in that aspect. “Maybe they also see it in us, with Zoren.”
Aside from such advice, Carmina would remind her kids that they “can’t please everybody.” “Even if you are kind, meron at merong masasabi sayo. Meron at merong hindi may gusto sayo. So don’t be bothered by it.
“Wag kang mag-bother dun because you cannot please everybody. Meron at meron talagang masasabi sayo and (don’t) dwell on negativities kasi nga ganun talaga eh especially now with social media, don’t get affected.”
She would likewise advise her children to always “look at the brighter side,” set “positive outlook,” and “always be grateful and thankful.”
“So if there’s a problem, controversy, ignore it. Dito tayo sa anong meron sa atin. We should be thankful that we have shows (and) blessings. So it makes us feel better because we are very grateful,” Carmina on her constant reminders to her twins.
Gelli, on the other hand, admitted how tough it is for parents to live away from their children. Gelli is here in the Philippines with her husband Ariel Rivera while their two sons, Joaquin and Julio, are in Canada.
“It’s like we’ve just learned to live with it. But every time we picked them up from the airport or arrived in Canada, we are really happy, over the moon sa happiness. Talagang nakatuon lahat ng pansin mo sa kanila. But it’s heartbreaking every time we have to say goodbye,” stated Gelli.
Thanks to video calls and online apps, Gelli and her family are able to communicate. “But it’s still difficult because I don’t get to see what they are going through every day. I’m not there to physically take care of them. Although they are with their lola, their cousins and Ariel’s siblings, it is still different if we were there.”
Nonetheless, she just realized how her two sons have matured and become independent as they morphed into young adults. “And I know if they lived here, hindi pa siguro sila ganun ka-mature and ka-independent. (Such thought) Dun lang naiibsan ng kunti yung lungkot ko na wala sila. But actually, it’s really hard,” she stressed.
Moreover, Candy asserted that there’s “no (right) formula” on how to be a mom. The comedienne has a son, Quentin, who was diagnosed with autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
“When I’m asked how I balance my time (as a mom and actress), I really don’t know. I think you just do what you have to do and everything will fall into place,” she said.
“You have to really just do the task that is given to you. Do your work, do your job, and know your priorities and it just balances out. Nagagawa mo lang eh. There’s a time for everything as what they say. It just happens.”
She doesn’t follow a daily schedule or routine and just go on with the task at hand every day. She continued, “There’s no formula. They say, walang libro on how to be a mom or sa pagiging tao to begin with. You just do what you have to do for the day, for me personally. I just pray about it every day and offer everything. And everything falls into place.”
Candy further thanked her family, sister and mom, who are there to help and support her.
Helmed by Andoy Ranay, Roadtrip will hit cinemas on Jan. 17. The friendship dramedy film is about four friends – Gigi (Janice), Maricar (Gelli), Chiqui (Carmina) and Sophia (Candy) - who get reunited when they travel together to visit a friend.
Christian Vasquez, JC Tiuseco, John Lapus, Ethan David, Abby Bautista, Ashtine Olviga, Yumi Garcia, Heart Ryan, and Jastine Lim are also part of the cast.