“If you think I’m bossy, she’s a dictator,” quipped Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz referring to her daughter Isabelle Daza, who is always on the “lookout” for what her mom will post on social media.
Isabelle has a valid reason for keeping an eye on her beauty queen-actress mother. “She just has no filter. I just try to keep her, you know, to not be too controversial. But then again, she says anything.”
“You know, I was offered (to do) many talk shows before but she would say, ‘Mom, please huwag na lang baka you might make a mistake,’” Gloria chimed in. “With my children, even on Instagram, I cannot say something, or if I said something, Belle would say, ‘Delete that right now. Take it down.’”
Isabelle’s younger sister Ava knows their mom’s password on her social media account which explains why they can easily check her posts. “We both have control. The roles have reversed,” Isabelle amusingly said.
I find it such a sweet gesture of children to let the usual advice-giving go from being a one-way street of parents advising on what to do, to the other way around — it’s now the children who advise the parents. That, for me, is not a show of disrespect but an expression of love.
Isabelle appreciates how her mom taught her to value relationships, education, family “and I think, also, understanding that is not how much money you make but how much you’re able to save.”
Gloria revealed she learned the importance of saving money and setting goals from her mother. Glory, as I fondly call her, is one of the 12 children of lawyer Jaime Diaz and socialite Teresa Aspillera.
The first Filipina Miss Universe said she learned the value of being practical from her mom who taught her not to adore luxury items.
“She’s not impressed with name brands. You buy what you can afford and you buy what you like. Instant gratification cannot relate to me.”
Isabelle recalled the time when they were window shopping and her mom would ask the store to reserve items for her. “One time, I was there with my friends, sabi nila, ‘Ma’am ang dami pang-na-reserve ni mommy mo.’ I was like, oh my god!”
However, she delights at the fact that her mom is not an impulse buyer. “That’s how she is. Before she buys something, she really thinks about it because she knows how difficult it is to earn that money,” Isabelle offered.
“Now naman, I’ve changed a little,” Gloria confessed. “I always say, YOLO (You Only Live Once). I’m 72. I better buy it.”
Isabelle sees her mom as her greatest influence on humility. She narrated the time when she got home feeling exhausted from taping that lasted in the wee hours of the morning.
“I was so tired and I said, ‘I never wanna do this. It’s so tiring. And then she said, ‘Don’t make quitting showbiz a problem. If you quit today, no one will remember you. I’ve seen the biggest stars come and go and you’re replaceable.’
“It just hit me, the humility and awareness. I was, like, ‘That’s so true,’” Isabelle added.
Gloria also had to learn a lesson on humility at an early age. It was still fresh in her memory what took place after she passed on the Miss Universe crown to her successor in 1970. She was pushed off the stage and took the limousine that drove her to the venue.
“They took the limousine to give it to the other girl. Good thing, my parents were there. They had their car,” narrated Gloria, who was also given 24 hours to vacate her suite. “At 18 years old, that’s a real lesson,” she added.
Speaking of Miss Universe, mother and daughter readily shared their thoughts regarding the new rules of Miss Universe Organization on its inclusivity clause. It now allows women, regardless of age, including mothers, wives and transgender women to compete in the said beauty pageant.
“I agree when my mom said before that if it’s Miss Universe and they’re just I guess including everybody then it should just be (known as) Universe,” Isabelle said before pointing out what American transgender sports personality Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner) had said before. “She said that people mistake fighting for equality and fighting for fairness to be the same thing.”
“So, if you have transgenders in sports, it’s not necessarily fair,” she continued. “There are some sort of barriers but, of course, inclusivity and equality, I’m all for that.”
Gloria, for her part, said that everyone should have their version of the Universe pageant. “Basically, in ordinary words, (kapag) kailangan transvestite, kailangan may Miss Transvestite. Tomboy, Miss Tomboy Universe. Sa Miss Universe, dapat Miss Universe.”
Gloria also reminisced about her beauty pageant days when only women between 18 and 23 years old were allowed to join. She said that during the competition, a 23-year-old contestant would be introduced as “the oldest candidate.”
“I guess also times have changed and things have evolved, which is good,” Gloria concluded.