Many of our most popular celebrities started from the bottom and worked their way up to become household names in today's entertainment scene.
While their paths and careers may be different, most share one thing in common: larger-than-life mothers who helped hone their talents and guided them to become the successful artists they are today.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) gathers some of the most relevant parenting advice and practical tips on raising good, successful children from the country's most popular stage moms.
MOMMY LIGAYA ON THE SECRET TO RAISING GOOD CHILDREN
Ligaya Imutan, aka Mommy Ligaya, the mom of music geniuses Lea and Gerard Salonga, is known as the original "mommyger" in the entertainment scene.
In particular, Mommy Ligaya has been guiding Lea since the latter started acting at the tender age of seven. After forty years in the industry, Lea's achievements include becoming the first Asian woman to ever win the prestigious Tony and Olivier awards for her performance in Miss Saigon, starring in numerous successful West End and Broadway musicals, and supplying the singing voices of two Disney Princesses—Mulan and Jasmine.
Now 82, Mommy Ligaya has always been known as the driving force behind Lea's successful career.
In her interview with Philstar.com last October 2018, Mommy Ligaya said it takes an enormous amount of sacrifices to raise good children.
"I took care of them so well when they were so little. I only allowed them to go on their own with the driver when they were in high school.
"First, [parents] have to sacrifice for them. It’s a sacrifice talaga! You wake up in the morning, you take care of them until they sleep at night.
"[As a kid], Gerard will never go to the room in the school without me in the background. 'Where’s my mom?' He doesn’t know that I peeped into the window to check if the teacher was good or not."
For her part, Lea has said in previous interviews that she believes parents of other showbiz kids could learn from her mom if she does write a book on how to become a "mommyger."
Even so, Mommy Ligaya said she's far from being a stage mom to her children.
She explained in the same interview:
"If you’re a stage mom, you cannot produce like that. Mag-ko-collapse na iyan."
She continued, "I mean, [Lea] will be overworked. And I don’t accept a lot more than I can accept so that she’ll have time for her family, for herself. But she loves theater. There’s no way she won’t do it."
MOMMY DIVINE GERONIMO ON BEING STRICT
In her interview with Jo-Ann Maglipon in December 2010 for the March 2011 issue of YES! magazine, Sarah's mom Divine Geronimo, aka Mommy Divine, said she doesn't mind being called a "kontrabida" just as long as she's able to protect her daughter from the negative influence of the showbiz industry.
After all, Sarah has been in the industry for almost three decades, as she started performing on stages at the age of two. She may be one of the country's best-selling artists, hailed as Popstar Royalty with the record for the highest-grossing local concert, and also makes her name as a blockbuster actress, but all this doesn't stop Mommy Divine from worrying about her.
Mommy Divine said, "Hindi kami nagkulang sa pagsasalita. Lalo na ako, nagiging kontrabida ako. Okey lang! Sabi ko, ‘Okey lang iyon, kahit kontrabida ako.’
"Basta ang importante, hindi ako masisisi ng Diyos na pinabayaan ko iyong anak ko. Na, ‘Ikaw kasi, pinabayaan mo.’ At least, wala akong pagsisisihan in the end na nagkulang ako.
"Obligasyon ng mga magulang ang mga anak, e. Kung ano’t ano ang mangyayari diyan, mas una pang mamamatay ang ina kaysa sa anak.’"
MOMMY PINTY GONZAGA ON WHEN TO PAUSE AND TAKE A REST
Toni and Alex Gonzaga's mom, Pinty Gonzaga—aka Mommy Pinty—also plays an important role not only in her daughters' personal lives but also in their showbiz careers.
Like any parent, she gets worried every time her daughters overwork themselves. It actually came to a point when Mommy Pinty personally requested producers and network executives to limit her daughters' screen time so that they can rest.
In an interview with PEP.ph in June 2011, she recalled, "Nag-text na ako sa EP [executive producer] ng Juicy na si Omar Sortijas. Sabi ko, hindi na muna papasok si Alex dahil medyo nabugbog sa taping."
Juicy is the now-defunct showbiz program Alex hosted with IC Mendoza back when she was an exclusive star of TV5. At the time, she was also starring in the drama series Babaeng Hampaslupa.
She continued, "Aba, nalaman ko na umalis na pala at nagpunta sa taping niya! Naku, nag-text pa ako sa EP, 'tapos susulpot naman pala yung batang iyan! Nahiya naman ako.
"Ang sa akin kasi, puwede namang huwag pasukan yung isa pag medyo napagod ka sa taping mo."
"E, gusto siguro niyang mag-show, baka nami-miss niya yung ginagawa niya kaya ayun, pumasok din kahit nagpasabi na ako."
Mommy Pinty also did the same thing to Toni, when she told ABS-CBN executive Linggit Tan that her eldest daughter will be appearing on ASAP Rocks twice a month.
At the time, Toni was working almost seven days a week. She would go straight to The Buzz after hosting ASAP Rocks. She also appeared daily on the now-defunct noontime show Happy Yipee Yehey! as one of its main hosts. All these she did while making her film romantic comedy film Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi with Eugene Domingo.
Mommy Pinty told PEP.ph, "Kinausap ko si Linggit Tan. Sabi ko, 'Linggit, dalawang beses na lang sa isang buwan lalabas si Toni kasi wala na siyang pahinga.'
"Umokey maman si Linggit kasi sinabi na rin pala niya [Toni] kay Linggit na gusto rin niyang magpahinga.
"Actually, after ASAP, hindi siya nakakapagpahinga dahil diretso siya ng The Buzz. Everyday meron siyang Happy, Yipee, Yehey!
"Hindi siya nakakauwi ng bahay after the show kasi dumidiretso na siya sa shooting ng movie nila ni Uge [Eugene].
"Nami-miss na nga raw niya yung tulog niya na hanggang 11 a.m. or 12 noon. Ngayong may noontime show siya, ang gising niya 8 a.m. na.
"And sa August, magsisimula na siya ng bagong season ng PBB [Pinoy Big Brother], kaya wala siyang pahinga."
MOMMY MIN BERNARDO ON HANDLING BASHERS
Kathryn Bernardo, who entered showbiz at the age of seven, is now an award-winning actress and a "Box Office Queen" who starred in the top two highest-grossing Filipino films of all time: Hello, Love, Goodbye and The Hows of Us, both by Star Cinema.
But this doesn't mean she is safe from bashers, especially with the rise of social media.
Min Bernardo, mom of Kathryn Bernardo, once told her daughter to stay away from the negativity brought by Internet trolls.
In an interview with PEP.ph in June 2016, Mommy Min said, "Huwag na lang basahin ni Kath. Ako na lang, ako na lang ang babasa.
"Dapat alam ko din kung ano yung ibina-bash nila, which is lahat naman, kapag pinatulan natin, walang mangyayari, hahaba lang.
"Kaya kami, and also Karla [Estrada], hindi kami pumapatol ngayon. Wala kaming sinasabi, magsawa sila."
Mommy Min admitted that she does get hurt reading these comments but she's ready to take the bullet for her daughter.
She told the press:
"Of course naman. Ikaw nga yung anak mo i-bash ng kung anu-ano, di ba, sino bang matutuwa?"
MOMSHIE KARLA ESTRADA ON HANDLING MONEY
In her November 2014 interview with PEP.ph, Karla Estrada, mom of Daniel Padilla, emphasized the importance of guiding your children on how to handle finances.
She told the press, "Plantsado naman ang lahat, pero hindi pare-pareho, kasi hindi naman fixed ang kita. Bukas naman sa kanya, kung saan napupunta.
"Hindi naman ako materyoso, hindi naman ako sugarol, wala naman kaming bisyong dalawa. Ang bisyo namin ay mag-travel lang talaga."
The celebrity mom of four continued, "Si DJ [Daniel], hindi iyan humihingi ng pera.
"Hindi siya yung, 'Ma, pahingi ng pera.’ Hindi siya ganun.
"Bigla ka na lang pakikitaan ng car sa phone, 'tapos sasabihin ko, 'Lumayu-layo ka diyan, kung anu-ano na naman ang ginu-Google mo.'
"Mahilig lang siya sa sasakyan, yun lang, tipikal sa lalaki."
Karla added that she does let her son enjoy his earnings but makes sure that he doesn't go overboard with his spending.
Karla told PEP.ph, "Hindi naman ako ganun sa anak ko. Kung, halimbawa, may show iyan abroad, binibigyan ko iyan ng sarili niyang pera. Hindi mo kailangang pigilan kasi pinaghirapan niya yun, e.
"Andun ka lang para isaayos ang lahat, at saway-sawayin siya kapag nag-o-over. At saka, wala talaga siyang ibang gusto, sasakyan lang."
ANNABELLE RAMA ON FINDING LOVE
Annabelle Rama is known to be the biggest critic of her daughter Ruffa Gutierrez's love life.
At the launch of her book 'Day Hard! Lakas Ng Loob, Kapal Ng Mukha in December 2015, the press asked Annabelle to give her daughter an advice regarding love.
She said, "Actually, lahat iyan, nabilin ko sa kanya lahat iyan, e. Hindi naman niya sinusunod, e. Ang tigas ng ulo niyan, e, kaya nakakarma siya. Kaya naghiwalay sila, kasi hindi siya sumusunod sa akin.
"Kung sinusunod mo ang nanay mo, Ruffa, maging maganda ang buhay mo at sa love life mo. Until now, wala pa rin siyang matinong love life kasi hindi siya gumagaya sa akin."
"Kaya sabi ko sa kanya, 'Basahin mo libro ko, Ruffa, maganda iyan.' Sabi ko, 'Lalo sa gabi, kapag wala kang ginagawa. Sa umaga, punta ka ng banyo, basahin mo iyan.' Para ma-absorb talaga niya."
In 2015, Annabelle's disapproval of Ruffa's French-Israeli boyfriend Jordan Mouyal made headlines. Despite that, Ruffa and Jordan's relationship continues to flourish to this day.
MOMMY CAROL SANTOS ON LETTING GO GRACEFULLY
In April 2009, after the wedding of Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo, the former's mom, Carol Santos, admitted in an interview with ABS-CBN that seeing her precious little girl step into womanhood was a challenge.
But she also acknowledged that stepping back for your daughter's happiness is something parents must do sooner or later.
Mommy Carol then said:
"I don't want it to be too showbiz where you marry today and separate tomorrow."
"It took [Juday] so long to really find somebody na magugustuhan niya.
"Deserved naman niya maging happy. For the longest time, walang ginawa iyan kundi [magtrabaho para] sa aming family… So, ngayon sabi ko nga sa kanya start your own family. Dapat forever silang magsama."
