Nasa edad na si Romnick Sarmenta na nagpa-father role sa TV at pelikula.
Sa tunay na buhay ay mayroon siyang anim na anak: lima sa kanyang dating asawa na si Harlene Bautista at isa sa kanyang current partner na si Barbara Ruaro.
Sa Hunyo 18, 2023 ay ipagdiriwang ang Father’s Day. Paano niya ilalarawan ang sarili bilang ama sa anim niyang mga anak?
“I really don’t know. Ahhmm, I don’t think I am going to be able to describe myself as a father,” lahad ni Romnick sa mediacon ng teleseryeng Unbreak My Heart nitong Mayo 25, Huwebes, sa Vertis North Seda Hotel, Quezon City.
“I think my kids would be best to answer that. I’d like to think na I am strict, at the same considerate. I like to think na I’m open-minded as a father.
“Pero alam mo, ang pagiging tatay kasi, I guess, ngayon ko lang din na-realize, no, a few years ago na parang… it’s something na you can claim in title, but you really can’t claim in function.
“Kailangan mo siyang matutunan along the way with your kids. Kailangan mo siyang matutunan every day.”
ROMNICK'S SIX CHILDREN
Nasa piling ni Harlene ang lima nilang mga anak na sina Abijah, Zeke, Bohdana, Nirel, at Uela. Ano ang arrangement nila para makasama niya ang mga ito?
Read: Bo Bautista reveals family set-up after separation of parents Romnick Sarmenta, Harlene Bautista
“I get to borrow the kids. Ahhh… she gets to decide on a lot of things,” pag-amin ng premyadong aktor.
“And I think normal yun, di ba? Kahit naman magkasama kayo sa bahay, madalas yung nanay ang nagdedesisyon sa maraming bagay.
“So, OK lang. Basta yung sa akin lang, what’s important with me, is that I get to spend time with the kids, you know, and that they get to spend time with me and their sibling.”
Ang pinakabatang anak ni Romnick ay si Raza. Ang ina nito ay ang kanyang current companion na si Barbara Ruaro.
Read: Romnick Sarmenta, Barbara Ruaro welcome baby
Paano niya ipinapakita o ipinaparamdam ang pagmamahal sa kanyang mga anak?
Mabilis na tugon ni Romnick, “Iba-iba, e. Iba-iba, you know they’re different. There are times they’re going to need something and I hope I have the capacity to provide, you know.
“There are times that you just need time. There are times that you just need to spend… a few minutes with you on the phone. Just an exchange of words.
“So iba-iba, e. It depends on the love language of the child, and it depends kung ano yung kailangan nila at that moment.
“Ahh I try to be there. It’s not always perfect, minsan may trabaho, minsan may iba akong ginagawa, minsan nagtuturo ako. Minsan I’m just indisposed.”
Nagtuturo si Romnick mula noong 2019 sa Trinity University of Asia. Nagtuturo siya ng subjects across Broadcasting Industry, Emerging Media, at Communication.
Paki-expound iyong pag-asam niyang may kakayahan sana siya na maibigay ang lahat ng pangangailangan ng mga anak niya…
Pagtatapat ni Romnick, “Hindi palagi, e, di ba? You don’t always have the capacity to provide for everything that they need.
“And you know… for a father, that’s difficult, you know. If your child suddenly says, ‘Gusto kong mag-aral sa abroad.’
“Do I have the capacity at this moment na sinabi niyang gusto niyang gawin yun? Baka hindi. And that makes me feel bad.
“Because that’s my limitation. Pero I don’t shy away from it and I will support it if I can, di ba?”
SEPARATE LIVES
Pareho nang masaya sina Romnick at Harlene sa kani-kaniyang buhay.
“I believe so. I mean, if I may say his name, no, Fred is an amazing guy, you know,” sambit ni Romnick.
Ang "Fred" na tinutukoy niya ay ang kasalukuyang boyfriend ni Harlene na si Federico Moreno, ang nag-iisang anak ni German “Kuya Germs” Moreno.
Magkakakilala sila noong mga bagets pa sila at kasagsagan ng TV program na That’s Entertainment.
Read: Harlene Bautista, one month na ang relasyon sa anak ni Kuya Germs na si Federico Moreno
Pagpapatuloy ni Romnick, “I have respects for Fred Moreno. I’ve known him for awhile. Anak ni Kuya Germs iyan, e! Si Kuya Germs, parang tatay namin! So imposibleng hindi ko siya kilala.
“You know, he’s really a very decent, very nice guy. Even my daughters keep saying how nice he is with them.
“So, I can only be grateful for that.”
UNBREAK MY HEART
Ano ang dating sa kanya ng titulong Unbreak My Heart?
“Naisip ko agad si Toni Braxton, e,” napangiting sambit ni Romnick.
Sa kanyang karanasan, how do you unbreak a broken heart?
“You don’t. You don’t. I’m being philosophical about it. You can’t unbreak something that is broken,” pananalig ni Romnick.
“What you can do is build up one. You can heal, you can move forward, you can do something with it.
“Ahh what comes to mind automatically is kintsugi, the mending of broken pots with gold, di ba?
“That’s always been a spiritual thing to me. Na parang… when you see something that is broken, most people ang reaction nila, itapon.
“But the Japanese see beauty in it and they decide, ‘I will make this more functional and more beautiful by including gold.’
“So, iniisip ko palagi, what if God sees you that way? And He decides, no matter how you don’t understand this, or how complex it is for you, di ba?
“‘I can build you up if you allow me and you will be more useful and more beautiful afterwards,’ and I want to put my faith on that.
“I want to believe that God has that for everyone.
“So you don’t unbreak, you allow yourself to be built up again by your experiences, and hopefully that you learn something from it, and that you move forward, looking at life in a better way.”