Where are we going? Hello, welcome to my home. Hello! Hi, Dong. He accompanied me. You even have an escort. Let’s go! [Music] Marian Rivera, you are a superstar. Super wife. Super mom. People call you a superwoman. You have it all. Hmm… Now that you’re telling me this, I’m starting to think about it, and it’s sinking in.
But I believe all of this is grace from Him. I don’t want to think, “Oh, I’m a superwoman like this, like that…” Not really. I feel like everything comes from Him, and I’m just happy that I’m able to fulfill my roles… In different aspects. Did you ever think you would reach this point? Maybe my becoming a mother, yes.
Because I’ve always dreamed of becoming a mom. When I was young, I guess my upbringing wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t like how most people imagine a typical family or childhood to be. For me, growing up, I had only one dream— I wanted to become a mother And when I became a mother, I told myself I’d give 100% of everything I could.
-Wait, that was really your dream? -Yes, that was really it. -To become a mother. -And to be a teacher! Those were the only two things I wanted. Really? You were two years old when your parents separated, is that right? Yeah, separated, yes. What happened after? After that, they agreed to part ways… they got divorced.
Maybe they just couldn’t make it work. Maybe their worlds weren’t meant to be together. So they decided that my “nanay” would take care of me. My grandmother. My mom, at that time, was a very hardworking woman. She would always tell me, every time she came home, “I’m doing all of this for you.” “I want to give you a good future.
” Not everyone is privileged enough to work here and find a good job. So when she saw an opportunity, she went abroad to support my studies and to give me all that I wanted. How difficult was it not having your parents around? Of course, for any child, it’s hard. There were school activities where my parents weren’t there, and I would see my classmates with their complete families.
I would think, that this isn’t what I wanted. But my grandmother would always make me realize that this was our reality and that I needed to understand. There’s one thing she always told me that I never forgot: She said, “My child, never hold resentment toward your parents because you will never be successful if you carry that mindset in life.
” But you never held any resentment? No. Even with your dad? None. Maybe because my grandmother raised me with that perception, that I needed to understand. That not everything works out the way you want to. There are things that happen unexpectedly, but in the long run, everything turns out for the best. But your dad had another family.
Yes. And I’m close to them. How did that happen? Everyone was very open. Even my mom was open about it… Even my dad was open. I would go there, stay there… It was the same with my mom. That was just the setup. I realized it was a blessing that I had two mothers— Because my grandmother raised me before, and now that my mom is here, she takes care of me.
And she even takes care of my kids now. Growing up, my mom would come home every year. So every year, we would see each other. She would stay for three or four months, then leave again. At first, I had many questions. But because my grandmother helped me understand everything, I grew up without any anger toward my parents.
Maybe I felt a little resentment or envy sometimes. Like when I would join school activities, like United Nations or contests, and I would see other parents so supportive of their children. And I’d wonder, “Why is it different for me?” But my grandmother would always say, “I’m here for you.
I understand you…” She was my biggest cheerleader. She would clap and say, “Go, my child!” That’s how much she supported me. And at night, she would always ask, “How are you, my child? How are you feeling?” Whether I won or lost, I would sometimes say, “Nanay, sometimes I feel like something is missing…” She would then explain that my mom, my dad, my father… So I grew up understanding our situation.
There were times, especially in high school, like during graduations, I question how other kids walk with their mother and father by their sides. But I’m with my grandmother. But I would see in her eyes the question “Am I not enough for you?” I could see that in her. And for me, even if I felt incomplete, I felt complete because of her.
You’re so strong. You never had a phase where you asked, “Why doesn’t my father love me?” Never. Because they never forgot to call me or send letters. I even remember my mom recording cassette tapes for me. She would even sing for me. Every time I needed something—sometimes a letter, sometimes a recording—I would listen to the cassette.
She would just sing and say, “This is my favorite song right now.” It was like our diary. This is where I grew up. Wow, so many posters. I even removed some! I was like, “What is this, my own museum?” Your house in Cavite is like a museum now. Your grandmother put up all your photos. Yes, from my early career. Everytime I had a role.
Actually even when I was in APT, she has the poster and everything, I wasn’t even the lead then I think. All of that my grandmother collected. Even my movie premiere tickets, she kept everything in an album. It’s funny because if you visit Cavite, you’ll see all these photo albums. Nowadays, we have cell phones and the internet, But for her, everything is kept in albums.
There’s even a label: “Premiere night of so and so…” And all of it is in there. All my posters are stuck on the wall. I would even tell her, “Nanay, should we take them down?” She said, “No one is taking those down.” So now it really looks like a museum—just full of my pictures. That’s love. She even cleans them herself. She won’t let anyone else do it.
That’s proof of her love, but not in a spoiled way. Yes, because she wanted me to learn things on my own. Since I was young, I had to wash my own underwear. She trained me that way. She’ll cook and I prepare all the ingredients we need. I learned how to cook because of my grandmother. She would cook, and I would prepare the ingredients.
When I grew older she would say you prepare the ingredients and cook. I’ll watch you. That’s how I was raised, which is why I learned a lot. Did your childhood affect how you became a mother and wife? Super. Super. Because the things I experienced, I don’t want my children to go through. For example, as much as possible, I want to be there for all their school activities.
Every day, I’m the one who bathes them and takes them to school— because I never experienced that. Sometimes, my husband gets mad, He says, “Love, you just came from work, you’re tired, you need rest.” I tell him, “I can sleep anytime, but the moment I take my kids to school, I can never rewind that.” So every day, I do the same.
Actually, just today I took them to school, went home, threw on some make up, and came here. Wow. And later, I’ll pick them up again. That makes you happy. Yes. Thhis is my dream— to have a complete family, a husband, children. And to serve them. What about being a wife? I’m submissive. Are you submissive? Yes. How? In what way? I’m the type who… And not just in sex, okay? That’s just a bonus.
Dad! Are you a submissive wife? Yes, because I really want to serve Dong. And I really want him to feel that I can give up everything for my family. As long as they are my priority. So, is the movie Rewind accurate? – But Dong isn’t like that. – He’s not like that. But you are? Yes, especially when it comes to my kids.
I adjust all my schedules just to be with them. Family is the priority. Not career. GMA knows that. – GMA knows that. – Really? Because whenever I get pregnant, I take a four-year break. I don’t appear on TV. When my child is older and I feel it’s okay, that’s when I go back to work. But for Zia, I was out for four straight years.
I took a break for Sixto four years. Weren’t you scared? That’s not what I was thinking about. What I really thought about was my dream. To take care of my child, to feed them, to serve my family—that’s really my drem. Maybe it’s true—everything is a blessing from Him. No matter what you do, even if you take a break, if the Lord wants to give you something, He will give it to you.
I didn’t even know I’d become an actress. Well, my mom once said to me, “It looks like you’re going to become an actress, but you’re too transparent, you can’t be like that if you’re going to become an actress.” “You need to shield yourself.” I said “Huh? Is that really not allowed?” You can’t be frank. I’m direct to the point.
If you’re talking to me, I’ll answer any question frankly. I told her, “I don’t know, Mom. Maybe this is where fate brought me. Maybe this is my destiny.” And then, true enough, maybe because my dream was to have a complete family, the Lord gave me Dong. And here I am now. Now, I admire you for becoming a SPED teacher.
