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“I am back!”

Aside from the excitement, Dina Bonnevie also felt emotional when she declared this on the first episode of her online talk show titled House of D.

In this program, she will be joined by her children, Danica and Oyo Sotto; and their spouses, Marc Pingris and Kristine Hermosa, respectively. It will premiere on July 11 on YouTube.

In a pocket interview with entertainment media, including GMANetwork.com, on Tuesday, July 8, Dina related that this has always been her late husband Deogracias “DV” Savellano's longtime dream for her.

She said, “I hope and pray that my husband, kahit wala na siya, kung nakikita pa ako--if it's true that people still see people here, although some people say na hindi na raw--ikatutuwa niya ito kasi ito yung dream niya na gawin ko. Ayaw na niya akong mag-soap. He wanted me to do this.

“Sabi niya, 'Do this because you're good at this and you've blessed so many people. And kaya ka naging Ms. D is because of your show. Wala nang tumatawag sa 'yo ng Dina. People call you Ms. D. Tumatak na 'yan sa 'yo. That's what's God ordained you to be. Do this.'

“So, noong ni-reflect ko ang buhay ng asawa ko, ang dami niyang nagawa, ang dami niyang natulungan. I'd like to do it, too, but in my own way.”

Dina also mentioned that doing this talk show is one of her ways to cope with the loss of her beloved husband.

She explained, “More or less, siguro na-exhale ko na lahat ng grief ko. Parang for a time, I was really… iyak ako nang iyak. Parang I kept asking God, 'Bakit?' Marami pa sanang magagawa ang asawa ko. I never considered him as a politician but as a public servant, and a good public servant at that.

“Parang nagtampo ako kay God kung bakit Niya kinuha agad, e, marami pa siyang magagawa. 'Bakit siya, marami namang walang silbi, sana sila na lang ang kinuha Mo.' Well, you can never question naman God's wisdom. God's wisdom is supreme and above all.

“So, tinanggap ko, nag-grieve ako, I gave myself time to grieve. And then, I said, it's about time to pick up the pieces and do something. Sabi ko, yun ang dream ko, na makabalik sa talk show kasi it's close to my heart.”

Since this is a talk show, Dina was asked if there's an episode where she and her kids would talk about her husband's passing and grief.

The Abot-Kamay na Pangarap actress replied, “Siguro meron, but I'll be honest. Umiiyak ako nung first episode. Sabi ko, 'I'm back,' 'tapos, umiiyak ako. Ayan, umiiyak na naman ako… Kasi, yung pagkasabi ng 'I'm back,' siya yung naaalala ko. Okay, I've grieved and now I'm back and I'm doing what you wanted me to do. I guess, this is what God wanted me to do. Parang this is for my kids and for my and for him. I believe that God chose this for me.”

She added, “Sa first episode, sinabi ko, 'I'm sure alam n'yo naman kung ano ang nangyari sa akin. Recently, I was widowed.' Then, I changed the topic agad kasi hindi ko pa kaya, naiiyak ako.

“Maybe in the future, we'd like to tackle a topic about grief. But at a time na kaya kong hindi umiiyak. Yung parang discussing it as a matter of fact. Ayaw ko yung humahagulgol ako. In time, we will discuss it.”

Legacy for her children

House of D is not just Dina's coping mechanism; it's also the start of a new venture with her kids. Its production will be under their new media company, The Good Life Media Inc., with Danica and Oyo as her co-investors.

“Ang bilis pumayag ng mga bata. The kids were willing to invest. Sabi nila, 'Ayaw namin na ikaw lang maglalabas lahat ng pera, Mommy. We want to be producers para marunong din kami.' And I'm happy because 'yung purpose ko naman for the show is to help my children become entrepreneurs, become more responsible as far as business matters are concerned, become more aware about the people around them and how they're serving other people.”

She also stressed, “Parang sabi ko, ang dream ko is when I'm gone, I want to see them continue this para yun na ang legacy ko sa kanila. Meron na kayong The Good Life media group, you continue doing this, and that's what mama left behind for you. You will continue to inspire people and bless people.”

Through House of D, the seasoned actress also hopes to show the importance of family, “Sa saya, sa hirap, sa lungkot, sa pag-ibig, nandiyan ang pamilya. There were times na naging malungkot din 'yung mga anak ko because of my wrong decisions. There were times na nadamay 'yung mga anak ko dahil sa mga mali kong desisyon sa buhay. But through thick and thin, through hell or high water, they never left me. They were always there to stand by me, never judged me, never disrespected me.”

Related gallery: Dina Bonnevie and Danica Sotto-Pingris's mom-daughter relationship in
photos