Al Tantay says his children's happiness comes first
Published On: June 15, 2015, 07:22 PM
Updated On: February 18, 2020, 10:26 PM
By MICHELLE CALIGAN
Unlike his character Oscar Tanchingco in The Rich Man' Daughter, Al Tantay puts his children's happiness above everything else.
"Sa akin kasi, siyempre gusto ko masaya sila. 'Yun 'yung number one na gusto ko para sa mga anak ko," he tells GMANetwork.com.
To prove his point, he shared a conversation he had with his youngest child who graduated with a Music degree and was unsure of his future.
"Nagtanong siya sa akin, 'Ano ang magiging trabaho ko after?'
Sabi ko, 'Kapag nag-excel ka naman diyan sa field mo, siguradong may maganda kang gagawin. Kung natapos ka nga ng law pero wala ka namang kliyente, eh 'di wala rin, 'di ba?' Kailangan talaga mag-excel ka doon sa field mo at sabi ko sa kanya."
"'Ano ba ang hinahanap mo? Gusto mo bang yumaman? Gusto mo ng pera? Bakit?'"
"Sabi niya, 'Para maging masaya.' 'Masaya ka ba sa ginagawa mo, tumutugtog ka?' Oo daw. 'Eh hindi mo na kailangan ang pera.'"
When asked what he would do if one of his children would one day confess that they are gay, the veteran actor-director says he would not be like what Oscar is to Jade.
"Kaya kong intindihin 'yun eh, if ever. Kaya kong tanggapin. May mga pamangkin akong lesbian, anim sila. Pero ako, so far wala pa namang ganun, although wala pang nag-aasawa sa mga anak ko hanggang ngayon. 'Yung eldest ko is 34, 32, 30. Ang youngest ko is 20."
He adds, "Kung mayroon man sa family ko na lumabas na ganun, eh kung masaya siya? Actually 'yun ang hinahanap ng tao, at gusto ko 'yun, na masaya sila. Kung doon sila masaya, paano gagawin ko, kokontrahin ko? Kapag kinontra ko, wala na 'yun. The Rich Man's Daughter na ang [kwento] nun."