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Bing Loyzaga is most comfortable talking about her hijas—her joy, her will, her strength.
A few minutes of talking to Bing Loyzaga would convince anyone that she gives off that standoffish vibe only because she is protecting her family—her daughters, especially. But she is far from being unfriendly. She’s kalog, talkative, and extremely warm, even using the word “loony” to describe herself. She’s also most comfortable talking about her hijas—her joy, her will, her strength. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Interviewed with KC M. Abalos. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Friend first “Well, I’d like to think that I’m a friend-mom,” Bing says. “I’d rather be a friend first than be a mom. I don’t want my kids kasi to be scared.” She jokes that her daughters, Alyssa and Gabby, are more of the mom than her, because she’s often reminded that she should behave! “Kasi magulo ako!” she fesses up. “[They’re like], ‘Mom, please, mom behave! Mom, don’t dress like that!’ Tapos ako yung, ‘Okay, okay!’” Although Bing’s children were raised to speak their minds, she imparts that the respect is always there. She encouraged this type of upbringing because she didn’t want her children to “cheat their feelings.” She says, “If they have anger within themselves against me or against whomever, I want them to express it. I don’t want them to grow up bringing that with them. So I encourage them to speak, to voice out—but properly, with respect. Dahil kung hindi, tataas din naman boses ko! Wait lang!” Ka-kontsaba Bing’s outlook when it comes to her daughters’ suitors is, “it will come.” “So tama na yung denial stage!” she says. “[Yung] ‘It will never happen to my baby.’ No—you’ll just have your baby when they’re born. And then they grow up! And after a while, you’re left alone again with your husband—if you’re still with your husband. If not, you’ll be alone. But eventually they’ll have their own lives. So I cannot deprive them from experiencing [things].” Although a self-confessed “konsintidora,” Bing still puts limits, especially with the visiting time in their house. “Kasi syempre, may school. Tapos kunwari walang school, they can stay in the house, watch DVDs sa sala, etc. Diyan kayo buong araw, [okay lang].” “I try to make it a point that they make me a part of their relationship,” Bing shares. “I like to sit down with them once in a while, just sit down and talk nonsense. Minsan nagkukuwento ako ng trabaho, [tapos] silang lahat, bored. Haha! As long as my daughters are happy.” I can burn! Bing’s hilarious reply when asked if she cooks is, “Ay, Diyos ko, I don’t. I can burn, [though]!” She adds with a grin, “I can also microwave. And I can call the phone for order. But I cannot cook!” How about Janno? “Napa-react tuloy ako!” she blurts out, faking a cough. Apparently, neither Janno nor Bing is domesticated! “Wala! I can do frying-frying lang. Sandwich ka na lang, at kailangan mo lang mabusog. Hindi kailangan ng gourmet whatever. That’s why there are restaurants for the gourmet stuff! Although I wish I could cook, but I’d rather not.” Bing reasons out, “Kasi nga, I’m so pawisin. Imagine mo, magfa-fry ako, hindi ko na kailangan ng oil, di ba? Yuck! Ako mismo, nagaganoon sa sarili ko, eh. Eeew! Parang ako napiprito! Haha!” Techie trio Alyssa, Gabby, and Bing do the typical mother-daughter bonding over shopping, but Bing says there’s something else that they like to do. “Nakahiga kami sa kama ko, nakahilera kaming tatlo [at] lahat kami may laptop! ‘Did you go to www.disney.com?’ Tapos nagdo-download kami ng mga Tinkerbell and whatever. And [we also watch] DVDs, of course.” She remembers watching Stardust with her children, and according to them, she’s one of the three witches! “Sinabi ko naman sa kanila, ako dapat yung maganda [Michelle Pfeiffer]! Since I always wear these big rings, they tell me to rub it. I liked Stardust because my kids enjoyed it, and they encouraged me to watch it.” Bing admits, however, that she’s not a TV person, and that she’d rather surf the Net. “I’m into computers talaga. I have [made myself the poster girl of] Victoria’s Secret!” she recalls, referring to her love for image editing. She has even helped out with Janno’s album covers, ticket designs, and posters. This self-taught artist says she can really spend 24 hours in front of the computer screen—and that her daughters do the same. “Kaya naman mga mata namin, pasama nang pasama! Alyssa’s wearing glasses na rin. I’m waiting for Gabby, para tatlo na kami!” Fashion talk Alyssa would usually tell Bing when she dresses up, “‘Ma, ano ba yan?!’ Sasabihin ko, ‘Hoy, hoy, hoy, ‘wag kang makialam!’ She bought me skinny jeans, [pero] I don’t like them, kasi feeling ko, ang liit-liit ng ankles ko, tapos ang laki-laki ng puwet ko! Sabi ko, mukha akong drumstick! Pero sabi niya, ‘No, Ma, you wear it!’ Eh naka-skinny jeans din siya. So happy na happy siya na na-influence niya ako to wear skinny jeans. Sabi ko na lang, in all fairness, pwede akong magsuot ng mahabang shirts. Para hindi na kita puwet ko!” Although Bing hears Alyssa out when it comes to fashion, she also has her own contribution to her eldest daughter’s sense of style: “I suggest a few things to her, [and] after a few months, she’ll realize, ‘Mom, tama ka. Yun pala yung uso.’” If Alyssa is more fashion-conscious, Gabby is more of the jeans-and-shirt kind of girl, like Bing. “Si Alyssa laging naka-heels. Sa school, siya lang yata naka-heels! ‘Ma, my feet hurt!’ Ako naman, ‘See? What the hell did you do?’ Kawawa naman! Pero she [got her height from her dad], eh. Ang daldal ko, no?” she says, laughing. Fears “I trust my daughters, but what I really fear are their surroundings. I just don’t want them to feel betrayed or hurt in any way because of the people around [them],” Bing imparts. This is probably the reason why she’d rather not have her daughters enter showbiz. “I think kami ni Janno, tama na,” she says. “Enough of the intrigues. Kawawa naman life ng dalawa kong supling. If they choose to be a singer or an actress later on, they’re old enough to decide on that na.” Her only request is for her daughters to finish their studies: “’Wag naman sila gumaya sa amin, di ba? That’s why Janno and I work. [It’s] for them. And they know that. So konsuwelo namin is they give back [with] the gusto of wanting to study, wanting to finish. That is the price we get.” ”They are stronger” Bing’s eyes become misty when she reveals the most important thing she learned from her daughters. “[It is] to not underestimate them especially in their capacity of whether they can do the task or not. Just because they’re children, it doesn’t mean they cannot handle it. Sometimes I think I am stronger than my daughters, but the truth of the matter is they give me the strength. So they are stronger than me.” More about Bing: The nicest mean girl A million deaths later Talk about Bing as Esperanza in the MariMar forum thread!