Super Mom!

With only one day of the week to herself, Carmina Villaroel still manages to spend quality time with her family and volunteer for charity work. She tells iGMA more about her life beyond the limelight. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Her adorable duo “Ang laki na nila!” Carmina exclaims, referring to her seven-year old fraternal twins with Zoren Legaspi, Maverick and Maria Cassandra, who are now in second grade. You’d think that children of celebrity parents could get everything they want, but Carmina says that’s not the case with her twins. “Hindi ako spoiler,” she stresses. “Si Zoren din, hindi spoiler. Nasa gitna lang. Kaya if you see my kids, hindi yung pag pumunta sa toy store, nagwawala. Hindi! Kasi the first time they did that, ay, pinabayaan ko talaga sila! Kasi mapapagod din sila! Ngayon alam na nila when to buy, alam na nila kung kailan din hindi.” Carmina shares that she leads a pretty normal life with Zoren and the kids, filled with watching DVDs, doing artwork and helping out with Cassandra and Maverick’s homework! “Kami din ni Zoren tutor nila sa school—paggawa ng assignments, pag may test, kami [tumutulong] sa kanila.” She adds, “Typical na pag Sundays, pupunta kami sa mall, kain sa labas, window shopping, tapos pag dine-deserve naman [ng twins] magkaroon ng prize, may toy sila.” The actress and host describes a typical week for her: “Every day I work except for Sundays. Pero minsan nakukuha pa Sundays ko. Pag Monday, I tape for Codename: Asero, Tuesday, Day Off (QTV-11), Wednesday, live ng SIS, dalawang taping. Thursday, live ng SIS, isang taping. Friday, Asero. Saturday, pag may mga extra something—pictorial, commercial, doon ko pinapasok. Tapos minsan pag walang-wala na talaga, pati Sunday, kinukuha nila. Pero kung pwede, pag Sunday talaga I don’t work ‘cos that’s my only rest day.” With a crazy schedule like that, how does she bond with the kids? “Basta ganito, working mom, kasi e. pinaka-bonding namin, I wake up at 6:00 a.m., ginigising ko sila, so whether may work or walang work, yun na yung routine ko. I take them to school, tapos kung may time din, sinusundo ko sila. Kasi paminsan kahit gusto ko bigyan ng quantity time, I cannot, e, so quality time na lang.” Her other ‘kids’ During Carmina’s birthday celebration on SIS, she mentioned that she recently joined the Philippine Society for Orphan Disorder, or PSOD. “It’s for kids who have rare diseases,” explains Carmina. “Kasi marami yan, e. Maraming branches. So yung isa doon yung Pompe (pronounced as ‘Pompeii’) disease, mayroon pang Maple Syrup [Urine Syndrome]. Mostly for kids talaga.” “Orphan diseases” are called such because these are the illnesses not “adopted” by government and health institutions for research purposes and treatment development. In simple words, the disorders are too rare to warrant enough attention. Carmina explains, “[Sa] Pompe Disease, kulang siya sa enzymes so ang nagsu-suffer yung mga motor skills. Pati yung lungs. Since it’s rare, yung awareness ng mga tao, hindi nila alam na mayroon palang ganoong klaseng sakit. E ang mahal ng mga medications, mga treatments. Let’s say, yung friend ko nga who has Pompe Disease, yung treatment niya nangagaling pa sa ibang bansa tapos dinadalala lang dito. So yung yung gusto kong tulungan.” PSOD was started by Cynthia Magdaraog, whose son Dickoy was born with Pompe Disease. This son is the “friend” that Carmina is talking about. “We chat every day—as in every single day! As in super close na kami! Yun, so the more na parang gusto kong tumulong sa kanila.” According to Carmina, Mrs. Magdaraog and Dickoy met up with her on one SIS taping, and when she was asked to help raise awareness for the organization’s thrusts, she didn’t think twice. “Gusto nilang i-full blast na yung awareness ng mga tao. So they were looking for an artista as their spokesperson. Sabi ko, ay, gusto ko yan, wala nang bayad! So sobrang happy sila, kasi gusto nila with posters and everything. Sabi ko sobrang willing ako to do it for free. So na-touch sila. Sabi ko imbis na ibabayad niyo sa akin, gamitin niyo na lang for posters, leaflets, whatever.” Now that you know more about Carmina beyond the limelight, try to catch her shows on SIS, Day Off (QTV-11), and Codename: Asero! *** References: http://thepinoy.net/features/dickoy-magdaraog-a-profile-of-hope/ http://www.psod.org.ph/