Ruffa: The mom in her shines through

Ruffa with Lorin and Venice Photo courtesy of Monet Lu

Ruffa Gutierrez definitely knows what showbiz life is all about. Growing up in a family of celebrities and starting in showbiz at an early age, gave her firsthand experience of what it’s like. The success, fame, trials, lessons and intrigues of show business made her who she is– a confident, strong-willed woman.

But despite the glitz and glamor of showbusiness, Ruffa, as a single mom, wishes differently for her two daughters, Lorin, 6 and Venice, 5. "Actually, ayaw ko talaga silang mag-artista. Gusto ko talaga makatapos sila ng pag-aaral. Ireally want them to study and to finish in an Ivy League University, makatapos ng Master’s Degree. You know, everything na hindi ko nagawa," the actress said in an interview with PEP. Her two daughters are both adorable and possess the charm and wit of their mother.

Among the two, it is Lorin who’s more interested in showbiz. She constantly prods her mom to appear on ABS-CBN’s kiddie show, Goin’ Bulilit. "Parang one month kong naririnig yang Goin Bulilit. When Isaw her report card naman, all her grades were excellent, same as Venice. So gusto ko naman pagbigyan ang bata sa gusto niya so that she’ll work harder to maintain her grades. Syempre Grade 1 lang naman sya. For fun lang naman. Kung nageenjoy naman sya, walang problema."

And so the kids made an appearance in Goin’ Bulilit on its Chinese New Year episode and received positive feedback from viewers. Because of this, they were invited once again to guest on the show. "It’s actually good kasi marami silang nakikilala. They’re exposed. They mingle with other kids who are also artists. It’s a great chance for them to meet a lot of people," the actress said.According to Ruffa, she tries hard not to be a stage mom to her daughters, though at times during shoots, she couldn’t help it. "

Iremember visiting once, right away bigla kong sinabi, ‘Venice, don’t do that!’ Ican’t help it e. Ako na ang nagiging director. Parang Idid that for two minutes and then nahiya na ako. Ayaw kong maging stage mommy. So Iwent back to the dressing room. Dapat hinahayaan ko na lang sila," Ruffa said.

The celebrity mom allows her daughters to participate in shows, commercial shoots and pictorials once in a while to have fun and to develop their interpersonal skills. As long as they focus on their studies and maintain good grades, Ruffa does not mind giving them their share of the limelight.

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published February 8, 2010 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. B1 )

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