Zia Dantes (left and below) with her mom Marian Rivera
At just 3 years old, Zia Dantes, daughter of show biz couple Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, already seems quite comfortable being in front of big crowds.
“Thank you, everyone. I will miss you!” the toddler told the press at her and Marian’s recent launch as the brand endorsers of Nido Advanced Protectus 3+ preschool milk. After the TVC was shown on the screens, Zia requested—adorably so—for a replay of the video.
And when her godmother actress Bettina Carlos, the event’s host, asked Zia if she’s now ready to be a “big sister,” Zia replied with a quick and enthusiastic, “Yes!”
Having seen Zia so bubbly and at ease around people, entertainment reporters couldn’t help but tell Marian that her daughter looks like a celebrity in the making. “I once brought Zia to the set of ‘Sunday Pinasaya,’ and she told me she wanted to see herself on television,” Marian related.
But would she allow her kid to enter show biz in the future?
“We’re fine with whatever she wants to do in life. But she has to finish her studies first. I myself got into acting after college,” pointed out the 34-year-old GMA 7 star, adding that she has been trying to give her daughter an idea about what her and Dingdong’s job is all about.
“Sometimes, she would see me crying or her dad doing fight scenes on television,” Marian said. “But she’s now aware that it’s just part of our job.”
“Before we shot our commercial, I told her that what we were about to do was work. She then asked me, ‘If we work, do I get money? I will buy you shoes!’” added the actress, who keeps Zia’s earnings in the kid’s personal account. “It’s all for her; she will get that once she turns 18.”
While she doesn’t mind Zia appearing in video blogs for the family’s YouTube channel, Marian has reservations about creating an Instagram page for her daughter.
“Maybe when she grows up … that’s up to her,” she said. “It’s not about the bashers—I don’t care about them. And I’m not the type who posts what I eat or what I do every day. I only post the important moments.”
Zia Dantes
She wouldn’t tell when she’s expected to give birth to her second baby—a boy who’s likely to be named after his father. But she’s ready, she said. “I have been going over all the extra stuff and gifts Zia got that she wasn’t able to use—cribs, car seats, etc. Makakatipid ako this time.”
“This baby’s heavier, makulit in my tummy. What more when he comes out?” Marian added. “We recently had a 4D scan of the baby, and he looks like his father. The jaw is unmistakable.”
Marian still appears in “Sunday Pinasaya” and is now taping advance episodes of the drama show “Tadhana,” which she hosts. “But I will take a break when my due month comes. How long I’m going to be away will depend on lots of things, like the kind of delivery I end up having—I hope it’s normal,” said Marian, who remains grateful that her mother network is understanding of the fact that having a big family has always been one of her dreams.
While she loves acting, Marian doesn’t regret prioritizing family life over work. “The joy you get in exchange is priceless. As you can see, Zia and I are very close; she’s very malambing,” she said. “Motherhood requires you to juggle your career, your children and your husband. You have to be committed.”