Sunshine with her daughters
Sunshine Cruz has given her go signal for her three daughters, who all plan to pursue careers in show business, to use the surname “Cruz” and not “Montano” for their screen names.
Sunshine made this announcement when she, as well as Angelina, Samantha and Chesca—her daughters with actor Cesar Montano—recently signed an endorsement deal with the cosmetic and toiletry brand Em-Core Dotnet.
When asked to explain why she allowed the use of screen names, Sunshine said it was her talent manager, Arnold Vegafria, who suggested it.
“The Cruzes, the family I belong to, are known for being singers and performers. Since the girls plan to pursue careers in music rather than in acting, it’s better that they use Cruz,” Shine told reporters during the launch of the food supplement 24-Alkaline C and the organic soap Savoune, which they all endorse.
The girls agreed: “We trust our mom and manager,” said Angelina, who is now a recording artist of Universal Records. She also recently inked a deal with Star Cinema, a film production unit of ABS-CBN. “It’s just for work. It’s common in the business to have a screen name, anyway, and since the Cruzes are all musically inclined, we thought it’s perfect for us.”
Chesca added: “We still have Montano as our real name. It will not be legally changed. It’s just that we all want to take a more musical path.”
From Cesar’s original surname, Manhillot, theirs had been legally changed to Montano a few years back. Samantha said that to change it to Cruz now, “would just disrespect our father. There’s no point to it.”
“I will definitely change mine,” declared Sunshine, whose marriage to Cesar was annulled only in April. “For the girls, there’s no need because their surname will change once they get married, anyway.”
Sunshine Cruz (second from left) with daughters Angelina, Samantha and Cheska
Asked whether they had to seek Cesar’s approval for the use of screen names, Sunshine said: “If the girls would like to talk with him and ask his opinion, it’s up to them. It’s just that they’re adults now, teenagers, so I make them decide if they want to reach out to him.”
Samantha claimed that their “dad is very supportive. We might not see him a lot, but he’s still our father so we love him.”
As for Sunshine, their annulment entails a lot of paper work. “I have to change my name in my credit cards, passport and other travel documents,” she said.
When the Inquirer teased her about whether she’d want to have her surname changed to “Mathay” soon, she laughed and said: “I just got annulled. Can I not first relish the fact that I’m now single?”
Sunshine has been dating businessman Ismael “Macky” Mathay IV for three years now. “We’re OK with the setup that we have right now,” said Sunshine. “Our focus right now is how to save up for the future of our respective children.”
She added: “I want to be able to travel abroad with my girls. They want to travel to Europe, to see Italy and other dream destinations.”