Sen. Grace on why Susan Roces needs to keep working at age 78

Grace Poe (left) and Susan Roces

At 78, Susan Roces still enjoys an active show biz career, doing shoots for her different product endorsements, on top of her work for the long-running action-drama series, “Ang Probinsyano.”

And while Sen. Grace Poe does worry about her mother from time to time, she said she can’t just ask the veteran actress to stop doing the thing she loves most.

“First of all, she’s happy with her work. And second, hindi mo siya pwedeng pagsabihan. What she wants, she wants,” Poe told reporters at a recent surprise birthday dinner for her half-sister, Lovi.

“I do worry about her not getting enough sleep. But ABS-CBN respects her cutoff time.”

Besides, she can see that it’s healthier for her mother to have something that keeps her busy. “The thing with senior citizens is that they get stronger when they get to do the things they love every day. It’s not about age, but your mind-set,” she pointed out.

“You can’t deprive them of what they want,” Poe added. “She gets good exposure and continues to impart lessons.”

Also, her mother being busy with work also means she wouldn’t be able to follow the senator’s every move. “Otherwise, she would be watching all the hearings I’m in, and throwing phone-in questions,” Poe jested.—ALLAN POLICARPIO