Divas as moms

Dulce (second from left) with older kids David Ezra, Dana and Deejay Cruz

We usually see them looking all glammed up at concerts and in movies and TV shows, but away from the klieg lights and spots, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Dulce are just regular moms who enjoy the company, love and adulation of their children when they’re not wooing or serenading their spellbound fans.

So, don’t be misled by the splashy gowns, glorious hair and the glitzy world they inhabit—in fact, when Zsa Zsa and Dulce were growing up, the so-called Divine Diva and Asia’s Diva, respectively, weren’t as sleek and sophisticated as they look these days. Despite the challenges it presents, Dulce sees the period of isolation as a glass-half-full experience. But the difficulty that comes with “living in isolation’ also has its advantages—something she’d like people to get inspired by.

The singer-actress appreciates the “extended” time to consistently connect with her kids—David Ezra, Deejay, Dana, Jem and Abby—while awaiting the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

“I don’t get bored at home because there are simply too many things to do now that I was too busy to attend to before the lockdown,” she said. “I can do everything at home, except cook (laughs)! Even if I wanted to try, dili ko kahibalo asa magsugod (I wouldn’t know where to start)! So, my younger daughters, Jem and Abby, cook for me (laughs). That’s part of the fun of being a mom—when your kids take care of you.”

Even before the ECQ began in March, Dulce happily told us that she was also able to spend “quality time” with her older kids, Deejay, Dave and Dana, when they decided to embark on a trip to Japan with her, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5. What made Dulce even happier and more relieved was that they were able to come home just before the coronavirus wreaked havoc around the world!

Before her musical muse came calling, life was hard for Dulce, who had to work at a young age to provide for herself. Her father couldn’t spend a lot of time at home with her because he was always rushing to gigs at construction sites. Her mother, who has an artist’s temperament, worked a seamstress—but only when she felt like it!

These days, when Dulce isn’t urging people to tap into their faith as a source of solace in these trying times (she swears by the hopeful message from Hebrew 10:23), her life is made livelier and more colorful by the furry company she keeps at home—which includes nine dogs, 15 cats and two tortoises!

Zsa Zsa (left) and Karylle

For her part, Zsa Zsa didn’t expect she’d enjoy motherhood as much as she does.

“When we were young, my siblings and I would tell each other, ‘Let’s not have too many kids when we grow up’—because we were poor,” Zsa Zsa told us in an interview two years ago. ‘But nobody would believe that we were poor because I’m mestiza. Pero mahirap lang kami, naglalaro ako dati sa kalye … sa may kanal. I don’t hide my past because I had a very good and happy childhood.”

Now that she has kids of her own, Zsa Zsa, who’s turning 56 on May 28, says she loves her bonding moments with her daughters, Karylle, Zia and Nicole Quizon. “My three girls are all grown-ups and living independently,” the singer-actress told us last Thursday.

Asked to describe the joy she derives from being their mother, Zsa Zsa said, “The thing I love most about being a mom is that my bond with my girls remains strong. We may not live together anymore, but we never forget to text, call or FaceTime each other. I’m very close to my girls, and we are constantly in touch.” Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers everywhere!