How Sharon Cuneta handled haters when daughter Miel Pangilinan ‘came out’

Cuneta (left) with daughter Miel Pangilinan

The people who matter are the ones who are supportive of her, so nothing else should be more important.”Thus said actress Sharon Cuneta to her daughter, Miel Pangilinan, as they recalled the time over a year ago when the 17-year-old “came out” as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community via an Instagram post.

In June 2022, Miel said she was “openly and publicly queer.”

In a recent interview with Inquirer Entertainment, Miel admitted that she “got a lot of hate” as a result of her announcement. However, she said she already expected the reaction and “wasn’t shocked by it, especially when you live in a conservative country, where there are a lot of things that people can’t get through to their heads.”Miel said that while she “wasn’t really scared, coming out was a big move for me.” She added: “It was a part of myself that I had to share [with people]. I felt like it was the best move because I hate the feeling of acting like I’m not who I am in front of other people. I want to be as real as possible, so I felt like coming out was just right.”

These days, Miel said she still gets hate messages sometimes, but this no longer bothers her. “I’m doing really good. I’m out and I’m proud,” she declared. “Now she’s free,” added her proud mom.

Sharon then talked about her unique relationship with her followers on social media. The “Megastar” has 457,000 followers on YouTube, 1.5 million on Instagram and 2.4 million on Facebook.

“I see social media as a means to be in touch with my audience and followers. It’s really for them. I don’t do it to be in a contest with anybody. I’m way past that; even [at] the age at which I should have been, I never was,” Sharon pointed out.

Embracing social media

Sharon has managed to embrace social media, the good and the bad of it, she said. “Just to give my two cents’ worth, I say you also have to let the trolls slide. This took me a long time to learn. Maybe because I grew up in a generation that respected one another; and if you weren’t happy with something, you would talk to these people involved in a decent manner if you ever bumped into them. Now, they hide behind anonymity, so it’s easy,” said the star of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival entry “A Mother and Son’s Story,” alongside Alden Richards.Sharon said she was also aware that a lot of brands and companies are now hiring social media influencers as brand endorsers. “That’s OK. Their reach is different. I’d like to think I have a long-standing history [with my followers]. Those who started being my fans when we were young have already grown up; and then I have new fans who are teenagers—those who call themselves Gen S, or the Sharon Generation,” she began.

“While I’m in awe of these new fans, I also treasure the ones who’ve been there from the beginning. I do not see anybody as a rival—I never have—even in show biz before social media. I also don’t think people see me as that, a rival. Social media for me is just a means to communicate with them and to ask what they’re doing,” said Sharon.The mother-daughter tandem faced the media recently as ambassadors or “Dreamweavers” of the life insurance company Insular Life (InLife). It was where Sharon proudly told Inquirer Entertainment that she began teaching Miel how to handle her own finances at a young age. “Everything she earned from all her commercials is invested. When she graduates, I can hand it all to her,” Sharon said. “I always remind my children that if you don’t really need something, don’t be in a hurry to get it. Don’t be impulsive. Also, I like that they’re able to reward themselves after a job well done. You don’t have to be a slave to money; just let it serve you and be smart about it. When you have saved up for something, go ahead. Enjoy it.”However, Miel said that growing up, it was really her dad, Kiko Pangilinan, who was “more strict.” She added: “He would be the one to say, ‘No, you can’t get that now. You don’t need it.’ With Mommy, you mention something to her in passing and, surprise, it’s there,” said Miel.

Sharon explained: “My love language is really gift-giving. It’s not like I’m trying to compensate materially, it’s just because I love them. They would say, ‘We know that, Mom.’”

Identity crises

Miel then gave tips on how to best understand and handle teenagers like herself. “I’m in my late teens now, but the period between 13 [and] 17 is when a lot of teenagers are going through their own identity crises,” she began. “They’re trying to figure themselves out. If they distance themselves from you a bit, don’t take it too personally because it’s nothing against their parents. It’s like they’re trying to figure themselves out in a space where they’re not someone’s kid. They want to see how they are as their own person, and eventually, they’ll make their way back to you.”

Each of her children has taught her a lot, Sharon pointed out. KC is her daughter with actor Gabby Concepcion, while Miel has two more siblings, Frankie and adopted son Miguel. “You raise them all the same way, but they all have their own minds,” she pointed out. “This generation is smart, but you have to also reign them in a bit because you grew up differently. You also don’t want them to miss out on what you feel was important to you when you were growing up—before cellphones and all these gadgets, when life was easier.”

She then emphasized the importance of teaching “delayed gratification” to the current generation. “Of course, I’m happy life is convenient for them now. But I don’t want them to not understand what ‘delayed gratification’ is. I’m very proud that none of my children is entitled. They’re low-maintenance, especially the younger ones. They don’t ask for much,” Sharon declared. INQ