Maricel Soriano. Publicity photo
If there’s something that gives veteran actress Maricel Soriano pride, it’s her two sons, and her three pet dogs.
The Diamond Star said that her sons Marron and Sebastien Soriano, as well as their dogs are who she considers her “paradise.”
“Eh, di ‘yung dalawang anak ko na mga guwapo. Iyon ang paraiso ko, sila. Saka ‘yung mga dogs ko, si Lola, si Bela, si Mira (Of course, my two sons who are handsome. They are my paradise. And my dogs, Lola, Bela, Mira),” Soriano said when asked which things in life she considers to be her haven during her mediacon for “Pira-Pirasong Paraiso” recently.
Soriano further explained, “Alam mo kasi kapag may edad na tayo, siyempre gusto natin na ‘yung mga anak natin ay malapit sa atin. Lalo pa ‘yung mga anak ko, eh, mga lalaki.” (You know, as we age, we want our children to be close to us. More so my children, who are all boys).
The veteran actress said that being a mother to two boys can be quite worrisome.
“Minsan, aandap-andap ‘yung dibdib mo. ‘Umuwi na ba? Umuwi na ba sila? Nasa kuwarto na ba? Parang luka-luka lang. ‘Ano ba, nandiyan na ba?’” she said. (Sometimes, your chest throbs. ‘Did he come home already? Did they come home? Are they in their rooms?’ ‘You’re like crazy. ‘What, are they already there?’)
Soriano revealed that the dynamics of her relationship with her two boys have changed. She no longer gets mad at them. All she does is to talk to them because they don’t like being scolded. They want her to be a “chill” mom.
As for her three dogs, Soriano reveals that the three pets always get mad when she’s finally home.
“Parang sinasabi, ‘bakit ngayon ka lang? ano’ng oras na? Ito ba ang uwi ng isang tunay na ina?’ Parang gano’n kasi binabato sa akin ‘yung mga stuffed toys. ‘What kind of a mother are you?’ Kasi, anong oras na nga naman,” she said. (It like they’re saying, ‘Why did you just come home late? Don’t you know what time it is? It seemed that way because they throw stuffed toys at me whenever I come home late.)
When this happens, Soriano said she talks to her pets and say sorry to them, because she treats them as her children, who even sleep with her in her bed.
Soriano said her treatment of her pets are like that of a parent to their children because she had mourned the death of her favorite pet dog for 20 years. She said that it took her that long before she was able to touch another dog.
“Iniyakan ko nang todo-todo ‘yun kasi sila very loyal at unconditional ang love nila. Kapag malungkot ka, kakausapin mo sila. Kinukuha nila ‘yung lungkot mo. Tinatanggal nila ang lungkot mo,” she said. (I really cried because they’re like that, very loyal and their love is unconditional. When you’re sad, and you will talk to them, it’s like they take away your sadness.)
In “Pira-pirasong Paraiso,” Soriano plays Amanda, the guilt-ridden grandmother of the long-lost Paraiso sisters. Now that the sisters are reunited, Amanda is presented with the perfect opportunity to atone for her mistakes in the past as she vows to build a relationship with her granddaughters.
As Amanda enters the picture, a plethora of unsolved mysteries arise, including one of the biggest questions yet — who is the real Amy Paraiso, Hilary (Elisse Joson) or Baby (Loisa Andalio)? Amanda just might also be the key in uncovering the truth behind the sisters’ traumatic childhood and the real reasons as to why they had a broken family in the first place.
Aside from the shocking revelations that are about to unfold in the new season, viewers are also anticipating the heated face-offs between the equally feisty “boss ladies” Amanda and Jacinda, played by another veteran actress Snooky Serna, who is a contemporary of Soriano. Also being anticipated are the leveled-up and controversial confrontation scenes between Hilary, Beth (Alexa Ilacad), Diana (Charlie Dizon), and Baby. EDV