Mommy Dionisia with her son Manny Pacquiao and Carlos Yulo (right) | Image: Facebook/Manny Pacquiao, Instagram/@c_edrielzxs
Speaking from the perspective of the mother of another athletic champion, Dionisia Pacquiao, mother of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, extended a word of advise to two-time Olympics gold medalist Carlos Yulo about “loving his mother.”
Mommy Dionisia’s comment stemmed from Yulo’s reported rift with his mother, Angelica, who had inadvertently stole the limelight from her son who just gave the country its double Olympic gold medals in gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Angelica openly expressed her disapproval of her son’s girlfriend, content creator Chloe San Jose. However, she recently held a press conference with other members of their household to extend their apologies to Yulo. Their family drama has since polarized the sentiments of the public, and elicited a reaction from the mother of the eight-division Filipino world champion.
“Mahalin mo ang nanay mo. Huwag ka magtanim, kikim ng samang loob. Mahal na mahal ka sa mama mo, nanay mo. Mahalin mo siya sa lubusan ng pagmamahal bilang nanay, kay mahal na mahal ka niya. ‘Yan lang ang payo ko sa’yo bilang nanay,” said Mommy Dionisia in a video uploaded by her special someone, Mike Drilon Yamson via Facebook.
(Love your mother. Don’t harbor any resentment. Your mom loves you very much. Love her with all the love, because she loves you so much. That’s my advice to you as a mother.)
Mommy Dionisia has been known to be a staunch supporter not just of her son, but also of his wife Jinkee.
At the peak of Manny’s boxing career, Mommy Dionisia would be the center of headlines, as she wouldn’t watch any of his fights live and would choose to stay home or go to church to pray and extend her thanks whenever Manny brought home the champion’s belt.
In an interview in 2009, Manny credited his mother for his success, saying she had supported their family through poverty, instilling discipline in him.