Andi Eigenmann with her daughter Ellie | Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Happy Islanders
After being homeschooled for three years in Siargao, Andi Eigenmann‘s daughter Ellie will begin her high school journey in Manila and will be living under the roof of her father Jake Ejercito.
In their Happy Islanders vlog posted on Wednesday, Aug. 28, Eigenmann turned emotional as she announced her daughter’s decision to return to school in the metro.
“I’m very sad; Ellie’s going to be going to Manila. She’s going to be staying with her dad because she wants to try going back to regular school,” shared the actress.
Ellie was homeschooled since the pandemic but has experienced face-to-face school during her pre-school to 3rd grade. According to Eigenmann, with things returning to normal, her daughter started “craving” to return to regular school.
“When everything started going back to normal after the pandemic, Ellie craved for a school setup that was more normal for her. I love homeschooling. It’s been my dream since I was still studying. I’ve always thought that a homeschool setup would be a great way for me to learn and for my kids as well,” explained the actress.
“But that’s the thing and that’s the point of all of this is that it’s not about me; it’s about the learner and as for Ellie, that’s what works better for her and as a parent, all I can do is, you know, guide her into making decisions that will be for her benefit, not mine, even if it’s at the expense of mine,” she continued.
The “Camp Sawi” actress underscored that she didn’t want to deprive Ellie of a normal high school life.
“We’re going to miss Miss Ellie having her here most of the time but she’ll still be spending all her holidays here with me and our family, as she promised but as she is turning 13, I didn’t want to deprive her of experiencing something that I think would also be worth it,” she shared.
“I made all the best memories and all the best friendships going to high school in Manila and so she deserves that too and I know that she’ll be in good hands with our family there and her dad,” added the actress.
Eigenmann shared that the plan for Ellie to study in Manila also rooted for her to have more chance to spend time with her grandmother, late actress Jaclyn Jose, who died of a heart attack in March.
“I’m crying… We were excited for her to come to regular school since it’s a decision that we’ve had since last year. It was really exciting for her to come to Manila and hopefully be able to spend more time with my mom so it’s sad that she didn’t get to wait for Ellie to come,” stated the actress in tears.
At the end of the vlog, Eigenmann dropped Ellie in the airport alongside her two other kids with her fiancé, Siargao surfer Philmar Alipayo.