Ruffa Gutierrez goes all out in supporting daughters Lorin and Venice
Ruffa Gutierrez in a promo photo for Kabayan remit. Image: Handout photo
Ruffa Gutierrez has always been dedicated to raising her daughters, Lorin and Venice, on her own, as seen in her all-out support for their education and openness to them having a close bond with their father, Yilmaz Bektas.
Lorin and Venice are Ruffa’s daughters with her ex-husband and Turkish businessman. Despite the breakdown of their marriage in 2012, they have since sorted out their differences and have been on friendly terms ever since.
“I think it helped that Yilmaz was far away. Far away in the sense na walang gulo, wala siya dito (that there is no drama and he’s not here), I’ll raise them on my own,” Gutierrez told reporters during a Kabayan Remit launch event, when asked how she encourages her daughters to remain on good terms with Bektas.
“I tell them the truth, but I always tell them to respect him because he’s their dad. But they know,” she further added.
Gutierrez, who considers Lorin and Venice as her “best friends,” said she believes in the importance of her daughters growing up with the love of a father.
“Wala akong tinatago sa kanila (I don’t hide anything from them). They value that I raised them, but they also want to spend time with their father. Importante pa rin ang pagmamahal ng isang tatay (The love of a father is still important) because I don’t want them to have daddy or male issues one day,” she said.
Image: Instagram/@iloveruffag
On her bond with Lorin and Venice
Touching on her daughters’ studies, Gutierrez proudly smiled as she spoke of their passion to learn. “My kids love studying, and they love educating themselves. Whenever they study, I will support them,” she added.
Lorin, taking up Integrated Marketing and Advertising at Pepperdine University, is set to finish her studies by December 2025 and graduate by March of next year. On the other hand, Venice is pursuing Political Science at a Texas-based university.
“For my kids, feeling ko OFW ako pero nasa Pilipinas, sila ang nasa abroad. Ako ang nagpapadala sa kanila (I feel like I’m an OFW, but I’m the one who is in the Philippines, and they’re abroad. I’m the one sending money for their education). It’s not only financial,” she said.
Despite being far away, Gutierrez said she makes time to bond with them even through digital means. “When they need advice, we talk on the phone. We do FaceTime. We give each other an [update], that’s my way of showing love to my kids.”
“It’s not only about sending them allowance, it’s also sharing our day-to-day routines,” she continued. “If I don’t hear from them or they don’t hear from me, you’ll hear a ‘Mommy, are you okay, what happened?’ So I’m happy that despite [them getting older], they’re still very clingy.”
Gutierrez has been vocal about her mother-and-daughter relationship with Lorin and Venice on multiple occasions. She has also been sharing glimpses of their bonding moments whenever she meets them in the US and vice versa.
