Edu Manzano and Luis Manzano have long been in the limelight, keeping things amusing and hilarious for the most part. That’s why it’s refreshing to see the other side of their relationship in a conversation that touches everyone’s hearts.
Luis’ heart-to-heart interview with his dad Edu is one of the most requested content for his vlog. It finally happened just this week, following that trending conversation with Edu and Cherry Pie Picache, and a couple challenge together with Luis’ wife Jessy Mendiola.
Edu tried to keep it funny as he looked back on his first time seeing the newborn Luis. He jestingly said, “Meron akong nakitang magandang bata, ililipat ko sana.” Kidding aside, he admitted to drowning in beautiful emotions, “The feeling is overwhelming kasi iniisip ko, ‘Wow! Sa akin galing ‘yan.” He was overjoyed and at the same time bigger thoughts about fatherhood started to sink in.
The seasoned actor narrated how Luis used to be “pasaway” as a kid. On his first day in preschool, for instance, Luis showed up mimicking his father in a Captain Barbell costume.
But Edu loved every minute of Luis’s childhood. Sentimentality was vivid at that point of the interview as he reminisced dropping his son off at school every day. They’d walk to the classroom hand in hand, then give each other a kiss and hug to say goodbye.
In Luis' fifth grade, however, he started to feel more conscious. He didn’t want to show public affection anymore, especially with his friends around. Edu knew their relationship was about to change.
For Luis, moving past that stage brought him to this realization: “I wouldn’t mind holding your hands every day.”
Moving on to the next questions, Edu expressed pride as a parent. “You have no idea. I don’t have to hear it from other people. It’s what I see in you tuwing magkasama tayo. Kung paano tayo mag-usap, the kind of relationship we have, and how we’re honestly true to one another. That tells me.”
He said Luis was never a disappointment, always disciplined, wise, and living by the rules. Despite the movie offers when he was a teen, including a lead role in the film “Ninja Kids,” Luis followed his dad’s only wish for him to earn a diploma before entering showbiz.
“Sinasabi ko lagi, kailangan magtapos ka muna at kapag nakapagtapos ka na, bahala ka na sa buhay mo,” shared Edu. True enough, he was just supportive of Luis’s choices after college.
Edu doesn’t like to meddle with his son’s decisions but he remains outspoken. And he’s glad to have trained his kids that way. No one in the family is scared to tell each other ‘I love you.’
Time, however, caught him by surprise. He realized that parenthood also changes as the children get older and busier living their own lives. “I learned na hindi mo pwedeng ipilit ang sarili mo sa mga anak mo. Ang importante, mabigyan mo ng tamang direksyon at isang matibay na pundasyon at kahit papaano, mananatili ka sa kanilang isipan at puso,” expressed the Marry Me, Marry You star.
He continued, “When you got very busy, I started to miss you. I didn’t see the need na makialam pa ako sa buhay mo kasi alam mo na. And whatever you did, you did it well. Doon ang pride ko. Kaya sinasabi ko wala akong regrets because my son did it all and did it well.”
He may not have regrets as a father but he has some unfulfilled dreams. He quit the military, for one, although doing so brought him Luis. Then he also wanted to pursue a master’s degree but he didn’t. Had life taken a different turn, he could’ve been a lawyer.
Edu also got to talk about his father, his greatest coach in life. He said his father was strict but the kind that helped sharpen his discipline. Like what he told Luis, his dad also asked him to finish his studies before anything else.
For Edu, respect is key to longevity in showbiz. Thus, it’s no surprise to hear other people speak nothing but the kindest words about him. After all, Edu would like to be remembered as “a good guy.”
Check out the full interview in Luis’ YouTube channel!