Five years after working together in the hit 2019 ABS-CBN primetime series The General’s Daughter, Maricel Soriano reunited with her co-star Ryza Cenon, whom she considers one of her anak-anakans in showbiz, as she had her as a guest in her latest vlog.

The video commenced with Ryza letting the Linlang star and the viewers have a peek at her refrigerator, as well as preparing steak for her. While she was cooking, Maricel had her talk about her life ever since becoming a mom to her and non-showbiz partner Miguel Antonio Cruz’s unico hijo, Night, which she described as “masarap na mahirap”.

With regard to her passion for cooking, Ryza imparted that even though she came from a family who loves to cook, she didn’t immediately develop an interest in the craft until she became in a relationship with a former boyfriend. She recalled learning how to cook macaroni soup for him when he got sick, and that was when her culinary pursuit got enkindled. Besides, she also yearns to fulfill the aspiration of her late mom, who died at the young age of 27 when Ryza was only 2, to have her own restaurant.

Although it has already been years since the first and last time that they worked together, Maricel imparted that she really appreciates that Ryza continues to keep in touch with her. In fact, Ryza would even surprisingly send her food, much to her delight.

As they feasted on the food prepared by Ryza for her and her team, they continued their insightful and lighthearted conversation about motherhood, their stint in The General’s Daughter, and Ryza’s remarkable special participation in FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.  

 “Ngayon po parang tina-take advantage ko po ‘yong wala akong trabaho para magkaroon ako ng more time kay Night. Alam n’yo naman po ngayon na life is so short, so ‘di po natin alam kung anong mangyayari the next day. So, habang kaya kong ibigay ang lahat ng mga kayang ibigay sa anak ko, binibigay ko po,” she told the Diamond Star when asked what keeps her occupied nowadays.

Maricel told her that what she’s doing is right since it’s highly important for parents, especially moms like them, to be present in the formative years of children and teach them the things that they must learn in life. Besides, it can also be a good way for Ryza to build a strong and cordial connection with him, which they can maintain until they grow old.

When asked why she and her cinematographer-partner named their son “Night,” Ryza related that it’s basically because they wanted him to have a unique name and he was usually so hyper at night when he was still inside her womb. Unlike other kids who are too engrossed with gadgets, Night actually loves it when they read books to him and doesn’t get angry when they switch off the TV because he’s well-aware that he only has limited screen time.  

Being the one to spend most of the time with Night, Ryza admitted that she’s the “bad cop” or the disciplinarian between her and Miguel, especially when it comes to inculcating Filipino values to him. Meanwhile, her partner usually gets strict whenever their son plays outside as he doesn’t want him to get dirty. The seasoned actress also divulged that they train Night, who’s already a nursery pupil, to speak Tagalog and not English for the basic reason that they’re Filipino and they’re in the Philippines.   

The two talented actresses then revisited their The General’s Daughter days, where they used to often talk about food in between takes. They also recounted how Ryza granted Maricel’s requests, such as her favorite sinigang na hipon.  

With regard to her most unforgettable memories during the filming of the show, Ryza conveyed that it would be working with an all-star cast because what more could she ask for at that time? Being able to share the screen and learn from her co-actors who were a mix of veteran thespians and seasoned artists was indeed a great privilege and a dream come true for her.

In return, Maricel expressed how much she admired the professionalism and punctuality of Ryza since, just like her, she always came to the set prepared and at least 30 minutes prior to their call time. Both of them used to arrive on the set already made up for they didn’t want anyone waiting for them, especially the crew who would come at the location hours prior to them and leave hours after they packed up. Ryza confessed that it was actually because she felt pressured to work with the Diamond Star.

As Maricel veered their conversation to Ryza’s unforgettable participation in FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, she related that she was actually part of the original film to which Coco Martin derived the title when she was only around 19 to 21 years old.

“Ako naman po, honored ako na napasama po ako do’n. Saka maganda po ‘yong naging kinalabasan kasi ‘yong pilot week po namin, kami po ni Miles [Ocampo], nag-trending po ‘yon,” Ryza commented about her experience in playing the young Olga, portrayed by veteran actress Irma Adlawan.

When asked by Ryza for motherhood advice, the Diamond Star confessed that she actually has a lot of regrets since she wasn’t able to spend much time with her two sons, especially in their formative years when they needed her the most. Until now, she still feels sad that she only got to breastfeed one of her sons for one and a half months since she had to immediately go back to work during that time. Fortunately, her sons were able to understand the reality of their life that she had to also prioritize work then as a single mom and still grew up very close to her.

Ryza opened up as well about still experiencing post-partum depression even though Night is already 3 as she sometimes finds herself looking back to the life that she used to have before becoming a mom since she’s used to hustling and not staying at home for a long period.  

“Masasanay ka, anak. At alam mo, kayong dalawa lagi, iba ang bonding ninyo kasi 24/7 magkasama kayo no’ng nasa tiyan mo pa lang siya. Tapos hanggang sa mailuwal mo na, napapalaki mo na siya, iba ang fulfillment mo. At least ikaw nakakasama mo siya, ako hindi e,” the Diamond Star told her.