In interviews, Lovi Poe is usually asked about her father ‘Da King’ Fernando Poe Jr. But this time around, she pays tribute to her mother who raised her singlehandedly and shaped her into the strong, sincere, and grounded woman she is today.

In a recent vlog, Bernadette Sembrano spent a day with Lovi. She noticed it was jam-packed with guestings and shoots to promote FPJ’s Batang Quiapo. Yet, she also observed how calm and friendly the Supreme Actress was despite the typical chaos of big productions. After an exchange of pleasantries, Bernadette asked what made Lovi decide to sign a contract with ABS-CBN at a time it was denied franchise in the middle of a pandemic. 

Lovi answered that she had faith in her slated projects, although she didn’t know she'd be doing FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, which is based on her dad’s film. What she was sure of is that she wishes to work with Coco Martin who considers her dad as his hero in the industry.

After more than a year as a Kapamilya, Lovi is discovering a lot about her dad through the people he worked with. She mentioned that the likes of Charo Santos and Christopher de Leon, her co-stars in her new series, would share their fondest memories about her dad. And through their stories, she gets to know him better. 

Lovi is proud to be the daughter of ‘Da King’ even though she wasn’t close to him growing up as she was raised solo by her mom Rowena Moran, a former actress, model, and beauty queen. 

Photo credit to lovipoe IG

She admits that her mom prefers to have privacy, and that’s one of their similarities. “She’s always there but she doesn’t want to be seen in public,” shared Lovi. “Like, mga screenings ko, nahihiya siya. She’s very private talaga.”

Photo credit lovipoe IG

“She’s not kikay. She’s very beautiful, she rarely puts make up. She’s very elegant, very classy. Make her wear anything, she’s going to look like a queen,” Lovi describes her mom, who taught her to be respectful and considerate of other people and whose caring ways she would like to copy. 

Photo credit lovipoe IG

She looks at her as a model of strength and grace, “I know she did her best. Lumaki ako na siya lang talaga ‘yung kasama ko. I would like to say that I was raised by a single mother and I’m grateful for that and I’m proud of that.” She continued, “And that’s why I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today if it wasn’t for her…So thank you, mom. Thank you, mom, talaga… Nagba-bow ako sa lahat ng single moms ‘cause I know how hard it is. I’m a certain way because of her.”

Lovi has always been fascinated with acting and performing since she was a kid. She used to perform a lot in school, which her mom tried to counteract by introducing her to sports, with which she also fell in love. Though her mom tried to keep her away from the world of entertainment, she got her full support when she decided to try showbiz, first as a singer until she focused on acting.

The close-to-perfection Lovi we see on screen is the product of a power team. It takes a village to make her who she is, and she’s grateful to everyone who does something for her, “My whole team, assistant, crew, manager, the person who drives for me, who helps me cook and prepare sa house.” She added, “It takes a lot. I think people should understand that it’s never just about you as the product. It’s the support system around you.”

These are the people who help her make things happen. While Lovi was getting glammed up, Bernadette talked to Lovi’s assistant for almost a decade now, Julie, who revealed her reasons for staying with the Kapamilya actress, “Sobrang bait niya kaya love na love ko siya. Sobrang down-to-earth kaya hindi ko siya maiwan kahit na may baby na ako. Madali siyang pakisamahan.”

However, a good support system alone is not enough. Lovi acknowledges that she also has to constantly work on herself to keep things running smoothly. “When I start the day, I wake up in the morning, I work on myself first before I get to the actual work. So that I’m at my best ‘pag nakaharap na ako sa mga boss ko, sa mga directors ko, co-actors ko. There’s this whole process. There’s this whole routine to be at my best.”

Speaking of routines, the Kapamilya beauty works out a lot – from Pilates to running, swimming, and boxing – not only to keep in shape but more importantly, to pump up her endorphins.

She also talked a bit about her relationship with British boyfriend Monty Blencowe, “He’s very caring. He wants to see me shine. Even if we’re far away from each other, he makes me feel like we’re still close together. May mga bagay na hindi mo kailangan sabihin pero gagawin at gagawin niya.”

The actress had quite a day, yet she maintained warmth and enthusiasm. She spoke with substance. She was beautiful throughout. What’s not to love about Lovi?

Catch her in FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.