Even while stuck at home and in a small taping bubble, the world of Dimples Romana remains full of love. In this edition of Kapamilya Chat, the actress talked about finding bliss in the simplest moments spent with the family and in the continuous grind amid the pandemic. 

Dimples’ youngest child Alonzo recently turned six. They opted for a simple celebration at home. She cooked some of Alonzo’s most requested dishes while her eldest Callie baked some goodies. They ate, played, shared stories, and savoured the joy of togetherness. It may be a DIY quarantine birthday but what matters is they got to celebrate healthy and complete as a family. 

She’s proud of Alonzo, who is slowly becoming one of the most in demand young endorsers today. He had three TVC shots just this month. Dimples mentioned that Alonzo never fails to surprise her with his natural talent in front of the cameras. She’s happy to see him act so jolly and eager during shoots. She’s not the stage mother type, though. She doesn’t even coach her kids in acting. Alonzo’s talent would just come out on cue. Fun fact: he’s even trying to pull out Dimples from this guesting for a TikTok collab. 

Dimples reacted to Inigo Pascual’s “future heartthrob” comment about Alonzo. The doting mom revealed that Alonzo takes dance inspiration from the likes of Inigo and Kyle Echarri. It’s also a good thing that she’s friends with these young performers and they’re supportive of Alonzo. 

Dimples clarified, though that her kids are not yet allowed to enter showbiz. She’s not yet ready to take that leap. The kids are only allowed to appear on TV commercials subject to some rules. 

Callie, on the other hand, is the more reserved type, although she’s learning to shed off the bashfulness. What she likes most about her kids is they’re candid. They don’t even have to pretend in front of the cameras. Their behavior during guestings reflects their attitude at home. 

The pandemic is indeed a great teacher. It’s been a wake-up call for everyone to appreciate the little things. Dimples mentioned that good health, family, and just the gift of life are more than enough to fill her heart with gratitude.

She stressed that precautionary measures must still be taken seriously despite the gradual relaxation of quarantine protocols. She’s glad that it doesn’t take much to make her family happy, thus her kids aren’t really bothered by the boredom blues.

Love Scam

For the third Valentine offering of Maalaala Mo Kaya, Dimples Romana will breathe life to the inspiring story of a mother forced to work overseas to support her family after her husband gets ill. 

There are times when lonesomeness and yearning turn us into vulnerable victims of love. Such is the case of Dimple’s character, Sheila, who would find much-needed comfort in a stranger she met online. 

This is more than just a complicated relationship story, though. Besides the love angle, the episode also tackles the real plight of OFWs – the modern-day heroes whose only superpower are dreams, tenacity, and strong sense of meekness. Dimples character will endure abusive treatment while working abroad. “Mga kababayan natin sa abroad, sure po ako na at one point or another makaka-relate kayo at maaantig po ang puso ninyo ng kwentong ito,” she said.

More so, the episode aims to issue a warning about romance scams, which is becoming rampant in this age of social media. It touches the warning signs so overseas workers, or anyone looking for love, will not fall prey to such acts. 

Dimples calls herself an “MMK baby” thus she knows exactly the show’s emotional demands, “Mga 15 gallons of tears ‘to.” But it’s been years since her last MMK guesting that’s why she was hesitant to take on the challenge.  She doubted her readiness to deliver lofty emotions. 

It wasn’t as challenging as she thought it would be, though. She had a good script, brilliant director, and excellent co-actors – just everything needed to make work a lot easier. She said her co-actors were all generous, even the bit players, thus it felt like a good creative collaboration. “Bawat trabahao naman, hindi mo pwedeng sabihin na ikaw lang ang naghusay. Lahat ‘yun sila magagaling kaya nahawa na lang ako.” 

Dimples has nothing but good words for Ketchup Eusebio playing her husband in the story. She praised him for being a natural, “He’s really a very raw, effortless kind of actor. It was such a joy working with somebody as generous, as gracious as him.” 

Her co-actor’s impeccable performance inspired her to also give her best even in the scenes anchored on video calls, scared not to be at par his brilliance. Besides his professionalism, she also appreciates his good heart.

“He’s also a great human being, a kind soul. I’m not surprised why he has a lot of good friends in show business and I’m sure even out showbiz kasi napakabuti niyang tao. He’s not even trying hard. He’s just a genuinely nice warm person. It’s so good to just be around him because his energy is so contagious. He’s calm, hindi siya natataranta kapag umaarte. So, naging madali ‘yun para sa’kin kasi ganu’ng klase ng artista ang pinapangarap ko talagang makatrabaho.”

As a mom, Dimples is used to rules and practicing discipline – exactly what the new normal taping is all about. While the lock-in bubble is confined in stricter protocols, she doesn’t mind playing by the rules if it’s for everyone’s safety. She also appreciates how everyone became more mindful of schedules. The only challenge, though, especially for a mom like her is being away from home for a few days. 

Dimples is easily drawn to stories about love and she’s proud that this episode showcases the different facets of love. She thanked MMK host Charo Santos-Concio and everyone involved in mounting this episode.

She also paid tribute to OFWs by giving them credit for all their sacrifices. She left a sweet message for them, “Sana po ay magpakatatag kayo. Kapit lang dahil ang Diyos ay hindi natutulog. Lahat po ng inyong tinatrabaho ay magkakaroon ng karampatang reward in the future.”

Dimples added, “Sa lahat po ng OFWs natin, saludo po ako sa inyo dahil hindi ko po kakayanin ang ginagawa ninyo na malayo kayo sa inyong pamilya pero ginagawa pa rin po ninyo para sa kanila. We salute you. We pray for you. We continue to help one another. I pray that your family will be well kahit malayo po kayo sa isa’t isa.”

Dimples dedicates MMK “Love Scam” especially to our beloved OFWs and also to everyone who goes the extra mile in the name of love. Witness an inspiring story of different facets of love in MMK: Love Scam,” airing this Saturday, February 20 on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, and iWanTFC.