What’s inside? Judy Ann’s proudest achievement
She has achieved so much in her career, but to Judy Ann Santos, there is no achievement she is more proud of than being a mom.
Judy Ann recently starred in a special Mother’s Day presentation of the long-running Kapamilya drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya ( MMK) where she played a mother who was separated from her four children. Because of her husband’s irresponsibility, the letter-sender, Belen, was forced to leave her family and go to Manila for training and to seek the proverbial better opportunities. However, when she returned after three months, her world crumbled when she discovered that her husband sold all of their children. It was Judy Ann’s first
MMK appearance in seven years. The last time she was on the show was in 2008. Judy Ann taped the episode — titled A Mother’s
Quest — for two days, and on the second day, worked straight until 6 a.m., which meant being separated from her two kids Yohan and Lucho. She was really tired when she got home and would have wanted nothing better than to sleep, but she still had to attend the show’s press conference and make sure she took care of her family’s needs. Thus, when she showed up for the press conference, she arrived late and with her voice just notches above a whisper, but she was there.
That’s why, she says, being a mother — and juggling that with her career as an actress and host — has taught her more patience and compassion than she could ever learn doing anything else. “Iba ang patience ng mother,” she says. “Kahit gaano ka kapuyat, kahit gaano kapagod, pagdating sa mga anak mo, wala, di mo na puwedeng isipin ‘yon. And for some reason, you gain extra energy for your children. I think being a mother really made me a better person.”
But no matter how much time she spends away from home, home is never far from her mind, says Judy Ann.
“Whenever I’m away from them, I always try to
find out kung kamusta ba sila, are they okay? It’s always like that. I never leave the house without knowing the meals they will be having
for the entire day. Gusto kong maramdaman nila na kahit malayo ako sa kanila, kahit wala ako sa bahay, malaman nila na ako ang gumawa ng food nila, mga ganyan.” She experienced this when she was shooting for the movie Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote at Si Ako with Vic Sotto and Bong Revilla. “Nag- shooting kami sa malayong lugar, I was gone for three, four days, hirap na hirap ako kasi na mi- miss ko sila, although nasa Pilipinas lang naman ako,” she laughs. “Siguro, ganyan lang talaga ang mga nanay, you feel like there’s a part of you that’s missing when you’re not with your family.”
Being a mom has always been a challenge, but more so now in this fast-paced, social media-driven world. Moms like Judy Ann have to struggle to keep up and see things the way their kids see them which can be very different because of all the options that are open to them these days. Parenting has changed so much “Kailangan ngayon, wide ang kapasidad ng utak mo pagdating sa mga anak mo,” reflects Judy Ann. And yet, no matter how difficult it can get on some days, Judy Ann still considers herself very fortunate.
First of all, she has a partner like Ryan Agoncillo who supports whatever she gets into and the career and personal decisions she makes.
Second, her family doesn’t make that many demands on her. Even her kids are very understanding about her job and the hours she keeps. “I’m very lucky because hindi mahirap alagaan at paligayahin ang pamilya ko,” she says. They don’t even have to go anywhere fancy or special to enjoy themselves.
In fact, this recent birthday of Judy Ann was spent quietly at home. “Just being with my family and spending time with them, okay sa amin na ‘yung gano’n. Nakakatuwa nga kasi ‘yung mga bata, hindi mareklamo, and ang maganda, nakikita nila kung paano kami naghihirap ng tatay nila para bigyan sila ng maayos na buhay. And of course, as a mom, their appreciation alone means so much.”