“Ang bilis nga, e!” she says. “My baby is now going to school in toddler class. She’s growing up so fast.”
She now lives with her baby’s dad, Vino Guingona, who comes from a family of politicians from Zamboanga. “Taga-Zamboanga rin ako and family friends namin sila. We’ve met noong mga bata pa kami but dito lang kami sa Manila nagkakilala nang husto,” she adds. “We now live in Ortigas, but mas madalas siya sa Zamboanga at pauwi-uwi lang dito sa Manila.”
Do they plan to walk down the aisle eventually? “Yes, but pareho kami, ayaw naming magpa-pressure dahil lang maraming nagtatanong, ayaw naming madaliin. As it is, we’re already a family at okay naman kami. Yung kasal, kailangang pagplanuhan at pag-isipan munang mabuti to make sure na for keeps talaga siya.”
After she gave birth, she was able to return back to acting right away. She did movies like “Goyo, Batang Heneral” for TBA Studios and “Kahit Ayaw Mo Na” for Viva Films. She has also finished shooting a new movie with Lito Lapid. “Pero after the elections na yata puedeng ipalabas kasi he’s running for the senate,” she says. “Anak niya ako rito na kinidnap and he’ll do everything to get me back, parang ‘Taken’.”
On TV, she did shows like “Asintado” for ABS-CBN, “Special Tatay” and now, “Hiram na Anak” for GMA. “I don’t have a contract with any company at the momen. Free lancer ako, so I am free to work with any network and with anyone.”In “Hiram na Anak”, she plays Wena, a department store salesgirl who is naive and gullible. She quickly falls for the charms of Paolo Contis as Benjo, a two-timing seaman who’s also in a relationship with Lauren Young as Dessa. When she gets pregnant, Paolo wouldn’t want to marry her and instead, he wants her to live with him and Lauren in the same house.
“Sa galit ko sa kanila, pareho ko silang nasaksak at yung anak namin, iniwan ko sa mga madre at, eventually, maaampon nina Yasmien Kurdi and Dion Ignacio, not knowing na daughter ito ni Paolo na mortal enemy ni Dion,” adds Empress.