VALERIE CONCEPCION is back in a contravida role in the GMA Afternoon drama, “Raising Mamay”.
“My last regular soap with GMA was ‘Ika-5 Utos’ and that was three years ago pa,” she says.
“May kasunod sana yun, yung soap with Jennylyn Mercado but she got pregnant, so it was shelved. Buti na lang, dumating itong ‘Raising Mamay’ at may trabaho na ulit ako.”
What exactly is the role that she plays?
“Actually, very complicated yung role ko. Kasi contravida siya kay Ms. Ai Ai de las Alas, and yet kawawa rin siya sa back story niya.
"Naanakan ako rito ni Antonio Aquitania, na husband ni Ms. Ai Ai sa story. Yung baby, ibinigay ko kay Antonio and ibinigay naman niya kay Ms. Ai Ai without telling her na anak niya ito.
"She raised it as her own and named her Abigail, to be played by Kapuso teen star Shayne Sava.”
Meantime, her character has her own journey. She becomes a TV host and gets married to Gary Estrada, who turns out to be a wife beater.
“Yes, battered wife po ako rito. Kaya kawawa rin yung character ko kasi jinojombag siya ng abusive husband niya.
"Maraming layers yung character ko kaya challenging siyang gampanan. Meantime, by accident, nabaril ko si Ms. Ai Ai sa ulo kaya nagkaroon siya ng regression sa pag-iisip niya. Nagsimula siyang mag-arteng bata kaya yung anak niya ang siyang parang naging nanay niyang inaalagaan siya.”
Valerie married her non-showbiz husband Francis Sunga in a garden wedding in Silang, Cavite on December 28, 2019.
They were introduced to one another by her cousin in 2017 and quickly clicked with each other.
Heather Fiona, Valerie’s daughter from a previous relationship, approves of Francis as her stepfahter. So how is their marriage doing now?
“Long distance relationship pa rin po kami kasi his work is in Guam,” she says.
“Doon siya based at dito naman ako, but so far, it works kasi either ako nagpupunta roon o siya ang nagpupunta rito. E, ngayon naging busy ako taping ‘Raising Mamay’, kaya siya muna ang bumibisita rito.”
Valerie was only 17 when she got pregnant. Now, her daughter, Heather Fiona, is turning 18 on October 25. She raised her well as a single mom.
“Yes, magde-debut na ang anak ko!” she exclaims. “I’m so thankful to the Lord na naigapang ko ang pagpapalaki sa kanya on my own.
"I was so afraid when she turned 16 na baka magaya sa akin na naging teenage mother, so binabantayan ko talaga siya.
"But she is such a good daughter. She gave my life a concrete direction and I really tried hard to strive para sa kanya.”
