Spotlight

Francesca Taruc: Learning the Ropes of Being a Mom

by Alexa Villano
March 20, 2023

After forgoing her dream to compete in Binibining Pilipinas for the second time, a new door opens for Francesca Taruc after her son Ethan’s arrival.

When Francesca Taruc announced last year that she was resigning as a Binibining Pilipinas candidate, many pageant fans were surprised. She kept silent about her reasons for resigning until she announced last November that she was pregnant with her first child and was going to be a single mom.

Although she had to park her dream of joining Binibining Pilipinas for now, Francesca cherishes every moment she has with her son, Luis Ethan. For each day that goes by for her as Ethan’s mother offers a new lesson and realization about motherhood and herself.

Francesca in a pink suit by Donna Lim and accessories by The Closet Culture

When the baby becomes the priority

There’s a saying that goes “the first is always the worst” and the first month of the pregnancy, it was a tough time for a young single mom like Francesca Taruc. “I knew nothing about babies, especially a newborn,” the 24-year-old model and actress admitted in a mix of English and Filipino. “I think what changed was my daily routine. It used to be only me. Even when I was pregnant, I was always taking care of myself.”

But with Ethan around now, everything revolves around him, including when she could get her much-needed sleep. Besides the change in schedule, her body too has changed. The weight gain and stretch marks on her body made her question her self-confidence. But it’s during the shoot that she discovered that she wasn’t alone as fellow queens Shamcey Supsup and Winwyn Marquez gave her tips and advice in between chats.

Among the many realizations in becoming a mother, however, Francesca discovered the need and her ability to multi-task. ” I never thought that I could do it,” she admitted mildly. “You can do the things you use to do but the baby is now the priority.”

Going beyond herself

Besides the physical change, there was also a lot of emotional change. The bad breakup between her and Ethan’s father left her alone with her mother and selected friends who supported her during her pregnancy. The tough times began taking their toll but Ethan’s arrival changed that, realizing that his presence began transforming her life.

“I’ve learned the value of selflessness. This journey somewhat taught me that I could be selfless. People have hurt me and all but I didn’t think about myself anymore. What mattered the most was what the baby needed,” she said.

The love for her baby also led the former Miss Tourism World Intercontinental 2019 winner to discover how forgiving she could be, soon introducing Ethan to her ex-partner. “I didn’t want him to grow up in a broken family,” she admitted, revealing that she and Ethan’s father have begun co-parenting.

Letting go of her dream

Unfortunately, before the rule change, Ethan’s early arrival in Francesca’s life meant parking her dream to compete in Binibining Pilipinas. But that dream is now slowly gaining speed again with the management supporting Francesca’s decisions from quitting the pageant due to her pregnancy to giving the pageantry life another try. “I was really touched because the Araneta City management would still allow me to do hosting stints if I can,” she smiled. ” They would still give me work and still do some shoots.”

But letting go of her dreams did have her thinking about the what-ifs. “There are times I couldn’t fully watch the Bb. Pilipinas events because I would cry, knowing that could’ve been me up there. But I also know I wouldn’t have been able to compete either, knowing I chose my dream over the life of my baby. Sometimes, Life is unfair, but it’s harder to live when you’re just so angry and filled with hate. You can still choose, you can still act, you can control yourself.”

Binibini Sisterhood

Although she bid her Binibini journey goodbye, Francesca never lost contact with her Binibini sisters. When she announced her pregnancy, they rallied behind her by posting words of encouragement. Several of them even traveled to Pampanga for the baby shower, showed up for Ethan’s birth, and even became his godmothers.

Francesca recalled how two of her close friends, Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental 2022 Gabrielle Basiano and Graciella Lehmann immediately visited her in Pampanga after Ethan’s arrival. “When Ethan arrived, Gab and Graciella went to my house so that I can sleep and that they will take turns in taking care of him.”

“I was really touched because I was able to get some sleep and they took turns taking care of him. Gab says she knows how to take care of kids because she has a lot of nephews and nieces. Their presence was already a big help to me.”

Although they compete for who embodies Philippine beauty, the real beauty lies in their sisterly bonds. For when one queen needs to set down her crown, her sisters will create another she can cherish always.

When a door closes, a window opens

Francesca in Aje
Accessories by The Closet Culture

But although she needed to close the door on the pageantry, Francesca felt Ethan had opened more doors for her. Different business opportunities began knocking on her door as her life started on a new track. “I actually talked to Ethan and I was like did you give this blessing? I had no work then and I thanked him because I really believe he was the instrument to provide for him and my family.”

These same opportunities soon restored her faith in God; something she admitted to losing during her pregnancy.

“I’ll be honest; I lost my faith in God. I lost a lot to the point I asked what did I do to deserve this when I did nothing wrong. Now, he’s slowly returning everything, and it’s 10x than what I expected.”

The journey of healing

Healing is never a linear journey but one could say Francesca’s was one emotional rollercoaster. Though still slowly picking up the pieces of her life, she’s recovered her rhythm. Still healing her emotional scars, she resolves to keep on going and hopes that she could pass the strength and faith she discovered to Ethan. “When I was pregnant, I would cry everyday to the point I just wanted to end everything. Maybe it was also partly due to hormones. But even when he was in my womb, he never had complications. He never gave me a hard time,” she recalled with teary eyes.

They say motherhood does change a lot of things, including a woman’s definition of being a woman. “I was planning to make a post actually that this Women’s Month, I realized you can be anything that you want to be,” she shared. ” You can be a mom, a beauty queen, a friend, a dreamer, an inspiration. You can do all of it together. Being a woman has no limits. You are limitless.”

And while women are now more empowered and standing for themselves, Francesca hopes this will continue. ” I think we women are proving our worth and how courageous we are. I hope the men appreciate what we women do.”

From a reluctant mother-to-be and now a mom, things are now looking up for Francesca Taruc. She continues to learn the ropes of being a mom, but one thing’s for sure, this mom is becoming a strong woman now.

Words ALEXA VILLANO
Photography RON MENDOZA
Art Direction MARC YELLOW
Makeup TWINKLE BERNARDO
Hairstyling PATTY INOJALES
Styling ROSHNI MIRPURI and SIYA DARYANI for THE CLOSET CULTURE
Shoot Coordination MJ ALMERO and ANTHONY MENDOZA
Sittings Editor MARGA MEDRANO-TUPAZ

Shot on location at RIZAL PARK HOTEL

Special thanks to MICHELLE GARCIA-ARCE