Spotlight
GP Reyes: Bad Boy Gone Dad
When GP Reyes became a father, he decided to light up the nightlife with nothing but good memories.
Being a dad to 7-year-old Olivia and 3-year-old Amelia changed GP Reyes’s life. “It’s my greatest role,” he shares. “In my experience of being a business person, an entrepreneur, having been in various jobs and occupations, I’ve worn many hats in my life. But I think the greatest and most fulfilling job or occupation I’ve ever had is being a father.”
From Chugging To Savoring
A self-made man, starting off as an entrepreneur at 20 years old meant GP Reyes had to hustle hard and fast. He immersed himself in different fields before eventually becoming the multi-nightclub owner we know today. And sometimes, in dealing with those different fields, it meant partying hard. “Back then, I used to chug down tequila and go home at 5 AM every day. I was the bad boy who knew everything about the nightlife,” admits GP. “I still attend parties now and then but now I can’t just pass out” — he laughs — “The girls [Olivia and Amelia] will get me up!”
Photo by Sweet Escape
Besides slowing down on tequila, he’s been unlearning the tough love approach with his girls. “Dads back then wouldn’t really express their emotions to their kids. Our lolos would be very macho. Dads wouldn’t really say I love you to their kids. But that’s something I’m intending to do differently. Some are already picking up the trend. We see it all over social media how it’s okay for parents—especially dads—to show a softer side of themselves to their kids.”
Overhauling Parenting and the Business
It wasn’t just the 2-year-pandemic that changed the way GP Reyes ran his nightclubs. It was also being a father. “Before I became a dad, a lot of my staff and even I knew I was a very, very tough boss. I wasn’t just yelling; it even went all the way to cursing,” he reveals abashedly. “But the girls taught me how to be more patient—which is something even my staff said they’ve noticed. They said I’ve become more understanding with them.”
Fatherhood didn’t only overhaul the way he treated and managed his staff but also, how he saw the attendees in the nightclub. Especially regarding women. “Guys—me included—before I got married and became a dad, whenever I saw a girl, she was someone I would try to score with. But now, whenever I see a girl in the club, the first thing that pops into my mind is that she’s someone’s daughter. It’s made me more aware of how young men would objectify women. I’m more conscious now of how I look at them and how to be a gentleman.”
This led to him being extra strict with certain protocols—especially with underaged attendees trying to sneak in. But GP didn’t mind losing the customers if it meant making the nightlife safer and as wholesome as he knew it was capable of being. “Sure, we lose some customers by asking them to bring out their passports to prove that they’re not underage. But as a club owner, anything that happens in my club is something I am responsible for.”
Preparing Olivia and Amelia for Anything and Everything
As GP Reyes savors every dadventure he has with his wife Andi Manzano and daughters Olivia, and Amelia, he admits how the two girls created an appreciation for a higher power. “When I first held Olivia in that delivery room, it was when I recognized that there was a higher power. For once, this crying child wasn’t something I did myself. It was Andi and me. And so many things could have gone wrong but Olivia was born perfectly healthy. Similar to when Amelia was born.”
Photo by Sweet Escape
Olivia and Amelia offered so many dadventures that although GP knows one day they’ll be doing their own thing, the best thing he can do is to teach them how to handle it. “As parents, we try to protect them from everything. But the truth is we can’t. So what I do is teach them, expose them to things little by little, and then trust as they grow up that they’ll remember everything they’ve learned.”
Being a bad boy gone dad, GP knows all the tricks of the trade—especially when guys try to court girls. He jokes, “Usually, this is where I tell the guy to go away. But my rule for Olivia and Amelia is that the guy has to be as cool as their dad. If not, cooler. I’m their first boyfriend. I’m setting the standard.”
Photography EXCEL PANLAQUE
Grooming KARMELA JABLA for MAC COSMETICS PH
Hairstyling PATTY INOJALES
Styling ROSHNI MIRPURI and SIYA DARYANI for THE CLOSET CULTURE
Shoot Coordination MJ ALMERO
Sittings Editor MARGA MEDRANO TUPAZ
Shot on location at XYLO MANILA
Special thanks to TRISH GOMEZ
Want to know more about GP Reyes and his family? Check these out!
Andi Manzano: Learning by Language of Love
Living a dream life with Andi Manzano-Reyes
ICYMI: Gentle Parenting with Andi Manzano-Reyes and Gretchen Gatan Fragada
