How Being a Dad Changed Diego Loyzaga
Diego Loyzaga tells Toni Gonzaga how life has been since becoming a first-time father. He also talked about his relationship with his dad Cesar Montano and mom Teresa Loyzaga.
Last June, Diego Loyzaga shared a photo of him holding a baby, confirming that he became a father. In a recent interview with Toni Gonzaga, the actor, son of Cesar Montano and Teresa Loyzaga, shared how his daughter Hailey has changed him and how his relationship with his dad and mom improved.
Diego Loyzaga on his daughter’s arrival
During the interview, Diego could not help but agree with Toni’s statement that when Hailey came, it was like a rebirth for him.
“I can’t say that [when] I saw my child, I’m perfect now. Because if I make a mistake next week, I’ll be a hypocrite,” he said. “I think as humans, we’re still learning.”
The actor added that he has nothing but praise for mothers because of what they go through during pregnancy. It’s different for a dad like him.
“In an instant, life has changed. There is this baby na now I have to be prepared. For the women, you feel everything. So saludo nga talaga sa mga mom. It’s different but at the same time, I’m trying to be supportive to the mom, my partner, and the baby.”
Toni asked Diego what he sees when he looks at his five-month-old daughter. “I see me,” he said. “Physically, and I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I never grew up in one household with my dad. When I see my baby, I see that I’m already doing something that I didn’t get to experience myself.”
Expounding on an Instagram post he shared, the Viva Artist explained: “It was my partner, the mother of my child, who told me na sobrang importante din yung ages 1 to 3, toddler stage until mga 8 or 9 years old. That’s where they really build their character.”
Saying he met Cesar at around 13, Diego adds: “I was a different person kaya palagi kaming nag-cocollide noon. It took me a couple of years ago to finally understand my dad as a human, as a parent, as a father, everything. And now sobra kaming nagkakasundo. Hindi ko ipaparamdam sa anak ko yung naramdaman ko.”
On being raised by a single mom
Diego also touched on his relationship with his mom Teresa, whom he was able to spend time with in their house in Antipolo. Having been raised by Teresa by herself alongside his brother, Diego said that during the pandemic, they were able to bond more.
“I think that bonding with mom is baka hindi na maulit. Every day gigising kami, kakain kami magkasama. We work out, she taught me how to do yoga. Lagi kami nasa garden,” he said of the memory.
“Parang we don’t have the time anymore to do that like we don’t have a big break to do that.”
When it comes to a piece of advice he has learned from his mom, Diego said she would give her take and let him be.
“I guess that’s why I also adapted this way of wanting to parent my child na instead of telling your child na oh, don’t go there madadapa ka, I guess hayaan mo maranasan and matuto, to experience.”
Lessons from rehabilitation
In the same interview, Diego also talked about his struggles. He said that he’s glad that he was able to “climb out of that pit.”
“After two years of coming out of rehab, I want to talk about it na,” he said.
Recalling his dark moments in 2018, Diego said he found himself getting into petty fights with random people. It was during the stint inside rehab that made him realize his problems.
“It took me a lot longer to find out where the problem was, what was causing my problem,” he shared. “In saying all this, now that I’m talking about it now, I realized if I can help kahit isang tao… just a single soul out there who is going through the same struggles as I’ve gone through back in those days… then at least I didn’t go through it in vain. I can explain this to them.”
Since getting out of rehab, Diego proudly said he can do counseling. He clarified that his time in rehab was more for his mental health and not vices. The healing process took 14 months and he was only able to see his mom until the 8th month.
“Religion for me is a very difficult topic but inside rehab I found God. I would pray and the next day what I would pray for would be unfolding in front of my eyes.”
As someone who described himself as a people pleaser, it was inside rehab where Diego learned from his mentors to focus on himself. “Hayaan mo muna na i-fill yung sarili mo. Let your glass fill up. Now if you’re overflowing, you can help others.”
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