Playing dad

As surrogate parent, Ian details what he looks out for in his siblings. “In Matet’s case I always make sure I’m there when she needs me and siyempre moral support. And the love, most important. The respect and the trust,” he says.

“Sa iba kong kapatid, kailangan nila ng pagsuporta, kunyari sa future nila. My sister and I, should be the one guiding them… para makapaggawa sila sa mga tamang desisyon sa life. Like for example, my youngest brother Kenneth, he lives with me right now so my main priority is taking care of my little brother.” The 18-year-old Kenneth stopped school and is now looking for a business to go into.

“Ang gusto ko kasing mangayari sa kanila, at a very early age, maging mature sila about deciding for their future, deciding what’s right and what’s wrong, deciding what to do and what not to do. So kailangan rin nila maging firm sa mga decisions nila, lakas ng loob and siyempre, the Lord comes first before every decision that they plan to make.”

He is keen on instilling them the belief that “they can be anything they want as long as they do it in the right place, with the right crowd, then they have to choose the right people to be with.”

Ian himself admits to losing his path a number of times. Though he is reluctant to go into detail, he allows, “All of us go through times na nagkakaroon tayo ng problema. I don’t regret that happening because those are the building blocks para mabuo ang goals and dreams ko in the future and I learned from them.”

He says God must have allowed whatever it is he went though with his siblings so they could understand their place and realize what it is they need to do to live a better life.

In touch with Mom

While one gets the impression the Superstar’s children fend for themselves and depend largely on each other for parental support, Ian remains politic and says both his parents remain in the picture. He lives next door to his dad in one compound in BF Homes in Parañaque. When they have time, they have dinner together and catch up on things.

“Basically we have an open relationship,” Ian says. “We don’t keep anything from each other kasi that’ll only complicate things.”

As for his mom, he remains in touch “as often as I can” by email and text. In fact, he and brother Kiko were special guests at Nora’s concert in the U.S. this summer.

And about the controversies his Mom has been through these past few years (a drug bust recently dropped in the U.S. and her same-sex marriage to manager Norie Sayo), Ian says: “Controversies are controversies and so it’s complicated to deal with it. But… no one knows (my mom) better than me. She’s living a simple life. She’s happy with the things that are happening to her. Other people are just talking things about her na it’s not healthy. So ang sa amin lang, sanay na siya e…. As long as we see that she still smiles, she’s healthy, nagagawa pa rin niya ang mga shows niya, I mean that’s enough for us to be happy for her. No garbage, no anything about the bali-balita; we set that aside.”

Certainly, it takes plenty to remain unruffled when TV reporters accost them for reactions to their mom’s newsworthy moves. The kids – or Lotlot and Ian at least – seem to have agreed on a united front, careful and dignified in their defense of Mom. And all seem to be treading the straight and narrow instead of going on a rebellious bender.

Even if Mom and Dad will always remain superstars, the siblings have quietly gone forward to tread their own paths. In addition to his TV work, Ian stars in the fourth installment of Vic Sotto’s highly successful Manila Film Festival franchise, Enteng Kabisote. (Brother Kenneth is also in the movie). He also just completed an indie movie called Carnivore (“parang outcast kami na kumakain ng tao”) with Bembol Roco, Baron Geisler and Karlo Aquino. It will be shown around Asia during the first half of the year before screenings in the Philippines. Best of all, Ian is happy he’s in a place where he can still devote time to his digital art and the cars he loves souping up.

“Pero when it comes to life I like it more simple,” he qualifies. “Kasi eto na: I have the basic necessities that I need which is food, shelter and clothing (and) the love of my siblings and my friends, di ba? What more can I ask for?”