Which is just as well because that’s how she and her husband met in the first place. She was the face of Lux soap, and he played her Prince Charming in the commercial. Turns out, she’s been a long time and totoong avid na fan of Richard. And she was a face he couldn’t forget.

On April 28, 1998, they were married at St. Peter and Paul Parish Church in Lucy’s hometown of Ormoc. Three years later, daughter Juliana was born.

Lucy and Richard celebrated their 10th anniversary on May 1, 2008 with a sitdown dinner at Felix, the upscale restaurant in Greenbelt 5 in Makati that she and her
husband invested in together with Bench big boss Ben Chan.

A few weeks after the anniversary dinner and just after Mother’s Day, Lucy took time to reply by email to One Philippines where she openly reflected on motherhood, her marriage, and the values she and Richard want Juliana to grow up with.

What are your thoughts about celebrating your 10th wedding anniversary? What were the biggest blessings and challenges you faced?

A happy marriage is a blessing, Richard and I have enjoyed 10 years together and in the natural course of things yes, I have every reason to eagerly look forward to the next 10, 20, 30, 40 … forever. We are just like any other couple, we have good days and bad days but through both we never lose sight of the fact that we love each other, that we are in this together. Love simplifies everything. The biggest blessing? I cannot single out just one in a sea of many. As for the challenges, I believe that everything is just a matter of perspective. I choose to see every challenge we may face as an opportunity to grow even stronger as a couple.

What do you think keeps your marriage intact?

It’s all in the little details – the affection consistently showered upon each other everyday, that loving look, the long kiss goodbye before you both go off to work and the even longer kiss hello when you see each other again at the end of the day. The secret, if it is at all considered one, is spending a lot of quality time together. That is the only way you can grow close as a couple; that is the only way you can keep rediscovering each other.

How would you describe the personality of your daughter Juliana? What are her
interests?

She is a little bit of her dad and a little bit of me.:) I say that because she is very athletic
and she has such boundless energy that I sometimes forget she is a girl (those traits are from her dad obviously). That said though she is also a girly girl, she loves clothes and
fashion and arts and crafts and when she is in that mode, I see so much of myself in her.

How old is Juliana now and where does she study? What are her favorite subjects?

She is seven years old, she goes to a nontraditional international school and on Sundays, we send her to catechism class. Her favorite subjects are English and reading, arts and crafts. She is ceaselessly amazed with the characters from the Bible, stuff like the lion
not eating Daniel, Moses’ staff turning into a real snake, Lazarus walking out of his grave (LOL).

Is she aware of the celebrity status of you and your husband? How does she respond to it? How do you keep her grounded?

She thinks it is normal for people to come out on TV. :) When she was younger, she would look for her friends on TV or sometimes she would come up to me and say, ‘Mommy, my classmate wants to come out on TV, can you bring her?’ She does not really feel she is more special than others are just because we are celebrities. We never also made her feel or believe that. With celebrity comes many perks, I have to admit, but she thinks everybody gets the same treatment so all’s well.

Would you be comfortable if she eventually chooses a showbiz career? Why or why not?

Hmm, not really. I would not want to encourage her in that path this early in her life. If it is her destiny then so be it, but I ask God to please let that happen after school. I have nothing against this industry that has been so good to my husband but realistically and sensibly speaking, it is not a very healthy environment especially during the formative years of a child. It can be too much for them to handle, even if it does not really present itself that way.
How do you and your husband ensure you have enough quality AND quantity time with her given both your busy schedules?

You always make time for what you choose to have in your life. Our family life is very important to us and work revolves around that which is our priority. Given how busy we are, we have both never missed any major milestone in her life, in a school program or elsewhere. She experienced many of her firsts with either one or both of us beside her.

What values would you and your husband like her to grow up with?

Respect for others and for self, generosity of spirit, for her to always be true to herself, to
always anchor her faith in God.

What were the top three things you like doing with her?

Arts and crafts, watching her favorite Disney shows, taking walks together because it is during this time that our little conversations happen. Our time together is a source of much joy because kids really do say the funniest things. Physically, her energy can tire me but emotionally, it refreshes me. I learn a whole lot from her, maybe it is because
of the purity of a child’s heart.

How would you compare your upbringing with what the way you bring up Juliana? The three best things you learned from your mom?

My mom’s greatest legacy is that she taught all her children to pray. We grew up believing, in all the spaces found in our little hearts, that there was/ is absolutely nothing we could not lift up in prayer. God can fix anything and everything, whether it is broken toys or broken dreams. Mommy taught us to always be clean, good hygiene is very important to her. Even if we were not going out of the house we always smelled good. Oh yes she allowed us to play and get dirty like all little people do but she taught us to
clean up right after. Mommy led by example and taught us to be generous. Growing up, my consistent memory of her is one of giving. Even until now, she is that way, she is very generous with resources and her time. I remember when we were of age already and we could help out in office work, we realized that a lot of people took advantage of her kindness. She was duped countless times but she always still gave much and often. Consequently, she never lacks for anything. Generosity always begets generosity.
The best mother’s day gift you got. A children’s book entitled Someday. It brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it; it still brings tears to my eyes every time I browse through it every now and then.

Do you plan on having more children? If so, when?

Yes, lots and lots more! As many as God wants to bless us with. We have been trying for baby number two for seven years now. I would want to get pregnant tomorrow or
next week if I can! But like I always say, all in God’s plan and time.