Teresa Loyzaga feels a ‘different high’ as new grandmother
Teresa Loyzaga may have been living alone, but it does not mean she’s lonely. Whether in her home in Perth, Australia, or the Philippines, she knows there are people she can easily relate to.
The presence of her friends here and abroad makes her happy, and so do her children, Diego and Joseph, who would come and visit her at her house every so often.
Teresa, or Tong as I fondly call her, has been so used to living alone that you won’t see her wallow in sadness. “I think lungkot is just a state of mind. Busy yourself. Do something to improve yourself para walang lungkot,” she said.
Doing yoga makes her feel good yet she does not do it every day “because when I do it every day, the following day there’s pain here and there, so I give my body enough time to recuperate.”
Yoga also gives our mind a break and Tong agreed by saying that it’s a form of relaxation because it’s not all about stretching but it also taught her to keep quiet and be still “to hear everything.”
Her grandchild, Hailey Paige Loyzaga, whom she lovingly refers to as her “Pochola,” is her other source of happiness. Hailey is the one-year-old daughter of Diego. She would like her Pochola to call her “Glamma.”
“I thought when I had my children, ‘yun na ang highlight. But I feel a different high as a grandmother. Akala mo graduate ka na as a mom when your children are in that stage (as adult), but may continuation pa pala ‘pag naging lola ka. Ibang stage na naman ng womanhood.”
The actress described how she raised her two sons. “I was a mother, father, brother, and sister. I was everything to them. I had to work hard but I had to be at home, too. I had to put food on the table, I had to work and fly but I had to come back because my sons needed me for this and that.”
“I really tried hard to be everything but you know, it’s still not enough because I cannot be everything,” said she.
Tong readily admitted that she blamed herself for what Diego went through when he went into a drug rehabilitation center.
“I think what people do not know is that I put him in rehab. When I put him in rehab, there was a part of me that died but I wanted my son to live. So, I put him in rehab,” she revealed.
It was a difficult decision Tong had to make and it angered Diego. “He wasn’t himself then. We have to understand that once our loved ones become addicted to drugs, they disrespect us when we talk to them (but) they are not themselves.”
Thankfully, Diego was able to recover and finally understood why his mom had to do it. Although Tong never failed to visit her son, she was not allowed to let Diego see her. It was part of his punishment for him to learn, to appreciate home and family.
During her visit, Tong would content herself watching Diego on a small monitor. “There was even one time that we were just separated by a tarpaulin. May butas lang ‘yung tarpaulin and I was made to promise (by the staff) to be quiet and not let Diego feel that I was there. Nakasilip lang ako sa butas para makita ko lang ang anak ko.”
In my past interview with Diego, he said that his eight-month stay in the rehab had changed his life 180 degrees.
“Like I said hindi ako iyakin na tao. Pero ngayon, kung babalikan ko ‘yung isang araw ko doon sa loob ng rehab, naiiyak talaga ako. It was so difficult,” he disclosed.
Tong also acknowledged how prayers greatly helped her triumph the challenging situation.
“There’s so much to be thankful for every day. You learn something. Every day is a struggle but there’s also a reason to be thankful and to rejoice, to celebrate. Let’s be grateful for it’s a new life,” she said.
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