Ryan and Juday Agoncillo: 'Our children - not the halogens on the sets of our movies - light up our lives'

More than the klieg lights, what brings celebrity couple Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo ultimate joy is their children. They know how to celebrate the moment with their children Yohan and Lucho — the real stars in their lives. 

Very recently, Juday and Ryan sent out an invitation for the first birthday celebration of their son Lucho.

“Come in military uniform,” Juday told me.

“And prepare for war. So, see you there, soldier,” Ryan added.

Lucho celebrated his first birthday at Palacio de Maynila.

Juday and Ryan sounded very excited about the party. In fact, Ryan was very thrilled about Lucho’s first birthday celebration that he already invited me last July when I unwittingly became his passenger at the racetrack of Sepang F1 International Racetrack in Malaysia.

If there’s one thing about the couple, they always are excited about matters that concern their two kids. Their children — not the halogens that brighten the sets of their movies —light up their lives.

So, two Saturdays ago, my BFF Christine Dayrit and I went to Lucho’s party at Palacio de Maynila along Roxas Boulevard and were welcomed by two gold-painted soldiers standing in front as if preparing for an assault. We entered the venue and there we found out that it was a paint ball party that the couple prepared for their son.

Lucho, whose real name is Juan Luis, was handsome in his fatigue uniform as his proud Mommy Juday, Daddy Ryan and sister Yohan (who’s turning seven on Nov. 7) were also dressed for the occasion. I half-anticipated Lucho to wear his favorite pink Chucks but Juday said that pair was already too small for the feet of her son.

The Jessie Sinsioco-catered party that started at 3 p.m. and lasted way through dinnertime did not wear out the jovial celebrant. Never did he throw tantrums nor was he seen tired entertaining his guests. Just like his parents, Lucho was a ball of energy.

Frenetic was the mood of the party. It was graced by other stars who clearly opted to leave their sheen and stature behind them. For example, Sharon Cuneta, while she and her daughters Miel and Frankie were joining a parlor game, ran to her husband Sen. Kiko Pangilinan to get his shoes in what appeared like a bring-me contest. Kiko gamely took off his shoes and went unshod near the stage to watch his family enjoy the party.  

Juday and Yohan also enjoyed themselves to the hilt that they were running around the venue as they participated in more games. Lucho just watched in amazement as he lounged comfortably in the arms of his dad.

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(From left) The author Büm Tenorio Jr., Lucho and Ryan Agoncillo, STAR columnist Christine Dayrit and Carol Santos.

Juday and Ryan are hands-on parents. They take turns in bringing Yohan to school. Their social activities outside their home in Alabang are unheard of. After work, they itch to go home.

“I always love to be home to be with my family,” Ryan tells me. In fact, to see their friends, they always host dinners at home.

Outside the gleam of tinseltown, Ryan and Juday are ordinary people who love simple things in life — but everything revolves around food that Juday cooks and the occasional mojitos that Ryan prepares.

Juday, also a chef, is always on an experimental mood when she is in the kitchen, one of the focal points in their home. She loves to cook adobo and sinigang na lechon, Yohan’s favorite. Now that Ryan is on a diet, she serves him South Beach food. As for Lucho, well, Juday says, “He loves sayote and steak. So, a couple of months before he turned one, we started to feed him steak in little portions.” Juday, a dutiful wife and mother, loves it when she serves her family a three-course meal every dinner. “That’s soup, salad and entrée!” she says.

Ryan also swears by the richness and yumminess of his wife’s champorado with Valrona chocolate.

When Juday experimented on different kinds of fried rice recently, she was so happy to invite her friends to drop by their house. I even inherited her recipe of X.O. fried rice.

Juday and Ryan know how to celebrate sincere friendship. Two weeks after their successful “secret wedding” in April 2009, they invited some of their friends in their new home in Alabang. Their house that time was not yet fully furnished that they asked their friends to bring their own chairs. My BFF Christine and I took it seriously and knocked off the car seats so we could have something to seat on inside their beautiful house. But that was two years ago.

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“We have no problem with our kids. When Yohan and Lucho wake up in the morning, they always greet us with their smile. They are happy kids,” Juday shared.

“This early, I teach Lucho how to show respect for those who are older than him. I teach him to kiss the hands of the elders or to kiss them on the cheek, not the beso-beso type. He and Yohan always hear it from me: ‘Wear your slippers.’ ‘Close the door.’ Gladly, they heed me,” Ryan says, admitting that he’s the disciplinarian in the house.

Sharon Cuneta with daughter Miel.

For the Agoncillos, their house in the South is their paradise. It’s a happy home because people who adore and love each other live in it.

(For your new beginnings, please e-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com. You may also follow me on Twitter @bum_tenorio. Have a blessed Sunday.)