Rico Blanco on having kids: ‘I would be a very present father’
MANILA, Philippines — Rico Blanco may not yet have children of his own, but the idea of fatherhood is something the 53-year-old OPM icon clearly does not take lightly.
At the recent press conference for Regal Entertainment’s upcoming romcom “Project Baby,” The Philippine STAR asked the currently single Rico if he could, in any way, relate to his character Migo, who is asked by Sue Ramirez’s character Sandy to become the father of her baby.
Of course, given Rico’s real-life image as a rock star, everyone knows that female fans would sometimes jokingly tell him at concerts, “Anakan mo ako.”
But he was quick to point out that he never takes such fan banter seriously.
“I don’t take that seriously. I have the best fans in the world. They know how to be silly with me,” he said. “Katuwaan lang po namin ’yan.”
But the singer-songwriter said that in real life, similar proposals of becoming someone’s baby daddy do happen, even if they begin as jokes.
“But in real life po, nangyayari din po yung mga ganyang proposal, pabiro din po,” Rico said.
“But I’m gonna get serious here,” he began as he went on to explain that part of his caution about having children comes from what he has seen among friends who became fathers but couldn’t be with their children.
“I’ve seen a couple of very good friends of mine who have had many girlfriends, pero yung biggest heartbreak po nila — two, three of them — was when they could not be with their kids,” he said.
He placed that concern in the context of laws in the country. “Because our laws here are very pro-mother, and for good reason. That’s another debate,” Rico said.
“But it’s difficult for a man if you wanna be with your child, to put that in the hands of someone else.”
He further stressed that becoming a parent is not something that can be decided casually, especially if a man wants to be present in his child’s life.
“I think that’s very serious to me,” he said. “That’s why I probably… wala pa akong anak din. That’s one of the reasons. I have to make sure my partner is very aligned.”
“I’ve seen those friends of mine, their hearts crushed, crushed, crushed beyond any romantic heartbreak,” Rico continued.
“Nakita ko na, takot po ako doon. So I wanna make sure you’re okay when you do it.”
Asked if he remains open to becoming a father, Rico answered, “Definitely.”
“I think I am so prepared for it in many ways. In some ways, I still have a few things to fix, but I think if the right situation comes along, I think I would be a great father,” he said.
Parenting or at least, readiness to be a parent is part of the premise of “Project Baby,” which follows Sandy, a career-driven woman played by Sue, who decides that she wants to conceive and approaches Migo as a possible baby daddy. The baby plans get complicated when feelings enter the picture.
Directed by Eric Quizon and written by Jose Javier Reyes, the film uses the comedy device to open up conversations about parenthood, relationships, family and personal choice.
You could say that the former Rivermaya frontman has had some “paternal” practice or experience as uncle to his late brother’s kids. Outside of family, he’s been mentoring newbie artists as founder and owner of the record label and artist management company Balcony Entertainment, as well as former president of FILSCAP (Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).
“First of all, ako, titong-ama naman ako… sa mga anak ng mga kapatid ko, and I thoroughly enjoyed that,” he shared during the presscon.
“Also in the industry, I feel there’s an outlet for that desire to become a father. May outlet ako sa industry, from leading the composers’ society and also mentoring artists through the years.
“But I know how special it is to have your own.”
He admitted that the idea had already come up before among friends, though usually, again, in a joking manner.
“Maraming beses na eh. Minsan sa mga kaibigan ko na, ‘O, pagka umabot tayong ganitong age, tapos ikaw ganitong age, tayo na lang. Mukhang maayos ka naman. Matino ka naman kausap at matalino ka naman,’ mga ganun,” Rico recalled.
His response, he narrated, was also said in jest.
“Minsan, ‘Game,’” he recalled. “And then a few years later, babalitaan ako na nagkaanak na, so wala. Hindi siya nangyari.”
But with age, Rico said those jokes have started to bear more meaning.
“I always say that jokingly, but you know what they say, what you joke about has something,” he said.
“Sa akin siguro, habang nag-a-advance ako sa years in life, yung pagka-half-meant ko nagiging more than half na. Tapos yung mga joke ko, hindi na masyadong joke.”
Still, Rico said that because he has reached this point in life without having a child, he no longer feels the need to rush into it.
“But I think (since) umabot na rin ako ng ganito katagal, basically, I don’t need it, right?” he said.
“So, if it does happen, I want it to be as close as possible to perfect.”
Rico also said that the bar for fatherhood was already set high because of the kind of parents he had.
“Sa akin, I have like the best parents anyone could have. And so the bar is very high,” he said.
Nevertheless, Rico acknowledged that having children later in life could have both disadvantages and advantages.
“Fortunately for me, I guess if I’m gonna have kids and baby at this point in my life, I think I have the luxury,” he said. “Disadvantage, mas matanda na ako, sabi ng iba, di ba? It’s a disadvantage at some point, pero may advantage din po ’yun.”
One possible advantage, as he mentioned earlier, is he would be able to give his child his time and presence.
“I think because of where I am, I would definitely be able to be a very present father. I will be there. Maybe homeschool, whatever level na kaya ko pa,” he said.
“So I would be very present. I want to be a cool father,” he added, but also laughed at the thought that being a cool uncle to his nieces may not automatically mean he would be a cool dad.
“Ito yung worry ko. I really want to be a good father as I have been a cool uncle to all my nieces,” Rico said.
“Yung wala naman ako sa kanila araw-araw kaya nagagawa kong maging cool. Ang problema ko, baka hindi ako maging cool for real kasi strict sometimes ako sa sarili ko. So baka ’yun na po yung kailangan kong i-work on.”
But of course, in the end, Rico said no one can fully know what kind of parent they will be until they find themselves in that role.
“You never really know unless you’re there,” he said.
“Project Baby” opens on June 10 in cinemas nationwide.
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