“I think this is a product of obeying your children.”
Maricel Laxa admits this in an interview for her movie, GG (Good Game), with her son, Donny Pangilinan.
“Kasi, sila naman ang nagpilit sa akin na bumalik sa pelikula. Akala ko, wala na talaga sa sistema ko ang showbiz. Pero, once an actor will always be an actor, I guess. It was very special in my heart, so, here I am.”
Maricel and Donny are both part of the upcoming film, ‘GG (Good Game,’ produced by Mediaworks Inc., Cignal Entertainment, and Create Cinema. While Hannah, Maricel’s daughter, is part of the production team.
In the movie, Maricel and Donny are mother and son, just like in real life. However, their on-screen characters are vastly different from their close and loving real-life relationship. Their movie characters, Iya and Seth, need to rebuild their relationship again after a significant separation.
“Magkaibang-magkaiba sa totoong buhay,” Maricel says. “So, makikita niyo ang mga bagay na kailangan naming mag-adjust. We’re not portraying ourselves. Bagama’t mag-nanay, hindi kami iyon.”
“Basta lang sumusunod ako [sa] kanila, walang problema,” Donny added with a smile when asked about their working relationship.
Proud mom Maricel
Maricel also proudly shared that Donny believed so much in the movie that he invested in it and is a stakeholder in the film.
“Donny believes in the movie so much that he’s a major investor and stakeholder of this film. He has been part of it from the beginning to end and continues to be part of it whether it is behind-the-scenes or with the cast, crew… Every single detail, he’s part of. And I’m very proud to be part of this film because he puts his whole heart and soul in it.”
“Ibig sabihin kasi, maayos ko naman siguro sila pinalaki. And they’re experts in their field. So, respeto na lang ang maibibigay ko.”
This highlights the importance of parents respecting their kids and of parents growing into parenthood as their kids grow up. Respecting our children teaches them to respect themselves, molds their character, and allows them to be well-rounded, respectful adults.
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Parenting and online gaming
‘GG’ is a drama movie with themes that revolve around friendship and the Filipino e-sports landscape. The movie also tackles the negative impressions typically associated with online gaming and how, despite this, it can also help strengthen friendships and family bonds.
Maricel says that like other parents, she did not always approve of her kids spending too much time on mobile phones or online gaming.
“Ako ay guilty na kapag nakikita ko ang mga anak ko na palaging nasa phone nila, nakakapag-judge ako na hindi sila dapat diyan nang matagal.”
But this also made her look into her own digital activities and see if there’s a ‘healthy boundary’ or a set of guidelines that parents and their kids can agree on when it comes to gadgets and Internet use so that it will still be a positive learning experience for everyone.
“Pero, salamin din ‘yon ng mga ginagawa ko sa phone ko. How much time do I put using my phone or my gadgets to allow my time to be consumed in good or bad ways. So, as a parent, ang reminder sa akin is pwedeng maging mabuti ang e-sports kung merong guidelines and boundaries ang magulang at mga anak together. And I believe, in our family, noong bata pa lang sila, hindi pa uso ang lahat ng mga gadgets na ‘to, wala pang internet noon, Wi-Fi and all, we set good boundaries that we all agreed on. And that’s important. So, in the family setting, I really encourage parents and children to have a healthy communication when it comes to gadgets and e-sports.”
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowSmart Parenting Board of Experts Early Childhood Educator Thumby Server Veloso says that our kids are digital citizens, whether we like it or not. Moreover, the pandemic has basically turned everyone into tech-savvy individuals. Maricel’s realization of parents being “salamin” to their kids when i comes to digital habits coincides with Teacher Thumby’s advice for parents on teaching their kids to be good digital citizens:
“Children will learn how to be good digital citizens from the people around them. Parents, teachers, siblings, grandparents, cousins, helpers, and more. They will learn from watching how others use technology and participate in the Digital World. They will pick up what is okay and not okay to do online from what they see others do.”
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