Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano has said that he is excited to welcome his first grandchild in the family: the first baby of his eldest son Paolo and his wife Samantha Godinez.
But Valenciano, 51, told his family that he does not want to be called lolo, grandpa or grandfather. He wanted to be called “Papi.”
“I’m gonna be a lolo but I don’t want to be called lolo. I want to be called Papi. My mother is Puerto Rican and when my grandfather came here, hindi n’ya maintindihan yung lolo or grandpa. But he knew Papi,” said Valenciano, during an interview on “Tonight With Boy Abunda” on ABS-CBN.
Godinez and Paolo got married in 2013. They are expecting their first child sometime in October or November.
Valenciano said that the best Father’s Day gift he received this year was the ultra-sound image of her future granddaughter.
“The best gift that I got for Father’s Day other than my whole family being together was nakatanggap ako ng picture nung ultra-sound. Hindi ko pa alam nun kung ano ang magiging baby,” he recalled.
“Then I saw the picture, ‘yung profile andun na. Then underneath I saw a baby girl,” Valenciano said. “Yun ang gustong-gusto namin ni Paolo.”
These days, Valenciano said that he is renovating their house so that the baby can stay with them for several days.
“Pinaghahandaan ko na ang aking bahay para wala silang excuse na they cannot leave the baby there,” he added.
Celebrating 33 years in show business, Valenciano recounted the highest and lowest moments of his life.
“The highest points are the births of Paolo, Gabriel and Kiana. So different from everything I’ve done. When you see that, and when you step on stage, talagang you are energized,” said Valenciano, who is married to Angeli Pangilinan.
They have three children.
“I’ve never written a song for anyone of them. I did try. I wrote for Paolo when he was young pero hindi ko matapos-tapos dahil ang daming nasa isip ko. Ang dami kong gustong ilagay sa kanta. Baka maging 6 o 7 minutes ballad pa,” Valenciano also said.
“The lowest moment in my life happened between 2009 and 2012. Not so long ago. It was a dark moment in my life,” said Valenciano, who did not divulge details about it. “I’m glad that it was over but it taught me a lot.”
Valenciano said he learned about the difference between love and unconditional love during that dark period of his life.
“I learned the difference between love and unconditional love. I learned it from my friend Hayden Kho when he said it’s easy to love people. But when you say you love people without judging, then love becomes unconditional,” he said.
During the Fast Talk portion of the late-night show, Valenciano believes that actor-singer Sam Concepcion sings better than him.
Asked to choose between Eric Santos and Jed Madela; and Yeng Constantino and KZ Tandingan, he said: “Depende kung ano yung okasyon, kung ano yung kinakantahan nila.”