When Stars Shine Brighter

Hearing stories of celebrities adopting kids mean a lot to me and mean more than anything else to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Who would have thought that superstars would be very much interested in adopting? Big names like Nora Aunor, Claudine Barretto, Judy Ann Santos and Kristine Hermosa are some celebrities who have stood up and proudly declared love to their adopted kids.

Teleserye Queen Claudine Barretto has been very open to the public about Sabina. Sabina luckily came to the couple years before their biological son was born and no doubt that love and care is equally divided and shared to them. Fortunately, Claudine did not do it alone because DSWD was there when they had to tell the truth to Sabina. Claudine assured the public that all the papers were already settled, it was easy to fix the papers but to tell Sabina the truth is a different story. Claudine already plead to the public that words should not carelessly come out of their mouth at the end of their journey they want every bit of information to come from them. DSWD is very helpful to their family; they facilitated seminars and counselling on how to properly tell your child that they are adopted.

On the other hand, another Teleserye Queen by the name Judy Ann Santos have already disclosed to her adopted daughter Yohan the truth. 'You didn't come from mama's tummy. You came from mommy's heart and we really prayed for you' this were the exact words that Juday uttered when she had her serious talk with Yohan. Unlike Sabina, Yohan is very aggressive and very confused that she had to ask her mother more questions when she knew about the truth. It was normal not to have a good relationship with Lucio [Santos’ biological son] but at the same time it was a time for adjustment for Yohan.

Superstar Nora Aunor’s story is not new to everyone. Her adopted kids Lotlot and Matet never questioned their mother but soon found their biological parents. Lotlot already met her mother few years back but it was only last year that she found her dad. It was very emotional for her because after long years of waiting she found her biological dad. Lotlot admitted that looking for her dad didn’t mean to replace La Aunor, it was the idea of looking for her identity that pushed her to look for him. Matet, on the other hand, is already fulfilled and contented of what she has become and what she had receive from La Aunor.

These stories are priceless, you think you only saw them acting out scripts and dialogues. These are real stories, these are not teleseryes or telenovelas. I know there are still a lot of celebrities who are just finding the right time to become more open in the idea of adoption, some may have adopted kids but are not yet ready to disclose it to the public. But, I hope in the near future they will also be able to declare their love for their adopted kids.

By Catherine Cenal