Avid local showbiz fans arguably know that Maricel Soriano has a great bond with her niece Meryll Soriano, the daughter of her sister Becbec and host Willie Revillame. They had the chance to appear together in a few movies and television shows many years ago, so their supporters surely missed seeing them together. And they finally got reunited in the latest vlog of the one and only Diamond Star, wherein they had the opportunity to ask questions they never asked each other.

The first one to ask her question was Maricel, who quizzed her beloved “pampangkin” about how she felt when she became a first-time mom. Meryll confessed that she was actually not ready when she had Eli, since she was “in a lot of stress, and at the same time transition.” It was the period when her relationship with her ex-partner Bernard Palanca was on the rocks, which eventually led to their separation.

After having soul-searching by heading to the beach, she underwent ultrasound and heard her baby’s heartbeat on their fourth month, which enkindled her joy and excitement towards the blessing that was coming for her. That was when it finally sank in to her that she’s indeed already a mom. She made amends with her mom, to whom she had a misunderstanding with and found a strong support system with, along with her friends and other family members.

Photo credit planetumeboshi IG

As Maricel is named as one of the cast members of the upcoming Kapamilya series “Linlang,” Meryll asked her how she feels about being back in teleseryes anew. The veteran actress expressed how super excited she is for her forthcoming comeback, around two years after her stint in the afternoon soap opera Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin.

While she wasn’t fully-prepared to be a mom yet when she had Eli, Meryll imparted that she’s comparably more thrilled to have her second son Guido, who she shares with her beloved partner and The Iron Heart co-actor Joem Bascon.

“Ito talaga, sobrang excited. Sobra talaga, kasi kasama ko si Joem, nagmamahalan kayo, ready kayong mag-conceive, ready kayong magkaroon ng baby sa ngalan ng pag-ibig, [sa] edad ko ready na akong mag-settle down, magkaroon ng pamilya. Ang masayang-masaya ako kasi you know it’s out of love, tamang time, tapos ‘yong love story namin ni Joem,” she enthused. And what makes it extra heartwarming for her is that Joem was able to take care of Eli before, so they already had rapport.

She also admitted that she and Joem actually like to have another one, yet it seems not already feasible since they’re focused on attending to Guido.

Being in the industry for five decades, Maricel has certainly experienced being embroiled in controversies or gossips. However, she chose to not let herself be affected by not watching TV nor reading newspapers ever since she began her career.

With regards to the latest reason that made her cry, the 39-year-old actress revealed that it’s her teleserye comeback, too. But Meryll clarified that it was happy tears since she really missed acting so much, and she’s looking forward to give her all for her latest project.

When it comes to the notion of her being “laos,” the Diamond Star stated that she’s actually not afraid to lose her luster because it has been instilled to her since she was a child actress that everything in this world has its end. Thus, an actor must be ready for nobody knows what will happen next. Besides, one must also learn to be grateful with whatever is going to be given to them, as well as to humbly pass on the baton to the next generation of artists.

Aside from her mom, Meryll has a controversial relationship with dad, too. But since both of them are not getting any younger anymore, they’re able to fix it and are definitely closer than before. “I think, masaya ‘yong relationship namin kasi mas less ‘yong expectations namin sa isa’t isa. Ako, ine-enjoy ko na ‘pag may time kami together, talagang tatay ko siya, lolo siya ni Guido,” she remarked.

As her niece quizzed her about the heartbreaking death of her mother Linda Dador Martinez at the age of 65 in 2009, Maricel forthrightly said, “Wala na, patay na ako, parang gano’n. Parang gumuho na ang langit at lupa sa akin kasi si mommy lang ang kakampi ko e. Siya lang talaga ‘yong rock ko. Kaya noong namatay si mommy, parang wala ako rito. Parang hindi ko alam kung dapat pa bang mabuhay? Dapat na bang mamatay? Dapat na bang umuwi? Ano ba ang dapat? ‘Di ko na kasi alam kung ano.”

She eventually learned to accept it, yet the pain was still there. As she considers her as her best friend and her main reason for being, she indeed found it difficult for her to heal and move forward in life. So, she just lived with it.

With regards to her regret in life, Meryll couldn’t think of anything because she firmly believes that she wouldn’t be the person that she is now if not for everything that she went through in life. She expounded, “I think, lahat ng pinagdaanan ko na mahirap, madali, lahat ‘yon kinailangan ko to become this person. May mga lubak, maraming mga lubak, pero I think, kailangan kong pasalamatan lahat ‘yon because of the person that I became. Kasi kung magre-regret ka, parang hahabulin at hahabulin mo lagi ‘yong pangyayaring ‘yon sa buhay mo, and nakaka-down ‘yon. Hindi maganada ‘yon, so move forward.”

Photo credit planetumeboshi IG

Then she added, “And I think, meron kang sense of contentment dahil wala kang regrets. Lahat ‘yon, may ibig sabihin. Lahat ng ‘yon na-turn mo into something – something good [or] something bad – but it’s part of my journey. Kaya no regrets.”

While the 57-year-old actress agreed to her, she commented that she’s likely to edit some parts of her life, which she refused to divulge since it was apparently too personal.

When it comes to her ultimate dream role, Meryll uttered that it’s going to be something that will bring her to Oscars. At the same time, she also wishes to be able to work with her Tita Marya, since the last time that they worked together was in the 2001 ABS-CBN sitcom “Mary D’ Potter.”

If there’s something that brings happiness to her at present, Maricel simply pointed at her cutie pooch Lola and the other one named Bella. She likes it that they’re able to feel her emotions and to simply observe her without judging or asking her questions. In short, she highly appreciates the unconditional love that they’re able to give her.

Apart from the family that she now has, Meryll revealed that one of the happiest things that has ever happened in her life was when she had the opportunity to go to London, which served as a “gateway” for her to value home more and fulfill her dream of finishing college. That milestone also made her realize how much she loves her job at present and let her experience a totally different life, which she wasn’t able to do growing up because she has been under the limelight.

And lastly, when asked how happy she is now, Maricel simply uttered “masaya.” As Meryll quizzed her why, she sarcastically answered, “bakit hindi?”

Watch this vlog to see for yourself the fun and insightful conversation of Maricel and Meryll!