KIKO PANGILINAN BASKS IN JOYS OF FATHERHOOD
by Leah Salterio, Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 14, 2001

LAWYER Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, a first-time dad with his first-born Frankie, admits he has been losing weight lately.

LAWYER Francis "Kiko"Pangilinan and wife,megastar Sharon Cunetawith Baby Frankie.

LAWYER Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan and wife, megastar Sharon Cuneta with Baby Frankie.

"Dahil sa puyat," the husband of megastar Sharon Cuneta told the INQUIRER during his visit to the office last week.

One is immediately wont to think that Kiko, this early, has been tirelessly campaigning even late at night. As most everyone knows, he is running for senator in the May elections.

But Kiko explains he wakes up every time Frankie cries, even in the wee hours of the morning.

"I don’t get to see her very often during the day because when it’s time for me to leave the house, she’s asleep," Kiko says. "And by the time I get home, she’s also sleeping.

"So the minute I hear her cry at night, I wake up just to see her. Sometimes, I help Sharon change diapers, but more often, I simply like to look at my baby."

Kiko really seems unstoppable when talk centers on his baby. At ABS-CBN, where he hosts a daily radio show and a weekly TV program, "Barangay Dos" (with Karen Davila), Kiko goes around showing every one the pictures of Frankie.

"After four and a half years of being married and two miscarriages, one can only imagine the immense joy we felt when Frankie was born on Dec. 16, 2000, at 4:41 a.m. to be exact," Kiko says.

"Sharon, KC and I were extremely happy upon seeing her and hearing her cry out for the very first time. I probably cried even louder than Frankie."

The scene in the delivery room, where he and Sharon were in tears, and KC was jumping up and down after seeing her little sister’s first moments as a newborn baby, will be forever etched in Kiko’s memory.

"It was an outburst, an outpouring of emotions that was almost magical," Kiko says.

Even now when Frankie is turning two months old, Kiko hasn’t stopped marveling at his baby. He remains in awe at the sight of his first-born.

"It is amazing gazing at little Frankie when she is in my arms, her tiny feet, tiny hands, tiny fingers and toes," Kiko says. "Yet she brings with her a joy so great and happiness that is immeasurable to us who had long awaited her arrival."

Having seen what his wife went through just to have Frankie, Kiko was even inspired to write her daughter on Christmas Day. He shares with us the letter for Baby Frankie.

"I pray, dear Frankie, that you grow up to be a fine young lady and that you acquire your mother’s most admirable traits. Your mother is a beautiful and extraordinary person, strong-willed, generous. She loves with a passion.

"Her dedication and sincerity are traits to marvel about. But most of all, I pray that you acquire the purity of her heart. I also pray that when you grow up, you marry someone like me (ha, ha, ha).

"You have brought so much meaning to our lives, dear Frankie, and I commit my entire being to try my very best to place as much meaning in yours.

"KC is your big sister, Frankie. I pray that you will look up to her and see her as a role model. I can see that she, in turn, will try her very best to be the best ‘Ate’ to you, to take care of you and to love you with all her heart."

When Sharon had to undergo a Caesarian operation for her delivery, Kiko says both he and his wife were afraid of the possible outcome.

"Every husband should be made to sit by his wife during delivery. The experience is a realization of the extreme sacrifice that a woman has to make to bear a child. It is a reminder that husbands should love their wives even more and be more sensitive to them for the suffering they have to go through for the sake of the family."

Kiko knew at that time he had to be strong for his wife.

"I tried my best not to show her that I was also afraid," he says. "As the operation went underway, my fear remained. I was worried about possible complications. I was afraid that something might go wrong.

"The thought had actually entered my mind that the things she was saying at the time the operation was being performed could very well be her last had things gone wrong.

"I was so afraid of losing the single most important person in my life. But I thanked God later that none of that happened. It was a reminder of how much my wife really means to me."