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Ian
Veneracion is all man. Between the lean, well-toned
body, the goatee and the hot pink shirt, he has come
full circle. From playing the Santo Niño at the age of
five, to becoming a teen hunk, action star and a
dramatic actor, Ian is now the father of three kids:
Draco, Deirdre and Duccio.
Married
for nine years now, Ian enjoys the perks of being a
father. When a show has wrapped up and he has the free
time, he bonds with his kids by painting or enjoying the
outdoors. “We all love to paint. My father is a painter
[the renowned modern abstract artist Roy Veneracion], I
paint as well. So when we’re in the house, we paint. But
the kids really love swimming, whether it’s the pool or
the beach.” Just this summer the family went snorkeling.
“I really love the outdoors. I just came back from five
days of fishing in Cagayan,” he opens up.
Ian is
also engaged in extreme sports like sky diving and motor
cross. “I took up flying before, and I enjoyed it.
That’s when I shifted to sky diving,” he says. He
wouldn’t encourage his kids to try motor cross, though.
“I injured my shoulder before, and it can’t be brought
back to normal anymore. So I’d discourage them to try
it. Sky diving’s okay.”
KIDS IN
SHOWBIZ
IF he
had his way, Ian wouldn’t let his kids join show
business either. “I want them to enjoy their childhood,
and that they choose their own career paths to take. So
when Draco goes with me to my shows and he gets bored,
that’s great for me.”
Eldest
son Draco, who is turning nine this year, was with his
father during the interview. Inheriting his parent’s
good looks, it almost seems impossible for him to not
follow in his dad’s footsteps. Although a bit shy when
talking to people, Draco was all smiles for the camera.
Asked what he enjoys doing with his dad, he answers,
“Playing golf, hiking and fishing!”
Ian
shares a funny anecdote when he and Draco had a taping
for a talk show. “We’d been waiting for a couple of
hours and he said, ‘Dad, I’m bored.’ I told him, ‘Hey,
you’re being paid here. Actors are paid to wait.’ So he
said okay and waited. The next day I had to pass by
somewhere to buy something and I told him to wait for
me. When I came back he told me, ‘Daddy, I waited for 30
minutes. I’m an actor, I’m being paid. You should pay
me!’”
Now in
third grade, Draco has a label for his dad’s fans. Says
Ian, “When we go out and he notices people would come up
to have a picture taken with me, he says, ‘There’s the
Ian Veneracion people,’ because they’re the ones who
say, ‘There’s Ian Veneracion!’”
STILL
LEARNING
IAN
admits that his lovely wife, Pam, is the strict one in
the family. “Ako ’yung mas makulit.” To this,
Pam—who happily lets her boys take the
limelight—answers, “Naku, oo. Kailangan, eh.
Makukulit!”
Ian
fondly remembers the first time he became a father. “Of
course, nakaka-insecure. You worry about not just
yourself anymore, your job, your finances, your
stability. You now worry about your kid. When it was
just me and Pam, it’s okay. When the work was slow, we’d
just tighten our belts. But when you have kids, it’s
different.”
Ian
quickly learned that fatherhood is a learning process.
“It wasn’t a sudden realization. Up to now, I’m still
learning to be a father. It goes on until you get old.
As they say, you never stop being a father, even when
you already have grandkids.”
“My
upbringing with Draco is different with my daughter
Deirdre, who is six, and now with Duccio, the youngest
boy [10 months old],” Ian says about learning from his
kids. “During that time it was different, I knew less.
Even if you read books on parenting, although that helps
a lot, it’s still different when you’re actually doing
it. So I think I learned a lot—and I continue to learn.”
LESSONS
FROM HIS FATHER
NOW that
he has experienced fatherhood firsthand, Ian wishes to
pass on his father’s teachings to his own children. “My
father was always very encouraging. He would always
support me in whatever I chose to do. That was a big
thing for me. So that’s what I tell my kids also, that
you can be good at anything you choose to be good at.”
Ian
recalls how his father, being an artist, let him learn
the ropes on his own. “He let me be, let me experiment.
Hindi siya ’yung pangungunahan ka, ‘No, it’s not
like that, ganito ’yan.’ For my dad, it was
better to learn on your own. That’s also what I want for
my kids.”
DREAMS
FOR HIS KIDS
IAN,
just like any parent, dreams only the best for his
children. “I’d support them in whatever they choose to
pursue. I just hope he [Draco] doesn’t decide to become
a drummer for a rock band. I mean, I love music. I used
to play the guitar. But if he wants to take up music, he
should go to the Conservatory of Music, say, in
Berkeley. He should take it seriously. Whatever my kids
choose, wherever their passions take them, they should
pursue with all their heart.”
Draco
only has a short message for his dad for Father’s Day.
“I love you,” he tells Ian as he stretches on the sofa
looking straight into his father’s eyes. Watching them,
one is certain that Ian Veneracion—child star, action
star, dramatic actor, visual artist, sports
enthusiast—does best the most important and most
challenging role in any man’s life.
Being a
father.
Credits: Ian Veneracion and son Draco photographed by
Nonie Reyes at the Crown Club Lounge. Special thanks:
Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila, Ortigas Avenue corner
Asian Development Bank Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines;
Cherryl Arnold, public relations manager, Crowne Plaza
Galleria Manila |
