Young Kylie Padilla (Erenea)'s photos as a young girl in Australia

Here is an archived article from Tatak, about Robin Padilla and his family life in Australia as narrated by his mom Eva. In photo is Kylie, a young girl now an action star in her own right portraying the role of Erenea in Joaquin Bordado.

MOMMY EVA VISITS HER SON'S NEW HOUSE IN AUSTRALIA

Home Abroad

For some seven years now, Robin Padilla's family—wife Liezel Sycangco and children Queenie, Kylie, Zhen-Zhen, and Ali—has been based in Queensland , Australia . He went to visit them there in November last year. With him was his mother, Mrs. Eva Cariño-Padilla.

“Papunta't pauwi, sabay kami ,” says Robin's 69-year-old mother, who's fondly called Mommy Eva in showbiz circles. “ Nandoon kami noong piyesta ng patay . Naalala ko kasi ‘yong mga bata , nag -makeup-makeup pa ng mga Halloween. Naglalaro sila .”

Mommy's Eva's visits lasted three weeks. “ Dumalaw lang talaga ako ,” she smiles. “Kasi ang tagal ko nang hindi nakikita ang mga apo ko . Tuwang-tuwa ang mga bata . Wala kaming ginawa kundi mamasyal .”

It was also Mommy's Eva's first time to see Robin's newly built house at the Gold Coast, a 15-minute drive from the bungalow the Padillas used to live in.

“Ibinenta nila ‘yong dati ,” Mommy Eva tells YES! “ Tapos, itong bago, ‘pinagawa nila . Siguro, mga dalawang taon din itong ‘pinagawa. Nasa loob ito ng village.”

Mommy Eva adds, beaming: “ Ang ganda-ganda . Mas malaking di hamak sa dati . Doon talaga napupunta ang pinaghihirapan ng anak ko . Kaya kita mo naman, kung minsan ang payat-payat na nga anak ko, hindi ba ?”

You can't blame Robin. For his wife and children, he really wants to give nothing less then than the best.

While in Queensland , Mommy Eva took souvenir shots of her son's new house. Luckily for YES!, she has become agreed to share these photos with us.

As far as she can tell, says Mommy Eva, her son and daughter-in-law have a good thing going: “ Sa nakita ko sa kanilang mag-asawa doon ay okey naman sila . Sweet naman . Alam mo naman ‘yong dalawang ‘yon . Minsan sweet, minsan may tampuhan . The same story. Ang anak ko naman, walang bukambibig ‘yong kundi : “ Pamilya ko, pamilya ko .' At saka , si Robin talagang napaka -ideal-father. Talagang maaaring matawag si Leizel na he's a good husband. ‘Yon nga lang , siyempre ‘yong fling-fling, alam mo naman sa showbiz … Pero napaka -family-man niya . Ang responsibilidad niya sa pamilya , talagang… kahit para siyang kalabaw . Gusto niya, lahat maibigay sa pamilya .”

Robin's newly built two-story house stands on approximately 800 square meters of land, according to Mommy Eva: “ Ewan ko lang ‘yong sukat ng floor area niya, pero malaki . May lugar para sa halaman , kaya umiitim si Robin, gawa ng nagga -garden siya pag nandoon . Katulong niya si Kylie. Nagpipiko ng lupa. Parang lalaki kasi ang isang ‘yon .”

“Malapit na iyan sa may swimming pool, says Mommy Eva of this food nook.

The Padillas' backyard swimming pool overlooks this lake. In fact, all the houses in the village have a view of this lake from the back. “ Kasi, yong village na ‘yon , paikot siya ,” Mommy Eva says. “ Lahat ng bahay , nakapaikot sa lake. Ang ganda-ganda !” She doesn't know if the lake is man-made: “ Dati daw, puwede kang mamingwit ng isda doon , pero meron daw nakapasok na shark galing sa Gold Coast. Hindi ko alam kung paano .”

Asked how many rooms there are in Robin's house, Mommy Eva starts counting: “ Apat sa itaas , ‘tapos may family room din sa itaas . Sa ibaba , dining. Then meron pang isang sala na informal, ‘ tapos merong formal sala, may formal dining din . ‘ Tapos, sa likod , may swimming pool.”

Gray stone slabs set against white pebbles create drama in this walkway on one side of the house. From the gate, you can go straight to the backyard using this walkway.

Third child Zhen-Zhen and second child Kylie, in their grade-school uniforms, pose on the platform that serves as the family's view deck for the lake. Mommy Eva admits she has a hard time understanding her grandkids' Australian accent. “ 'Pag nag-uusap, ang bilis-bilis !” she recalls laughing. “ Ako naman : ‘What? Please be clear, I cannot understand. ' E, alam mo naman sa Australia , di ba ? “ Ang ‘today' nila , ‘to die.' … ‘Hey, Lola, why you're so pretty today?' Akala ko, mamamatay ako, kasi to die daw .”

Robin's family in the kitchen for breakfast: (L-R) Leizel's mom Fency Goldberg with the youngest and only boy, Robinhood Fernando or Ali, 4; Rose Elizabeth or Queenie, 13; Mommy Eva; Kylie Nicole or Kylie, 12; and Sherileen Zel or Zhen-Zhen, 11.

Ali, Kylie, and Zhen-Zhen by the lake. Mommy Eva recalls how the kids gave her and Robin a grand welcome last November: “From Sydney , nag-domestic-flight muna kami papuntang Brisbane . From Brisbane , magba -bus ka. So, ihihinto ka na lang doon sa harap mismo ng village. Lalakad na lang kami ni Robin papasok sa loob . Naku, noong makita na nila kami , Diyos ko , talagang sigawan na, takbuhan, yakap, iyak . Talaga namang napakalambing na bata .”

“Sa may Gold Coast ‘ yan ,” says Mommy Eva of this photo. “ Ang aamo ng mga ibon . Pinapakain ko sila . Pelicans daw ang tawag sa mga iyan .”

“'Yan naman, sa may mall,” Mommy Eva volunteers. “ Manonood kami ng sine niyan , e . Naghihintay kami ng oras. Hindi ko na matandaan ang title ng pinanood namin .”

“Hindi naman siya spoiled,” says Mommy Eva of the bunso, Ali. “ Pag talagang hindi dapat na ibigay , hindi nila ‘binibigay .” He looks pilyo in the picture, we comment. “ Naku, parang si Robin noong maliit ,” laughs the lola. “ Para kong nakikita si Robin, ‘ yong kalikutan… Ay, takbo nang takbo. Ang kanyang paborito , Spider-Man. Lahat na yata ng klase ng Spider-Man nasa kanya . Iba-iba, ang nakikita ko pang Robin sa kanya , ‘ yon bang artista na siya, maliit pa .”

Kylie is the girl that Mommy Eva describes as parang lalaki : “ 'Yang isang ‘yan , kung ano ginagawa noong tatay, gagayahin . Magga garden—garden din siya …

Nagulat nga ‘yong kaibigan ni Robin na pinapunta niya dito , Diboy ang pangalan . Kasi ang ugali ng mga batang ‘yon, masyado silang mag -entertain talaga ng bisita . E , si Diboy, may mga dala-dala, kinuha nila . Sabi ni Diboy, ‘No, no that's too heavy.' Sumagot itong isa [Kylie] ng : ‘No, no, we are not normal girls.' Nagulat si Diboy, kasi ang bibigat nga, ano ? Sabi noong Diboy sa akin , ‘Mommy, bakit ‘yong anak ni Robin, sabi di raw siya normal girl?' ‘ Kako: ‘Naku, parang mga lalake ‘yan . Mamaya makikita mo ‘yan , boxing, karate…' nako, nakita niya nga, pagdating minsan galing sa school, karatehan na silang mag-aama . Sabi ni Diboy, ‘ Kaya naman pala .'”

These two photos of Queenie, whose full name is Rose Elizabeth, was taken by celebrity lensman Jun de Leon late last year, during a brief vacation in Manila with the whole family. Robin's children all want to be a movie stars like their father, but it's the eldest, Queenie, who has already received her daddy's permission to join showbiz. Thus, the test pictorial, Queenie's first solo shoot, in which she came out looking every inch a star.

Robin's permission did not came without a condition. Queenie has to learn to speak Tagalog first. And that's what she's doing right now, back in Australia . “ Pag tatawag sa akin, nagtatagalog siya ,” says Mommy Eva. “ 'Yon daw ang bilin ng papa niya .”

Queenie is also taking lessons in voice and the martial arts. And, take note, this lovely teen is also into directing. “ Noong nandoon ako, nagdidirek siya ,” laughs Mommy Eva. “ 'Yong mga kapatid niya ang artista niya — sila-sila . ‘ Tapos, bini -video niya .”
At press time, Robin (here with Leizel and Ali) was probably back in Australia . He went to the U.S. for the Las Vegas match between Manny Pacquiao and Mexico 's Erik Morales, then stayed on for a brief vacation. While still in the Philippines , Robin started to make a good his promise to his Muslim brothers-to convert his mansion in Fairview into a mosque and a school dormitory for young Muslim children who have been given scholarships by Robin. Construction was underway at pres time.

“Kung matatapos na nitong June, baka makapagsimula na ng eskuwela ,” says Mommy Eva. “ Meron nang kama ang mga bata . Bale ‘yong dating kuwarto ng mga anak ni Robin, puro double deck na ang laman .”

Robin will continue to occupy the mansion's third floor. “ Doon pa rin naman umuuwi si Robin pag nandito ,” Mommy Eva says. “ Kasi, parang office na rin niya ‘yong bahay na ‘yan .”

It's Mommy Eva, who used to live in that house, who will be displaced. Laughing, she describes herself as NPA: “No permanent address ako.” She stays at various times with her other children: “ Minsan na kay Rommel ako . Madalas., dito kay Rhoda.”

Mommy Eva says she's aware of Robin's dream of becoming an imam, a Muslim priest. She's fine with that. She herself has never stood in the way of her son's sincere desire to help the Muslim community. What she's not comfortable with is when Robin is called upon to serve as a bridge between the government and Muslim rebel groups.

“ Alam mo, maganda ang layunin ng anak ko ,” she says. “ Okey lang na magpaaral siya. Pero ‘yong pag pinapatawag siya para makipag-usap — ay, isipin mo na lang ang kaba ng dibdib ko . Kagaya sa Jolo, pumunta na naman ! Giyera ‘yon , Sabi ko, ‘Ano ka ba , Robin, papatayin mo na ba ‘ko ? Huwag na ‘kako ako'ng isipin niya, mga anak na lang niya . E, ang sabi naman sa akin : ‘ Kailangan nila ako, Mama, e . Saka gusto ko ‘yon , Ma, para ito sa kapayapaan .'”