Camille Villar honors mom’s legacy
Wearing a simple navy blue dress, Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar arrived at the venue where she invited some members of the press for a get-together. She quickly went to each table to say her “hi’s” and “hello’s.”
During the event held at Brittany Hotel in BGC, Camille sat down with the media to answer some questions – about herself, her family, her family’s businesses, and even her time in show business.
Speaking to Manila Standard Lifestyle, the public servant opened up about how her mom, Senator Cynthia Villar, has touched her life and influenced her now that she is slowly building her own family.
Camille had nothing but good words and praises for her mom as she reflected on how well Senator Cynthia had handled motherhood and her career at the same time.
“Actually, when I became a mom and the older I got, I understood and admired my mom, Senator Cynthia, more and more, because when I look at everything that she did, the things that she achieved, and what she did for her family, I realized it took a lot of effort,” said Camille.
The congresswoman also expressed her admiration towards her mom and hoped that she would be able to do what the senator had done for her family.
“And so right now, where I wanna be is like, that if I could be half the woman that my mother was or half the parent that she was, then I would consider myself successful,” she continued.
Camille also shared how wonderful Senator Cynthia, whom she described as her “first role model as a woman”, was in terms of supporting her in whatever she wanted to do.
“My mom was the very first person to encourage me that, you, being a woman or a girl shouldn’t stop you from pursuing anything you want to pursue. So, if you want to study abroad, if you want this kind of career, if you want to work, go for it. You and your brothers should have the same dream. Nothing should stop you,” stated Camille.
“And so, she always pushed me. She always pushed me in school to do the best that I could and then to pursue a career and to build something for yourself. And then when the time came to have a family, she was an excellent example because my mom is a wonderful mother,” she added.
As she reflected on what her mom had done for her and her siblings, Paulo and Mark, the congresswoman sometimes wondered if she could be that same driving force for her two kids – Tristan and Cara. Yet, she thought of Senator Cynthia and her wisdom, and there, she remembered what she had learned from her.
“So now, sometimes when I have challenges about being a parent, I just look back towards how my mom was, and to me, I hear her voice in my head telling me what the right thing to do is or which direction to go. So, I thought that she did pretty well in the three of us,” shared Camille.
Now being a mother of two, Camille went deeper on how her kids had changed her life – from someone who highly thought of herself to someone who wanted to make the world a better place for her children.
“I think it made me a better person. I think before I became a mom, I would really think of just myself…I always thought of myself. And then when I had two kids, almost instinctively, you realize that you have this whole other person to care for,” she continued.
“And I really thank my children for expanding my horizons, for making me a better person, and actually giving me purpose. Because after that, you just want to make the world a better place for your kids. And you want to give them the best life that you possibly can. So, you work harder,” the 39-year-old public servant added.
When asked about her plans for the upcoming Mother’s Day, Camille wanted to keep it simple.
“For me, I really enjoy quiet celebrations. So, I want to spend it with my mom. And at the same time, I want to spend it with my kids and my husband. So, quietly at home. Because you’re so busy now, you really cherish the times that you can just rest and relax at home with your loved ones,” ended Camille.