Thanks Dad
Mikki Eduardo and Gummy Carlos answer ‘Questions I’ve Never Asked My Dad’
When Mikki Eduardo proposed to actress Bettina Carlos in October of 2020, he popped the question twice. First to Bettina, then to her eight-year-old daughter, Amanda Lucia (or ‘Gummy’). Luckily, they both said yes.
Fast forward six months later, the family is preparing for an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe about their journey so far helmed by Mikki and with God at the center of it all.
With Gummy’s adorable white dress and Mikki’s HD set-up, it was clear that they had prepared for the occasion, which is always a treat for any interview. Donning identical grins, anyone could see, even through Zoom, that they face situations like this with purpose, intention, and authenticity — just like Mikki's journey to fatherhood.
Mikki and Gummy moved in sync as she hit him question after question with the ease of an experienced interviewer or, better yet, a curious daughter discovering what she's never known before.
Gummy: Dad, how did you feel when you first saw me?
Mikki: I remember that day because I went to your place and I brought Beavis, our French Bulldog. I was super nervous, I don’t know what to expect. Of course, there’s a feeling “I hope she likes me,” “I hope she likes the dog” I know you like dogs.
I was super nervous but after that, we both started to relax and you got comfortable also, you played in the rain with Beavis. After that my anxiety went away because I knew that we would gonna get along.
Gummy: What is your favorite memory of us?
Mikki: Number one is the wedding of course because when I married your mom I also married you. We became an official family. I was no longer Tito Mikki, I became Daddy.
Gummy: What’s the hardest thing about being a dad?
Mikki: The hardest thing would be taking care of a family. Because when I was single the only thing I would worry about was myself, but now you have to think of not just one, not just two, we have a lot of family members.
And making sure the decisions we make will be the decisions that God will be pleased not because of my selfish ambitions, selfish reasons, but it’s for the best for the family. There are decisions that are hard but the sacrifice is worth it. Because that’s what God did for us, He sacrificed for us.
Gummy: What's your goal for me in the future?
That’s tough. Because you’re so talented, you have a lot of skills. There’s a lot of things you can do so whatever field you land on, I know that it’s something you will excel in and something you will do with pride and with excellence and dedication.
But I think more importantly, above all those things, more than a career, I would like you to love and fear and serve God because at the end of the day it is Him you please and our lives belong to Him.
Gummy: Why do you love me?
Mikki: That’s a very hard yet easy question it’s hard because there are too many reasons. It’s easy because you’re easy to love, you’re sweet, you’re obedient, but at the same time, I see God’s grace in you. There’s no particular, singular reason to love a person besides the fact that God commanded us to love everyone.
Even before I said I love you I already did love you. Ask mommy that.
But for you, it’s extra special because you remind me of who God is. You remind me of the love he gave to us and I see what God can be for you and I can see that you’re a person who loves God. Even before I said I love you I already did love you. Ask mommy that.
As the interview winded down to casual chatter, Gummy joined her dad in the Zoom frame and Mikki invited everyone to a short prayer before we ended the meeting. With their eyes closed in solemnity, the pair led a spontaneous prayer thanking me for the time and for their own blessings for the days to come.
Though Gummy and Mikki might not have known each other for all of their lives, it's clear that in these loving acts in service to a Higher Being, they will undoubtedly be a model father-daughter tandem for the rest of their days.
Banner photo from Mikki Eduardo's Instagram page