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A Father's Day Series: Sen. Kiko Pangilinan

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<div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749910335976After lunch with a very, very special lady. ❤️🌸🌹💐⭐️💚.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Senator Kiko Pangilinan with wife Sharon Cuneta and kids Miguel, Frankie, and Miel</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p style="text-align:left">Senator-elect <strong>Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan </strong>has a wealth of stories and anecdotes about parenting, and they run the gamut from him being one in a brood of nine children to his own style of parenting, and helping his wife, <strong>Sharon Cuneta</strong>, raise three girls and a boy. To start off, here is one of the more hilarious ones.</p><p>“Back when I was around five years old, and we were still seven kids of what would eventually be nine children, we would hear Sunday Mass at Sto. Domingo church. There was this one Sunday when I was by the side, preoccupied with some toy, I’d guess; and the Mass had ended, and my parents had herded everyone into the car, and my father drove off. It was some time later that I presume they realized they had counted wrong and were missing one son. They headed back to get me, and as family lore is retold during family gatherings, my older siblings still like to tease me that they would have been better off if they had not come back for me.”</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtoQeg7Ar7z/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A5454908.1%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="746" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>“My father was always a strong presence and possessed a domineering, loud personality. His parenting style was to be hands-on, at times breathing down your neck, but with the best of intentions,” Senator Kiko described. ”I vividly recall back when I was running for the UP Student Council, there was an afternoon when I joined some friends to watch a movie. When I got home, he remarked how it was so nice that I had the time to watch a film, and perhaps that’s because, at heart, I was fearful of winning the election.” </p><p>I suggest to Senator Kiko that this was his father’s version of ‘tough love,’ and he agrees, saying that his father was always intense. He recalls how at oratorical contests and sports events, his father would perennially be there for them, cheering them on. And he reflects on the saying that one’s strength is also your weakness; and comments that this could be why his own approach to parenting has always been less ‘in your face’ and more about dialogue and quiet talks. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="925" height="525" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PWNcdxHBVRQ?si=DeyojkvCNKoyOcb1" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p>While dining out together is one of the treasured Pangilinan family traditions—and Kiko reminisces about how this started way back when there was still a Prince Albert at the Hotel Intercontinental—just as important for him is how he makes time for one-on-one lunch dates or dinners with each of the children. It’s his opportunity to give undivided attention to each of the children, have them pour out their hearts, and see him as someone readily available to listen to them as individuals. </p><p>He’s also proud to say that he’s the designated parent when it comes to PTCs (Parent-Teacher Conferences). Kiko said, “In part, it’s because, can you imagine what the PTC would be like if Sharon went to the school? My mother was a school teacher, and I’ve spent some years teaching, so I like to think I have the genetic disposition for value formation and education. I would meet with Frankie’s adviser in New York, and do the same with Miel’s and Miguel’s vice principals. At school plays or performances, we both make it a point to be there, and support them—show that we will make the time to be present for these moments.” </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-6" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiHMGtFubxu/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A6%2C%22os%22%3A6402947.3%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="737" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-6" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs8kwlagLQj/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A5800658.1%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="746" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-4" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtRL_VrALZe/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A4%2C%22os%22%3A5825143.5%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="746" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-4" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749911870143396476286_18397045426016990_7619614367877940400_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>There’s another anecdote about Kiko’s father that he shares with us: “This would be from early on in my political career, and my father had joined me in one of the meetings I was having with the office staff. In his eagerness to be of help, he would talk over me or say something counter to what I was suggesting. Subsequently, I literally had to write him a letter, explaining that I am his son, and I’ll forever be thankful for that, but that in front of my staff, I’m their boss, and he had to respect that. He took the letter very well, and said he understood where I was coming from and agreed with me. I’ll never forget that, how he saw my side, and didn’t make an issue out of it.”</p><p>Asking how his outlook on parenting has changed with each of the children over the years, Kiko made these comments, “The girls do observe that we’re more liberal now, not as strict with Miguel, and they ask if that’s because they were girls. They’re very committed to inclusivity and equality, so I have to be careful with my answers. I tell them parenting is really trial and error, guided by one’s own experiences, and the experiences of one parent will be different from the other. You learn from your mistakes, from previous incidents, and you adjust. But what’s crucial is that with all the adjusting, standards are maintained, and the parameters are consistent.”</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749911997174415707391_18409443301016990_3308806218627232338_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749912023813418139593_18410731990016990_5976989621265490925_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p>Frankie has just completed her degree in Literature and has been writing for years, including unpublished novels. Miel is into illustrations and the fine arts, and Miguel is only 15. But what Kiko likes to remind them is that he himself wasn’t a normal student, or finished on time. His was the life of a working student, so not typical at all. What he stresses to them is that it’s okay to take a year off, to find one’s own pace, as long as one keeps at it and is persistent. Don’t quit, or make excuses; get it done, even if it’s at your own time. There’s life to experience and enjoy, and as Senator Kiko wisely says, “Don’t let academics get in the way of education.“</p><div><br/></div><p>Photos from <strong>@kiko.pangilinan @reallysharoncuneta</strong></p>

<p>In honoring his father's version of "tough love," we also get a glimpse into how Senator Kiko Pangilinan shaped himself to be the kind of dad whose parenting has always been less "in your face" and more about dialogue and quiet talks.</p>

In honoring his father's version of "tough love," we also get a glimpse into how Senator Kiko Pangilinan shaped himself to be the kind of dad whose parenting has always been less "in your face" and more about dialogue and quiet talks.

A Father's Day Series: Senator Kiko Pangilinan and the Reasons Behind His Evolving Parenting Style

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A Father's Day Series: Senator Kiko Pangilinan and the Reasons Behind His Evolving Parenting Style

Philip Cu Unjieng

Published Jun 15, 2025 07:55 AM PHT

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