Many of us know that I Can See Your Voice host Luis Manzano has been good friends with Billy Crawford for quite some time after working on several projects together, which include being part of ASAP boy group “Kanto Boys.” Now that both of them already have families of their own, they have remained close and even formed amiable connections with each other’s wives.

And we are able to see it in the latest episode of “Luis Listens,” in which the seasoned host had an insightful and lighthearted interview with Billy’s lovely wife Coleen Garcia mainly about motherhood, marriage, and career. It was their first time to have a one-on-one chat since they used to encounter one another during TV guestings and when they attended special occasions in which their families were both invited.

Their conversation commenced with Luis imparting the noteworthy quote that he heard from a movie he recently watched, which says, “The closest to God’s love is a mother’s love.” The first-time mom definitely agreed to it and conveyed that she actually understood God’s unconditional love deeper when she became a parent.

She then talked about the sacrifices that she and Billy learned and did for their firstborn Amari, disclosing that just like other parents, they were completely hands-on with him, especially in the first three years of his life.

“At my own expense, nawawala na ‘yong time ko for myself, ‘yong time namin ni Billy for each other. I really put Amari before everything, which you know, it has to be a balance pa rin e. Hindi rin pwede na Amari before everything talaga. Kailangan i-prioritize pa rin ‘yong mental health ko, ‘yong relationship namin ni Billy because we need to have a strong foundation pa rin for him also. The sacrifice is there, it’s just so hard to find that balance,” she related.

The actress then recalled what happened on the day that she delivered Amari via water birth at their home in September 2020, sharing that although the said method was already her choice, they agreed to do it at home since Billy wasn’t permitted in the hospital since it was the height of the pandemic and she really wanted to have him by her side as they welcomed their baby boy.

She may be regarded by her fellow moms as an inspiration with regards to being able to attain a fit physique or bounce back to her previous form prior to giving birth, Coleen revealed that it was never a straight path since she also struggled emotionally and mentally during those times. It also didn’t help that she was not able to go out and see her other loved ones and friends for almost three years in order to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus.

“I couldn’t go out because ‘yong guilt ko na paano kung mauwi ko ‘yong virus sa bahay, ‘di ba? So, I really put him first [at] wala talaga akong ginawa. If I had to work out, I work out at home. Pero ‘yong you really have to find the motivation, it’s hard. And siyempre, feeling mo parang doon pa lang, ubos na ‘yong energy mo e,” Coleen shared.

Then she added, “It’s not even the physical energy. For example, ‘yong workouts ko, mas tiring naman mag-work out kaysa mag-alaga ng bata. But the mental, emotional toll that it takes on you, iba rin. Hindi rin masyadong napag-uusapan.”

While other moms perhaps automatically had that euphoric feeling as soon as their child was presented to them after giving birth, not to mention dads like Billy who immediately fell in love with their newborns at first sight, Coleen imparted that it came into her gradually. She confessed falling in love with Amari more the more that she spends time with and gets to know him.

When it comes to their parenting styles, Coleen shared that they have different ways of disciplining and taking care of Amari. According to her, it’s actually Billy who is the strict and authoritative between them, while she is the spoiler and patient one.

Luis also had Coleen play a game in which she had to react to the situations that he gave her through facial reactions. One of the questions thrown at her was if she’s game to have “baby #2,” to which she retorted that both she and Billy actually like to have another one but several years from now. Although she wishes for it to be a girl, she’s still okay with another boy since she thinks that she’s a “boy mom.”

The interview concluded with Amari joining Coleen and Luis and even telling his mom and dad “I love you.”

*Photos credit to Coleen Garcia IG and Luis Listens vlog