Elmo free at last

He just turned 22, and while he still looks kind of young, Elmo Magalona is making big steps toward independence.

In case you didn’t know, Elmo, son of the late King of Rap Francis Magalona, has moved out of the home he used to share with mom Pia and his seven other siblings and now stays in a place of his own. But he and his mom have an understanding that when Elmo feels lonely or like he misses the rest of the sizeable Magalona brood, he can always come back home. It’s the most ideal arrangement because he is able to maintain his independence, but at the same time, he also has the freedom to come and go as he pleases, or according to the dictates of his schedule.

“To be honest,” says Elmo, “Sa mom ko pa rin ‘yung place na ‘yon, but ‘di siya nakatira doon. ‘Pag late na, or ‘pag di na kaya ng schedule, I go home kasi na-mi-miss ko ang family ko.”

Having lived in a house with so many siblings for years, Elmo admits that sometimes, he misses being around them. With so many brothers and sisters, life in the Magalona household was a perpetual party. “Magulo sa house,” he admits. “Minsan, na-mi-miss ko kasi dati, laging may ate o kuya ako na mag-aalaga sa akin sa house. Now it’s just me.”

And as someone who lives independently, yes, Elmo does his own chores. “Ang pinaka-ayaw ko, maglaba, nakaka-stress!” he laughs, although he does have a washing machine. “Ang ginagawa ko, pinapadala ko ang maruruming damit ko sa house.”

There is, however, one part of his life that his mom Pia is still actively involved in, which is managing his career. It is still Pia who makes the big career decisions, but Elmo sees that changing, little by little, now that he is a young adult in his early 20s.

“I think that’s a big chapter this year. I’m turning 22, and she’s giving me more control. If I have my own opinions and ideas, she allows me to speak up. She’s giving me more responsibility,” he says when the entertainment media caught up with him backstage at an event for one of his latest endorsements. Elmo joined The Voice Kids alum JK Labajo and Pop Royalty Sarah Geronimo as the endorsers of Jollibee’s new delivery hotline, #87000.

We noticed that mom Pia wasn’t with him that day, proving that Elmo is indeed making big steps toward becoming more independent.

But all of this was not something that she forced on him. It wasn’t like, “Okay, you’re an adult and can handle your own life now. Goodbye.”

It was a mutual thing, says Elmo, who is finding that living on his own and being able to make his own personal and career decisions is a welcome thing, because he is learning a lot about responsibility and what it means. It also shows the level of trust that Pia has in the way she raised her children.

“She believes it will help me also. As a mother, she taught me what she can. It’s hard when you have to think of all these things, like paying bills, pero benefit din para sa akin because it will make me improve as a person. Me, I’m the type who likes challenges, and when someone tells me, ‘You can’t do this,’ all the more I want to do it.”

All the pieces of his life are falling slowly into place, with his career (he’s also doing Born For You with Janella Salvador) and his personal life. Elmo is in a good place right now, and the truth is, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer young man. At this time in his life, he deserves all that’s coming to him, and more.