MANILA, Philippines — Alfred Vargas wished his mom lived to witness how he kept his promise to her to finish graduate school.
The actor-turned-politician recently graduated from University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) with a Master of Public Administration degree. He said it’s not just a dream come true but a “promise fulfilled” to his late mom, lawyer Susana “Ching” Vargas, who died of cancer in 2014.
“This is a big deal for me because when I graduated from Ateneo (A.B. Management Economics) in 2002, instead of going to law school, I directly went into acting. My mother was a lawyer, medyo bumigat loob niya, medyo nagalit siya sa akin, nagkaiyakan pa kami nito before,” he recently said in a virtual interview.
“My mom said, especially when she saw me in (GMA 7’s) Encantadia, ‘Sige, OK lang, kahit di ka na mag-law school anak, just promise me you will pursue graduate studies.’ I promised her that in the year 2002, when I entered showbiz, when I was starting. Then, now in 2021, this is a promise fulfilled to my mom.”
According to Alfred, it was a struggle to finish his Masters, which got delayed after several leaves of absence due to the passing of his parents and whenever he joined the elections. His recent virtual graduation became an emotional and proud moment for him as he remembered his late parents.
“Because my mommy, UP siya nag pre-law, Political Science, then Ateneo siya nag-law… So when we were singing UP Naming Mahal at saka nanunumpa na ako, that was when I became emotional. I couldn’t help but cry because super sayang, I hoped my mom was still around. Also, daddy ko, I hoped they were alive to see this. But I’m still very, very grateful,” he said.
Alfred is also very thankful to his wife Yasmine for his latest personal milestone. “I’m really, very lucky with my wife. She’s a homemaker talaga and very hands-on siya (with our three kids) that’s why I can focus on things like public service, studies, businesses because alam ko nasa mabuting kamay, pangangalaga yung mga anak ko.”
Meanwhile, Alfred revealed his plans for next year, saying he’s going to take a break from running for public office and resume full-time his showbiz career. He entered politics in 2010 as city councilor and eventually elected as representative of the fifth district of Quezon City. Currently, he considers himself as a “part-time” actor. He has a short stint in the new GMA 7 series Legal Wives as the brother of lead star Dennis Trillo.
“Papahinga muna ako (from politics) kasi na-miss ko rin talaga ang acting and medyo napagod din ako. I think I did more than enough… I think I’ve offered the prime of my life and I’m proud of my body of work. Just want to focus on acting, business and family — looking forward to it,” the 39-year-old said.
He also plans to pursue doctorate studies in urban planning in 2022.
Meanwhile, Alfred has some advice to people from showbiz who are looking to throw their hat into the political ring in the 2022 national elections.
“I’m always happy everytime I hear of actors or people from the world of showbiz who want to do public service. Because for me, as long as you’re Filipino and you want to serve, that’s your right. You have every right, okay? But it has to be 100 percent. 99 percent sure will not cut it out. You must be 100-percent sure that you really want it. Otherwise, it’s going to be difficult.
“Dedication and commitment have to be there. Bilib ako kasi maraming artista ang magaling na public servants, di ba? Sila Vilma Santos, Mayor Isko (Moreno), madami, sina Sen. Bong Revilla. Naniniwala ako at nagtitiwala ako sa kayahan ng artista namumuno (I believe and trust in the capability of artists to lead).”