Juancho Triviño, Joross Gamboa reshape fatherhood with openness and affection
As millennial fathers, Juancho Triviño and Joross Gamboa navigate fatherhood with a foot in the past and eyes focused on the present.
While the world grows more progressive and fast-paced, Triviño holds tightly to his father’s traditional values—above all, the sacredness of family occasions.
“He’s traditional in the sense that he wants the family to be complete every Sunday, birthday, and holiday. And that’s something I still want to observe, now that I have my own family,” he told Lifestyle at a press conference for GMA 7’s new action drama “Sanggang Dikit FR.”
Triviño described his father, Greg, as a “saktong disciplinarian.” “Things were definitely different during our time,” the 32-year-old actor said.
But while keeping with tradition is important, Triviño said, there’s a need to distill what we’ve learned from our parents and retain what’s good while aligning with current realities and expectations.
“It’s about reflecting on what we’ve experienced, figuring out what does and doesn’t work,” pointed out Triviño, who has two children—Alonso, 3, and Agnes, 2—with his wife, Joyce Pring.
This way, his father’s teachings live on, but through his own perspective as a modern father. “Today, the goal is to discipline with understanding, so our children learn without harboring resentment,” he said.
Like many fathers of his generation, Gamboa’s father, Natoy, wasn’t the showy or overly affectionate type. “Men don’t cry. Men must keep their feelings in”—that was the stereotype. It built an emotional wall that the actor spent years chipping away at—and one he finally managed to break through.
“My father used to be emotionally reserved. Naiilang siya sa expression of love,” he told Lifestyle.
Gamboa didn’t want to end up like those who mourn lost loved ones with regret, haunted by words left unsaid like “I should have said this, I should have said that.” So one day—prompted, curiously enough, by a TikTok challenge—Gamboa decided he was going to say what he wanted to, deflection be damned.
“There’s this thing on TikTok that lists questions you should ask your parents before they’re gone. It turned out to be a great bonding exercise. I’d initiate it during vacations or family get-togethers. We’d often end up crying in the end,” the 40-year-old actor said, laughing.
Media-savvy
It worked—his being social media-savvy paid off. “Now we’ve become more vocal when it comes to showing love and respect for each other. Now he tells me he’s proud of me,” Gamboa said. “We’re quick to forgive and we appreciate the little things.”
“It may be a small, awkward thing at first, but it’s a good kind of release,” added Gamboa, who’s just as affectionate with his two kids, Jace Kyler, 7, and John Kody, 6, alongside his wife Katz Saga. “I do the same with my kids. I make sure to make them feel loved, always.”
His father, Natoy, is “a cool dad.” He taught Gamboa how to play basketball—a memory he holds dear—and even befriended his friends. Gamboa also credits his humor and sense of diskarte to Natoy. But he’s not perfect by any means—something his father readily acknowledges. And Gamboa respects him for that.
“He just tells me to emulate the good things he has done, and avoid the same mistakes he made,” Gamboa said.
As actors, Triviño and Gamboa follow very irregular work schedules, especially when in the thick of a teleserye grind like in “Sanggang Dikit FR,” which airs Monday to Friday at 8:50 p.m. But with the support of their respective wives and families, quality time together is always possible.
You just have to be more intentional with how you manage your time, Triviño pointed out.
“We don’t have a 9-to-5 job, but we make it work. I try to be with them as much as possible. Joyce and I have a wonderful dynamic. We share responsibilities and cover for each other,” he said. “With the right partner, all these things become much easier.”
Gamboa is lucky to have parents who will gladly watch their grandkids when needed. “My parents love bonding with their apos. Sometimes, they will go to the park to exercise and play together,” he said.
And really, he said, it’s all about defining your priorities—family is definitely at the top, next to faith in God. “When you know your purpose, everything becomes light and easy. The love just follows,” he said.
