In his younger years, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto would shun meeting his father Vic Sotto’s ex-wife Dina Bonnevie, thinking that he might only remind her of the pain caused by his parents. Dina, who already put the past behind her, approached Vico to help him finally let go of the burden.
During an interview with reporter Allan Diones in 2020, Dina shared how she first met Vico, who was only a child back then.
“I remember dinala ni Vic sa bahay. And then, ‘yon. ‘Yong mga maliliit na damit ni Oyo binigay ko sa kanya, ‘yong mga book ni Oyo, nursery books binigay ko, ‘yong mga toy, ang dami-dami kasing toys ni Oyo, binigay ko sa kanya,” the actress recalled. “Tapos parang Vic was saying, ‘Sorry sa nagawa ko, but this is my son.’ Pinakilala niya sa akin.”
Fast forward, Vico grew to be a smart and respectful child, while Dina started going to the same church after patching things up with his mom, Coney Reyes.
“For a while nakikita niya ‘ko sa church, umiiwas siya. Parang he didn’t wanna see me kasi nga parang I’m reminded of the sin. Sabi ko, ‘No, it’s not your fault and it was never your fault so don’t feel that way,’” Dina shared.
To note, it was actually Coney who invited Dina to that church.
“Siguro she was also trying to mend our friendship, asking for forgiveness, so sabi ko, ‘Sige, let’s forgive each other.’ Kasi marami rin naman siguro akong nasabi na hindi maganda about her, siyempre hurt ako. So, we forgave each other,” she shared. “And then ‘yon, sabi niya, ‘You wanna try to come with me to this church?’ So, ayon, nagpunta ako. I didn’t go with her but she invited me. Do’n na na-deepen ‘yong pagiging Kristiyano ko.”
And she has been very proud of her since then; seeing that the former was able to talk about her mistakes and share her learnings in front of their fellow Christians, not to mention being able to raise a good son like Vico.
“Feeling ko, nangyari sa amin ‘yong nangyari sa amin because God is going to use us in wonderful ways. In great ways. Maybe to help other women,” Dina said.
When we see each other, nagbabatian kami
“Past is past,” she went on.
And indeed, their story has become an inspiration when it comes to forgiveness and healing. To note, clips from the said interview are still getting reposted and going viral even up to this day, two years after it was conducted.
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