Angelica Panganiban dedicated a heartfelt birthday message to her adoptive mother on February 3.
The actress shared on her Instagram account a photo of her hugging her mother who she calls Okja.
She captioned the photo with a message of appreciation thanking Okja for treating her like a real daughter.
The actress left a lot of netizens in tears with her message that reads:
“Hindi naman na sikreto ang kwento ng buhay natin. Pero hindi ko pa nasasabi sa ‘yo na, salamat. Salamat sa buhay na meron ako ngayon, na hindi ko ipagpapalit kahit pa papiliin ako.
Salamat dahil kahit minsan, hindi ko nagtanong sa sarili ko kung paano ba magmahal ang tunay na ina. Minahal mo ko ng higit pa sa sarili mo.
Salamat dahil hindi ko naramdaman kahit minsan na may kulang sa pagkatao ko. Alam kong hindi ko kayang tumbasan ang pagmamahal mo. Pero, mahal na mahal kita. Lahat ng fats mo, mahal ko.
Happy birthday Okja!”
Some time in 2010, Panganiban found out that she was adopted when she met her father in the United States.
Panganiban’s biological mother died in 2008 and was buried in Singapore.
The actress has also revealed in the past that she already had doubts about her identity, even at a young age.
“Noong high school ako may nagsasabi na sa akin na kilala ‘yong tunay kong nanay… Nag-start na akong mag-doubt [kasi] bakit may lumalabas na ganoon,” she said in a previous interview with ABS-CBN.
She said that she did not hold any grudges toward her adoptive family because they have treated and raised her so well.
“Wala akong naramdamang galit. ‘Yong una kong naramdam nainggit ako kasi hindi pala ako part ng family na kinalakihan ko na parang sa akin ang perfect na ng lahat,” she said.
“Never nilang pinaramdam na iba ako,” she added.
