After laying low for quite some time, Charice’s mom, Raquel Pempengco, appeared on the TV5 talk show Showbiz Police on December 21 to tell the public how she feels about being estranged from her daughter.

“Nalulungkot siyempre, lalo na’t nasanay ako na nasa tabi niya, nasanay ako sa pangako niya na siya’y magiging gabay ko pagdating sa katandaan ko (Of course, I feel sad, especially since I've gotten used to being by her side, I've gotten used to her promise that she'll be there for me when I reach old age),” PEP.ph quoted her as saying.

“Pero, hindi pala talaga lahat ng pangako ay matutupad (But I guess not all promises come true.).”

In her grief, Raquel confessed that she sometimes just wants to disappear. “Gusto ko talagang magtago, gusto ko… Kung tutuusin, gusto ko lumayo. Pakiramdam ko, ako lahat ang sinisisi ng mga tao (I really just want to hide, I want... In all honesty, I want to go far away. I feel like everybody's blaming me),” Raquel says.

“Minsan nga, sabi nila dapat ako na lang… nawala na lang ako. Maglaho kaya ako (Sometimes, they tell me that I should have disappeared instead. Should I just leave?)?”

In the same interview, Raquel also disclosed that she recently sold her house in Tagaytay, which Charice bought for her as a gift, due to financial constraints. She added that she has not been on good terms with her daughter ever since the pop star publicly admitted that she was a lesbian. Her relationship with her own mother, Teresita Relucio, also seems to be constrained due to the latter’s allegations that Charice tried to commit suicide.

“Siguro, kung nasaan man ako ngayon, siguro iisipin ko na sana nasa heaven na ako ngayon (Maybe, wherever I am right now, maybe it's better for me to think that I'm in heaven).”

“Dahil mas mabuti sanang pinatay na nila akong dalawa, kaysa ako ang pinahihirapan nila sa gitna (Because it would have been better if they had killed me instead of making me suffer like this.).”

“Dahil, pareho silang kadugo ko na nagbibigay ng sakit at sugat sa puso ko (Because, they're both my relatives, and they're inflicting pain and leaving a wound in my heart.).”

In a message to Charice, Raquel says, “Katahimikan. Kung siya’y masaya na sa piling ni Alyssa [Quijano], huwag niya nang banggitin pa ang pangalan ko (Peace. If she's happy in Alyssa [Quijano]'s arms, she shouldn't mention my name ever again.).”

(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)