For Chito Miranda, his wife Neri Naig’s arrest and detention was the most trying time in their lives.
When Neri was facing the legal battle, Chito remained by her side. The OPM singer-songwriter confirmed this during his recent guesting in the vlog of veteran broadcaster Bernadette Sembrano.
“I never left her side," he said. "Siyempre there were parts that I wasn’t allowed to be there with her; I'll be outside lang. Tumira ako sa police station for the whole duration. That was around two weeks. I never went home. Hindi ako umuwi hangga’t hindi kami sabay uuwi."
Chito described the experience as “traumatic,” adding that his wife is still in the process of healing.
In the interview with Bernadette, the Parokya Ni Edgar frontman looked back at the band’s early days, admitting that they also had their vices.
“Obviously, we had our share of that kasi nga we started at the age of 17, fresh out of high school, tapos pagdating ng college, tapos we started earning," he admitted. "Wala kaming families, tapos the whole culture ng lahat ng ‘yun. Sabi ko nga andiyan ‘yung andami mong pera, andami mong girls, the drugs [were] just there."
Chito revealed that Neri was the reason he quit that kind of lifestyle which he called "rock and roll."
“I remember nag-away kami ni Neri,” he recalled. “She didn’t want to stop me naman sa lifestyle na ‘yun. Sabi niya, ‘go ahead pero this is not something that I want for me, maganda maghiwalay na tayo while we’re still okay.’ Sabi ko, 'O sige. I’ll go out and hangout with a few girls’ na friends ko rin while I was there sa bar. Nandun lang ako, hindi ako nag-e-enjoy tapos sabi ng friend ko na girl ‘uwi ka na, I know you’re not happy.’ Uwi ako agad tapos sabi ko kay Neri, ‘ayoko na ‘nun, gusto ko dito lang tayo.’”
Chito owes a big part of the changes in his life to Neri, saying that his priorities also shifted when they started building their own family.
“I think malaking bagay na sinagip niya ang buhay ko with regards to where I could have gone and to where I am now,” he said. “With Neri, nag-iba bigla, nagkaroon ako ng priority na maging healthy because may mga anak na kami. I don’t want to leave them na habang bata pa sila, I want to grow old with them and take care of them sa hanggang kaya. So doon nag-base lahat ng decisions ko.”
READ: This is why Chito Miranda believes in ‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’
Moving forward, Chito also revealed his aspirations for his children.
“I just want them to be confident enough na hindi sila mahiya sa mga tao,” he said. “To be kind and at the same time demand respect, parang ganyan. And to be patient also. Kunwari may mga kaklase sila na medyo crybaby, [I tell them] ‘you need to be patient with them.’ I always talk; I never raise my voice.”
Neri was arrested and detained at the Pasay City Jail Female Dormitory in November 2024 for alleged estafa and violations of the Securities Regulation Code.
READ: Neri Naig arrested for securities violations, estafa
In an Instagram post last March, Neri opened up about the experience, calling it a “nightmare.”
READ:Neri Naig recounts experience being arrested for estafa: ‘It was a nightmare’
“Hindi ko talaga inakala na mapapasama ako sa Most Wanted sa Pilipinas,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “Tinawag akong magnanakaw, manloloko, at scammer. Never naman akong nagtago. Palagi nga akong nasa palengke, sa mga talks, at kahit saan pa — I have always been visible, hindi lang sa social media.”