EJ Laure during the Chery Tiggo Crossovers' practice at the AYSN Sport Center in San Juan City on May 7, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA -- EJ Laure's daughter, like so many kids now, has her own Instagram page. It's managed by her mama and tracks the highlights of Scarlet Cariño's young life.
Here is Scarlet on October 17, 2020, wearing a hoodie bearing the face of a tiger. Here is Scarlet on February 21, 2021, hanging out at a beach. Here is Scarlet on September 17, 2022, in the driver's seat of a Chery Tiggo car.
"Ako na po magd-drive para kay mama papuntang practice," reads the caption. "Pwede na ba, daddy?" Her father -- former child star Bugoy Cariño -- is tagged in the post.
Here is Scarlet, just last April 9. She's wearing a Chery Tiggo jersey and she has a bucket of popcorn on her lap. She's at a game, watching her mother play for the Crossovers. She's turning six in July, and Laure feels that time has passed by so quickly as her daughter has grown up.
"Sobrang bilis niya," she told ABS-CBN News, shortly after Chery Tiggo wrapped up its practice on Tuesday in San Juan. "Tsaka 'yung bigat [niya]. 'Pag kine-carry ko siya, parang 'di na siya kasya."
As a volleyball player, Laure has stronger arms than most. Still, there will come a time when Scarlet will be too big, too heavy even for her. She knows that time might come sooner than she expected.
"Parang tumantanda na rin ako, ganoon," said the 26-year-old volleyball player.
'Chronic shoulder injury'
Laure's pregnancy was known only to a few. In December 2017, it was announced that she would miss the UAAP Season 80 women's volleyball tournament, with University of Santo Tomas (UST) coach Kungfu Reyes citing a "chronic shoulder injury" as the reason.
The statement made by Reyes did little to quell the rumors swirling on social media at that time. Fans openly wondered if there were other factors that led to Laure sitting out the season. Could it be academic deficiencies? Or could she be pregnant?
When Laure showed up at a UAAP game on February 3, 2018 to watch her Golden Tigresses take on the De La Salle Lady Spikers, her right arm was in a sling. She was asked about the speculations on social media, and Laure said: "Tao din naman sila, meron silang sariling opinyon. Hindi ko maiiwasang 'wag sabihin sa kanila na, 'Wag, 'di ganoon.' Sa kanila na rin 'yun."
She also said: " Hindi naman totoo 'yung sinasabi nila. (Pero) nasa kanila na lang 'yun, kung ano ang gusto nilang sabihin. Kasi siyempre, tao din naman sila, may sarili silang opinyon."
Laure decided to lay low for the rest of the year; she initially attempted a 2019 comeback but ultimately decided against it.
"Sobrang hirap pa rin talaga for me na bumalik," Laure recalled now. "Season 80, buntis ako noon… [Season 81] dapat babalik na ako. Pero kasi July ako nanganak, tapos CS [caesarean section] pa."
She was told that her recovery would take three months, but being physically ready for a comeback is not the same as being mentally ready for it. In reality, it took eight months after she gave birth when Laure felt well enough to return to training.
Her grand comeback was supposed to be in Season 82. Laure had trained with the Golden Tigresses, and their fans eagerly anticipated her team-up with her younger sister, Eya. UST made the finals the year before, and there was expectation that they could make a similar run in 2020.
Her UAAP comeback lasted two games, because the COVID-19 tournament cut the tournament short and changed the conduct of sports -- and of life -- for the next couple of years. Looking back at the situation, Laure did not bother to deny her dismay at how it all played out.
"Nakakainis," she said. "Nag-training camp pa kami sa Taiwan no'n. And ayun ... 'Grabe sacrifice ko dito ta's gan'to lang?'"
The tournament ended in March 2020, with UST compiling a 1-1 record before it was officially canceled. Six months later, Laure and Cariño revealed Scarlet to the world.
BINI Iska
Scarlet is her own social media personality now. She is a favorite among fans and Laure's fellow volleyball players, who regularly feature her on their TikToks and Instagram Stories. She's a Bloom, too -- her Tita Eya took her to a BINI mall show recently where she got to meet the members of "The Nation's Girl Group."
"Fan na fan din kasi talaga siya ng BINI. Alam mo, merong event 'yung BINI sa SM North [EDSA], pinuntahan pa talaga namin. Nakipagsiksikan talaga kami do'n," Laure said.
Her mother calls Scarlet an "independent woman." She brings Scarlet to practices sometimes, and she's proud to see that her daughter can fend for herself while she trains. "Kaya niya mag-isa," Laure said. "Minsan nga natutuwa sila [Chery Tiggo teammates] kasi dinadala si Scarlet dito. Kaya niyang magtimpla ng gatas mag-isa, gano'n."
Laure is well aware of the criticisms that were thrown at her when she and Cariño finally posted about Scarlet. She knows what has been said about her and her relationship with Cariño, who was only 16 when she got pregnant. Even now, there are still pointed comments on social media about their age gap.
They announced their engagement in September 2023; a quick perusal of the comments on the Instagram post shows that the general public has not forgotten the circumstances of their relationship.
READ: Bugoy Carino, EJ Laure officially engaged
Laure does not bother to defend herself from those criticisms, only saying that she has come to terms with all that's been said about her.
"Wala naman akong magagawa sa sasabihin nila. It's their opinion, and 'yon, actually grabe 'yung down ko nung mga sinasabi nila sa 'kin," she said. "Pero 'yon, thankful din talaga ako kay Bugoy kasi si Bugoy, siyempre sanay siya sa mga gano'n."
"Sanay kasi si Bugoy sa bash... eh tayo dito, sa volleyball lang naman tayo bina-bash, hindi naman personal life, 'di ba?" she added.
Cariño's advice had been to ignore the bashers, said Laure. "Kay Bugoy kasi ako nakinig na parang, 'Hindi ka naman nila pinapakain so bakit sila makakaapekto sa'yo?' Ang mas mahalaga naman is kung ano kami sa isa't isa and alam ko namang love ako ni Bugoy so 'yun lang naman talaga 'yung importante," she said.
She teared up when she was asked about her critics, but Laure also said she is grateful for them. They have made her stronger. She is not surprised that they have plenty to say about her and her life and has learned not to give them the time of day.
"Nagbabasa pa rin naman ako sa Twitter," she admitted, "Pero, 'Sino ba kayo?' Ganern. Ganoon na lang 'yung nasa utak ko."
A third-generation athlete?
Laure finds there's little time to fire back at her bashers when she is juggling her volleyball career and her family. Scarlet goes to school every morning, at the same time that Laure trains with Chery Tiggo. She is grateful to have plenty of help; Laure credits her grandparents for taking care of Scarlet on weekdays, and Cariño for his constant presence in their lives.
"Si Bugoy, hindi lang siya nandiyan financially. Siyempre 'yung affection, siya din talaga 'yung [nandiyan]. Actually kapag nagagalit ako kay Scarlet, siya talaga 'yung 'Daddyyy,' gano'n," she said.
Laure beamed with pride when she discussed her child's dreams. Scarlet is a budding volleyball player, a dancer, a TikTok star. Laure asks her daughter sometimes if she wants to be an actress or an athlete; Scarlet's answer is all of the above.
"Sinasabi naman niya gusto niya mag-artista, dancer, and volleyball siyempre. Lahat na. Singer din nga eh," she said.
Tita Eya believes that Scarlet can become a third-generation athlete. "Laging gusto ni Scarlet sumama sa training namin," she said. "'Pag may time, talagang nakikita ko din naman na nagwo-walling talaga siya mag-isa. Tapos nakikipaglaro talaga siya, 'Ta, volleyball tayo,' gano'n."
READ: Eya cherishes chance to share court with EJ anew
But if Scarlet becomes an actress, or a dancer, or a singer, her Tita Eya won't be surprised. She sees with her own eyes how Scarlet is supported by her parents in whatever she wants to do. "Walang force na nangyayari," Eya pointed out. "'Yun nga 'yung kagandahan ng parents ni Scarlet, talagang suportado siya kung anong gusto niyang gawin sa life niya, nandiyan lang talaga sila [Bugoy at Ate EJ]."
EJ Laure during the Chery Tiggo Crossovers' practice at the AYSN Sport Center in San Juan City on May 7, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN NewsHer daughter's dreams motivate Laure to keep pushing as an athlete. She does not deny that it's difficult; at some point during her pregnancy, she pondered walking away from the sport. But volleyball is still something that Laure wants to do, and she has found that she does not want to let go of it just yet.
She finds it empowering that she was able to return to the taraflex after giving birth. Laure knows that there is still a stigma about female athletes who get pregnant, particularly if it happens at the peak of their career. But Laure made it clear that she has no regrets about how her family came together -- even if it put a pause on her promising volleyball career, and even if it opened her up to vitriol from strangers.
"Wala naman akong regrets. Parang siguro naging hinga ko siya away from volleyball. Nag-isip-isip din kung ano'ng gusto kong mangyari 'pag wala volleyball. Pero kailangan ko pa rin talaga volleyball. Kaya nandito pa rin ako," she said.
"For me naman siguro, timing lang talaga 'yan. Kasi thankful lang din talaga ako na timing lang na mas maaga, kasi siyempre nakabalik pa ako," she also said. "So paano naman 'yung, kunwari around 30s, parang sobrang hirap na bumalik talaga no'n, honestly naman."
"Siguro, pakiramdaman lang din talaga nila 'yung katawan nila kung kaya talaga nila. For sure naman talaga, kapag maging mother na sila, sobrang mawawala 'yung pagod nila. Sobra."
That Scarlet gives Laure her much-needed respite from the world is clear to those closest to the young mother.
"Si Ate EJ, isa-sacrifice niya lahat [para kay Scarlet], kasi parang for her, si Scarlet is addition sa mga naging kakampi niya," said Eya. "Naging mas masaya si Ate EJ noong nandiyan si Scarlet."
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