Twenty-eight years after losing her firstborn, comedienne Pokwang opened up about how the tragedy shaped her, saying that nothing in her life has ever hurt more — or made her stronger.

"Wala na talagang masakit sa akin kundi yung namatayan ka ng anak. Kaya kahit na ano pa ang ibato ninyo sa akin, wala nang sasakit pa roon bilang ina. Namatay siya nang wala ako sa tabi niya. Kaya kapag nalalagay na naman ako sa intriga, iniisip ko na lang na nalampasan ko nga yung pagkawala ng anak ko eh. (Nothing really hurts me more than losing your child. So no matter what you throw at me, there's nothing that hurts more as a mother. He died without me being by his side. So when I'm caught up in the intrigue again, I just think that I've gotten over the loss of my child)," said Pokwang during an interview on "TicTALK with Aster Amoyo" on YouTube.

Long before Pokwang entered showbiz, she was a domestic helper in Abu Dhabi when she learned that her son had a congenital brain ailment. Her employer forbade her from coming home, stating it would breach her contract. Her son passed away without her by his side, a situation she described as traumatic and painful.

Pokwang added, "Yun na ang pinakamasakit. Kung ano man ang mga nangyayari sa akin, ipinagpapasalamat ko pa rin iyon dahil hindi ako kinakalimutan ng mga tao. (That's the most painful thing. No matter what happens to me, I'm still grateful because people don't forget me.)"

In the same interview, Pokwang opened up again about her failed relationship with American actor Lee O'Brien. They were a couple for seven years beginning in 2014, but they were never married. Lee was deported in 2024. She shared that finances were one of the reasons for their breakup.

"Pera. Blessings ang pera. Nagdarasal nga tayo para magkaroon tayo ng pera. It's how you handle fame and money. Minsan kasi, kapag sumosobra tayo sa sikat at nagkakaroon tayo ng pera, nagbabago. Hindi dapat. Magbabago ka dapat for good. Hindi para sa ikasisira ng pamilya. Nagdarasal nga tayo na makaroon ng pera, di ba? Hindi ko naman talaga sinisisi ang pera dahil nasira kami. It's how you handle it. Pera ko 'yun eh. Pinagpaguran ko ’yon at recipe ko ’yan. Hindi lang talaga maganda kung paano ito na-handle. (Money. Money is a blessing. We pray for money. It's how you handle fame and money. Sometimes, when we overdo it with fame and we have money, things change. It shouldn't. You should change for the better, not toward the destruction of the family. We pray to have money, right? I don't really blame money for ruining us. It's how you handle it. It's my money. I worked hard for it, and it's my recipe. It's just not really good how it was handled.)"

"Dumating yung point na parang hindi nai-inform sa mga nangyayari. It's my right to know kasi corporation kami eh. Dapat nga hindi na ako magtatanong, eh. Kusa na lamang sila mag-a-update dapat. (It's come to the point where it seems like I'm not being informed about what's happening. It's my right to know because we're a corporation. I shouldn't have to ask anymore; they should just update on their own.)"

"Then I questioned (the transactions). It's my right. Nagalit siya. Feeling niya, nanloloko raw siya. But it's not about the negosyo lang naman. Nagbago na rin yung tao. Dati, sabay tayong kumakain ngayon. Wala na. Maganda nga dahil naka-focus tayo sa negosyo. Pero parang nawawala na yung respeto. Kapag wala ng respeto, there's no reason to stay. Importante ang respeto. (He got angry. He felt like he was cheating. But it's not just about business. People have changed, too. We used to eat together, but now we don't. It's good because we're focused on business. But it seems like the respect is gone. When there's no respect, there's no reason to stay. Respect is important.)," said Pokwang, who was recently introduced as the brand ambassador of Purple Yam Homemade Cakes and Pastries. Founder Oyos Mendoza also welcomed the comedienne.

As father to their daughter, Malia Francine, Pokwang says, "Emotionally wala. Financially, mas lalong wala. Ako lahat. Pero ang ganda na rin na wala siyang in-invest na emotions sa bata. (Emotionally, nothing. Financially, even less so. It's all on me. But it's also nice that he has no emotional investment in the child.) Pokwang has another daughter, Ria Mae, 29.

"Sabi ng iba, bitter raw ako at hindi maka-move on. Hindi ninyo kasi alam kung ano ang nangyayari. Hindi ninyo alam kung bakit ako naging ganun. May reason kung bakit tayo nagbabago kasi may mga taong pinagbago tayo. (Some people say I'm bitter and can't move on. You don't know what's going on. You don't know why I became like that. "There's a reason why we change because there are people who make us change," said Pokwang.

On lessons in life, the comedienne said, "Huwag mong ubusin ang sarili mo. Para kapag dumating yung tao na para sa'yo, buong-buo ka. Kapag nagmahal ako, babaeng bakla ako eh. I give my all. (Don't exhaust yourself. That way, when the person meant for you comes along, you'll be completely yourself. When I fall in love, I'm a gay woman. I give my all.)"