Father's Day is typically filled with messages of love, honor, and dedication to fathers and father figures around the world. But this year, Nica Del Rosario took a different approach. Nica, a musician best known for her hit song, "Rosas"—and a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community—celebrated by posting a heartfelt speech of her dad.
In a throwback video, Nica honored her father, but it was the LGBTQIA+ community that received the real tribute. The clip shows Nica's dad at Nica and Justine Pena’s wedding giving a speech about his relationship with his daughter and his now-daughter-in-law. In the heartwarming message, he talked about their bond and shared his journey of accepting and loving Nica.
ICYDK, Nica and Justine got married in 2022 in Australia, where same-sex marriage is legal.
"As a father, nahirapan din talaga ako in the first place nung malaman ko [when Nica came out to me]," he admitted. But eventually, he says, love and acceptance came to him naturally as he witnessed the sincerity of love between Nica and Justine.
"Day by day na dumarating si Jus sa bahay, nakikita ko yung sincerity. Nakikita ko yung love between the two of them. Sabi ko, 'Siguro tinadhana talaga sila para sa isa't-isa.' Sino ba naman ako as a father para pigilan ang pagmamahalan ng dalawang tao?" Nica's dad emphasized.
He also proceeded to say with conviction that he doesn’t believe that it is hard to be an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community.
"Di ako naniniwala na mahirap kayo kampihan. Tandaan niyo, kung may mag-ano sa inyo, sabihin ninyo sa akin. Ako ang unang-una na haharap sa kanila," he addressed.
ALSO READ: LIST: Filipino Celebs Who Are Allies Of LGBTQIA+ Community
Nica Honors Father And Shares Lesson of Love, Acceptance, And Coming Out
Nica was also open about the difficulties of coming out as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. In her post, she said that acceptance did not come easy as her parents—especially her dad—struggled with the fact. The situation became even more challenging when she introduced her girlfriend, Justine.
"He tries hard to get used to the change...But he never stopped trying. Both my parents went from not knowing what to do [when I came out] to embracing my wife as family," Nica said in the post.
The musician also shared a lesson about being understanding. "When someone in your life is struggling with accepting who you are, sometimes it’s worth giving them grace and some patience," she shared.
"Sometimes, they will make progress and this progress won’t be linear, but it’s still progress. To some people, acceptance won’t be an instant thing, but if you wait for them, they will get there eventually," Nica encouraged.
ALSO READ: Aww, Mela Habijan's Mother Shares How She Accepted Her Daughter's Transition
