Despite their family's fame, Aga Muhlach has a special way of teaching his kids about financial management.
Talking to Vice Ganda in an interview on February 4, 2024, Aga relates how his twins with Charlene Gonzalez—Andres Muhlach and Atasha Muhlach—learned to budget their expenses while studying abroad for college.
READ: Aga Muhlach Reveals His Kids' University Allowances
Aga is proud to relate how the twins prudently handled their allowance while studying in Europe—Atasha for her business program at Nottingham in the United Kingdom and Andres for his Arts degree at a university in Spain.
"Akala ng iba, iniisip nila they're rich kids, spoiled kids. No, no, no, no," he said. "Kung anong ginastos nila roon at naubos nila, wala silang kakainin. Hindi sila puwede tumawag sa akin."
Aga continues: "Amin naman siyempre 'yung apartments nila. I mean, everything's there. But 'yung baon nila for food?
"Monthly, I'll tell you, 400 euros [approx. P24,121] and then that became 500 [approx. P30,152]," he explains. "At the most, 600 euros [PHP36,182.65], 36 a month. 36,000 pesos."
Vice also points out that while this monthly budget may be a lot in the Philippines, it's relatively modest in the European countries, especially with the high value of their currency and cost of living.
Agreeing, Aga shares, "Maliit 'yun. So, alam namin. ''Yung food niyo, makibagay kayo diyan," the actor said. "‘Or matuto kayo gumawa ng paraan kung paano kayo gagawa ng pera diyan.’"
READ: How Andres and Atasha Muhlach Dealt with Their School Allowance
Aga goes on to share an anecdote that illustrates how the kids have learned their lesson about applying practical life skills in order to stretch their monthly budget.
"May kuwento nga si Andres, pag-alis namin sa apartment niya [pagkatapos naming bumisita], ilang weeks pa, may pagkain siya, daming stock!" Aga recalls.
"Then one day daw, he went out. And pag-uwi niya, naubos niya 'yung pera niya, then there was no food. Walang pagkain, nagkakalkal siya," he says. "'Tas pagbukas niya sa sulok, may nakita lang siyang peanut butter na naiwan namin. Kinikuwento niya lang sa akin, parang 'Hallelujah!'"
Aga continues: "Kasi wala siyang pambili tapos wala siyang pagkain, tapos madaling araw na. So that's being irresponsible kasi sa kanya. Kasi dapat, 'yung mga groceries mo, i-i-stock mo diyan. Magtipid ka, 'di ba? Magluto ka, mag-ganyan ka. E, napagastos ka sa labas, e, 'di ubos ka."
In a previous interview, Atasha also revealed that she even went vegetarian to save money!
Impressed by the Muhlach siblings' approach to money, Vice acknowledges, "Ibang learning iyon," she notes. "Learning na wala don sa eskuwelahan. And it's very important to learn those things."
Aga concludes by revealing that this practice has shaped his children's responsible habits: "So now, even with them growing up, 'di sila humihingi ng pera. Nahihiya sila." Wow!
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
