Katrina Halili shares how she raises her daughter Katie

Peter Andrew Acierto

Push Team

<p>Kapuso actress Katrina Halili couldn’t help but be emotional as she shared how she has been raising her daughter Katie as a single parent. In the recent vlog of Kapamilya star Ivana Alawi where she treated the actress’ daughter to a shopping spree, Katrina expressed the challenges she’s been through.</p><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nRsRCPT0ekI" title="CAN&#x27;T SAY NO CHALLENGE WITH KATIE | IVANA ALAWI" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Katie is Katrina’s daughter with ex-partner Kris Lawrence. Katie was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at an early age and has been receiving continuous therapy since then.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/2024/1/31/katrina-halili-nagluluksa-sa-biglaang-pagpanaw-ng-nobyo-1409"><strong>READ: Katrina Halili nagluluksa sa biglaang pagpanaw ng nobyo</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Katrina admitted that she wasn‘t quite sure how she has been able to balance her time as a mother and as an actress, but she is sure of one person–– her daughter. She maintained that she enjoys her time and has the best of both worlds.</p><p>“Actually, nae-enjoy ko talaga. Kapag wala si Katie, kulang. ‘Di ko masabi paano ko hinahandle, basta kailangan ko siya,” she bared.</p><p>The Kapuso actress recalled that it was when her daughter was two years old when her doctor referred her to a developmental pediatrician, brought about by the observation that Katie wasn’t making eye contact–– one of the signs of ASD according to Cleveland Clinic. </p><p>After learning about her daughter’s diagnosis, Katrina didn’t hesitate to put her through therapy as she knew it would improve her condition. Up until now, Katie is getting therapy as revealed by Katrina in the vlog.</p><p>“Kasi ako, kung ano ‘yung makakatulong, bakit hindi? Wala akong inisip na masama. Sobrang laking help nung mga therapy,” she added.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2025/2/26/katrina-halili-opens-up-about-raising-daughter-with-mild-autism-1236"><strong>READ: Katrina Halili opens up about raising daughter with mild autism</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>She also revealed that she didn’t sign a contract with GMA for three years to give priority to her daughter. Despite being a non-contract artist, Katrina maintained that she was still accepting acting gigs but just didn’t want to be tied down.</p><p>“Hindi naman totally nag-stop. Hindi ako nag-sign ng contract sa GMA for three years, pero tumatanggap ako ng show. Kaya hindi ako nag-sign para pwede akong mag say no kapag sinabi kong no. ‘Yung contract kasi kapag dire-direcho, hindi pwede. Pag nag no ka, babawasan ka,” she explained. </p><p>For Katrina, showing affection is one way to help her daughter express herself more as well. She revealed that she wasn’t affectionate towards her mother when she was growing up and felt awkward with showing affection, which was why she wanted to raise Katie differently.</p><p>“Ako kasi hindi ako sweet sa mama ko, tapos gusto ko man maging sweet, hindi kasi ako lumaking sweet kaya nahihiya ako. Dahil ayokong lumaki ‘yung anak ko na kagaya ko na nahihiyang mag pakita ng affection… Gusto ko wag siyang mahihiya. Gusto ko ako ‘yung love niya,” she said. </p>

<p>Katrina Halili shares how lucky she is with her daughter, Katie, who was diagnosed with ASD.</p>

Katrina Halili shares how lucky she is with her daughter, Katie, who was diagnosed with ASD.