Father’s Day 2025: Get to know Dick Arceta, BINI Aiah’s dad

Dick Arceta, father of BINI Aiah, sits in front the “Wall of Aiah” in his restobar in Lapu-Lapu City. | CDN Digital Photo / Daryll Galindo

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Dick Arceta might not be a familiar name to most people, but surely you’ve heard about his daughter, Maraiah Queen Arceta, popularly known as BINI Aiah, a member of one of the country’s most popular pop groups: BINI.

Dick, 56, said that he is a very proud dad and he has no qualms in showing his love for his daughter despite her popularity.

He even allocated a spot at their family-owned restobar in Lapu-Lapu City for the display of fanmail from Blooms (the BINI fandom), which he named “Wall of Aiah.”

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Dick said that he would also play BINI songs on radio or BINI contents on television to entertain fans of the popstar group, who would come to their bar for a visit, hoping to catch a glimpse of Aiah.  Moreover, he has learned to interact with Blooms during their stay at their bar.

“Actually, whenever [BINI] fans come here, we play [BINI content] because that’s what they want,” Dick revealed. “We play these for fans to enjoy.”

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BINI Aiah | Photo from BINI Instagram

Dick admits that he would feel uneasy at times because he still is not used to the popularity that Aiah has gained.

Humble beginnings

The father of two said that he never imagined having a popstar for a daughter.

Dick came from humble beginnings.  This Cagayan de Oro-native worked tirelessly to give a good life to his wife and children – Bryan and Aiah.

He recalled having met his wife back when he was in vocational school taking up electronics.  Mary Louh was in nursing school then.

Although they were enrolled in different schools, fate brought them to a fiesta celebration in Bukidnon where they first met.

“I was wandering around in Bukidnon, where she lived. Coincidentally, I lived near Bukidnon as well,” Dick shared.

In 1990, when he was around 19 or 20 years old, Dick worked as a bartender in Cagayan de Oro.

Through grit and grind, Dick rose up the ranks. He was promoted to supervisor, assistant restaurant manager, manager, and eventually became food and beverage manager at the restaurant where he worked for.

He married Mary Louh in 1992 or after six years of dating and two years after he started to work. Mary Louh was already pregnant with their first child, Bryan, then.

“Actually, [having my first child] changed my plans in life,” Dick shared.

Following the birth of their first child, Dick felt the need to leave Cagayan de Oro in search of greener pasture.

He relocated to Cebu in 1993 and left his wife and child in their province. A year later, he had them join him here.

“I found stable work and was a regular employee in Shangri-La,” Dick said. For 10 years, they rented houses to live in before eventually settling down in a subdivision in Lapu-Lapu City, he recalled.

Barkada-esque Parenting Style

At first, Dick and Mary Louh agreed to only have one child.  But they later on decide to have one more, Aiah.

“In our circle of friends, they all had two children. One boy and one girl. We were the only ones left with one child,” Dick said.

On January 27, 2001, Aiah was born.  She had a 10 year age gap with Bryan, who is now 34-years-old.

Dick said that he promotes a barkada-type parenting at home because he wanted his children to consider him as their father and friend.

“The parenting style that I want is that I am a friend to my children. I am not a strict father,” he said.

He admits that he was a generous father who would always give in to what his children would ask for.  He also worked hard and saved money to take his family out for a holiday vacation.

Dick said that he wanted his family to experience the kind of life that he never had as a child. Having four siblings, Dick said that life was not easy for their family.  He experienced difficulty in getting a vocational school certificate, the reason why he persevered and started to work at 18-years-old.

Life Lessons

Wanting to impart his life’s lessons to his children, he told them that they should already start to work and become self-sufficient when they reach 18, a challenge that Aiah accepted.

“When Aiah turned 18, she left our household,” Dick revealed.

In 2019, BINI Aiah became a trainee for Star Hunt Academy, where she was casted in a girl group that eventually became one of the country’s most iconic pop groups in recent memory.

Dick admitted that Aiah’s leaving their home was not easy for him and his wife.

“Of course, we were concerned as she was just a girl who turned 18 and is now in Manila,” Dick said. Nevertheless, they remained supportive parents.

According to Dick, BINI Aiah’s skills and talents came from both her parents. He said that Aiah is just as wise as he is. But she is to be credited for her success, which is a result of her hard work and determination.

“No one else will dictate the plans of your future but you,” Dick said.

Dick said that he and his wife never interfered in their daughter’s work.  They remained on the sidelines to give her support and advise.

A Popstar’s Dad

Dick said he is proud that he was able to raise his daughter well.

And while he is busy managing their family’s restobar and working as a consultant for some of the major hotels in Cebu, he would always find time to watch BINI concerts with his wife to show his support for Aiah.

“The pride that we felt is indescribable. Locally, we’re already proud of my daughter with our neighbors. But in big concerts, like the one in Araneta, it’s a different feeling to be recognized as one of the parents of a popstar in a pop group the whole country knows,” Dick shared.

With Aiah’s growing popularity and because of their busy schedules, Dick said that having family gatherings is something that would seldom happen these days.  He said that family gatherings would normally happen during the Holy Week and Christmas and New Year’s breaks.

“If we really do miss each other, we’d fly to Manila,” Dick shared. He said that they would spend time with Aiah to help her clean her condo, cook for her and wander outside at night.

And while he is now a popstar’s dad, Dick said that nothing much has changed in his relationship with his children, especially Aiah.

“We understand Aiah’s boundaries. After all, Aiah has contracts with her management. We stop where parents should,” Dick revealed.

Looking back, Dick said that he never imagine having the kind of life and that he now lives.  And he considers having his two children as his greatest achievement.

“In high school, my ambition was to only start a family and find work. That’s it. But raising my children the right way is the biggest achievement,” Dick said.

“Not all parents can raise their children the right way. It’s an arduous process.” he added.