MARICEL Laxa-Pangilinan is a picture of bliss and contentment. She can deliver dramatic lines and still be an effective comedienne in movies and sitcoms. Two years ago, she was a cooking host for Knorr on ''Katok Mga Misis.'' For a while, she was a mainstay on soaps ''Mula sa Puso'' and ''Marinella.'' These days, however, her acting career temporarily takes a backseat to her roles as mom and wife. Let's take a look at her more personal side.

Ela Pangilinan (daughter, two years old):

''My Mom likes to watch me while I'm feeding my dog. We paint together. We painted my room. Instead of curtains we drew pictures on the windows. On the board, in my Mama's room, I can use different colors. I surprise her with my drawings.

''I enjoy cooking pancakes every Saturday morning with her. She lets me help. I cut and mix the ingredients.

''She's my yaya because we're always together.''

Anthony Pangilinan (husband):

''We have two kids, Donny and Ela, and a third one coming up, but what's unusual about Maricel is that she refuses to do the 'mothering' on her own.

''And, during the filming of her movie, 'Minsan Lang Magmamahal,' she breastfed on the set. Her director, Joey Reyes, had to stop shooting whenever it was time to breastfeed the baby.

''Both of my kids are lactose intolerant so she has to avoid certain foods so her milk is not contaminated. She doesn't eat shrimp, anything malansa, spicy foods and citrus fruits because they go to her milk. That's the sacrifice she has to make--she goes on a diet for her kids.''

''I love her perseverance and her spontaneity. In spite of the pressures of 'mothering' and an insensitive husband, she never quits. I'm a go-getter, some people will retreat if I'm too busy, but she pursues me. She wants to spend 'quality time' with me. She speaks her mind if she wants me to be there for her. I'm also a planner but she's more reactive and spontaneous with her responses. That's what I need in my life.

''We fight about time, that's the superficial thing. But I think we're really fighting about attention. That longing for intimacy in relationships. Most couples argue about the men being too busy. Sometimes I like it when Maricel protests with gentleness and love. It's very hard to ignore her. Her greatest achievement so far is building our relationship and raising our kids.

''She loves it when I go home and bring her bread--any type of bread. She also doesn't mind if I bring her a pink rose. The pink rose sealed our relationship when I was still courting her. Now it is an affirmation of my love.''

Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano (sister-in-law):

''Maricel has never been demanding. Everytime she has problems, she comes to me. She's my sister-in-law but there should be no distinction. Once she becomes part of the family, she becomes my sister and I treat her as such. When her cash flow is tight, I lend her money because when our cash flow naman is tight, they (Anthony and her) lend me money.

''When she has a disagreement with Anthony, I just happen to call her. And she rebukes me when I'm wrong. We have a very trusting and open relationship. It's like when you're small and you can just go up to your kalaro and say: 'Pautang naman o' or 'Bati na tayo.' Our relationship is like that because, as her manager and sister, I know and feel that we have the same values.

''Anthony is the 'house' person because he likes to clean the house and put things in order. Maricel is into hi-tech stuff. She is good with computers and she loves fixing things. She's also a good cook.

''I think the greatest gift that she has given her family is that she has opted to spend more time with the children. She has turned down a number of movie offers and I respect the fact that she wants to be a full-time housewife.

''I know that Maricel's pregnancy right now is a bit unusual. She wanted a particular brand of strawberry ice cream and Anthony came home with a different brand. Hindi pumayag si Maricel and they really had an argument over that. Sabi ni Anthony, pareho lang naman na strawberry ice cream yon, but Maricel insisted that she wanted that ice cream, nothing else.

"Dati hindi naniniwala si Maricel sa paglilihi because she never went through that with her two pregnancies. Now, naglilihi siya sa iba't-ibang fruits and when she wants a particular type of mango, she really wants it!

"Once, she came to my house, and ate 'cookies n' cream' ice cream, and she liked it. Now, she has to eat 'cookies n' cream' ice cream everyday!