Barbie gets candid about Jak, David

by Kathleen a lleMit Philstar.com

BARBIE Forteza teased fans with intriguing answers related to her boyfriend Jak Roberto and onscreen partner David Licauco during her guesting with the latter at yesterday's episode of "Fast Talk With Boy Abunda."

It was the turn of the "Maria Clara at Ibarra" FiLay love team, from their TV characters Fidel and Klay, to take the hot seat in the newest showbiz talk show on TV.

Barbie breezed through the "Fast Talk" segment with non-generic and honest answers.

The actress said that she has no preference, as long as the guy in question is liked by her family, when asked to choose between Tisoy or Chinito.

"It's not what I'm after," she replied when asked to choose between the abs of Jak and David, two actors who are known for their well-toned physiques.

She again refused to pit the two by replying that there's no need to compare the two actors' stares.

"Ang ganda ko naman. Both?" was her reply if she had to choose whose embrace she would welcome. She went unscathed in the kiss choice when she matter-of-factly answered, "I haven't kissed David."

Apart from these, she also answered that she likes David's shyness and humility despite his surging popularity.

Both Barbie, Boy and the audience had the strongest reaction when the actress was asked one question most people are asking her these days.

"Oo o hindi. Nagseselos ba si Jak kay David?" asked Boy.

"No," Barbie answered.

The host immediately followed it up with one of his popular Fast Talk questions.

"Huling beses ka nagsinungaling?" Boy asked.

"Now," Barbie answered, as she and Boy burst into laughter.

During the sitdown, Boy asked his trademark hypothetical question. If there is no Jak in her life, would David stand a chance with her if he decides to court her?

"Siguro 'pag ano nakilala ko pa siya deeper. Kapag naging close siya sa family ko and all. Kasi 'pag nalaman ko kung paano siya manligaw, maybe I'll have an answer then. But now, we're really good friends," Barbie shared.

When Boy asked David the same question, he expounded that he prefers smart, go-getter, cute girls. After teasing and prodding, David said, yes, he would court Barbie.

That was one of Tirso Cruz III’s realizations portraying the greedy and nefarious Spanish friar in“Maria Clara at Ibarra”—the hit GMA 7 series based on Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.”

Over the years, the said character has become synonymous with authority figures who abuse their power and oppress others for personal gain.

“Marami pa ring mga Padre Damaso sa panahon ngayon. I’m sure all of you will agree. But some of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They’re good at hiding their dark intentions,” he told the Inquirer in a virtual conference.

While the award-winning veteran actor is knowledgeable about the story of “Noli” and “El Fili,” it wasn’t until he played Damaso that he fully understood the kind of influence the character wielded, and how he exploited people’s beliefs and deference to authority.

“Filipinos by nature are Godfearing. So when we see people in religious habits, we give them respect, listen to them and believe what they say,” Tirso said.

“When I think about it during taping, I’m like, ‘Ganito pala ang power ng isang kagaya ni Damaso.

I didn’t realize that this was the kind of influence he had on people around him because they saw him as a man of God—that was his coverup. And it took a while before people saw the real him,” he said.

As such, playing Damaso was

“It was hard and interesting at the same time. You’re portraying someone who’s far from who you are, but you have to give life to it and perform properly. ‘Di puwedeng acting-acting lang. When I’m on the set, I’m Padre Damaso. You can’t be complacent, because you’re working with gifted actors and writers,” Tirso related.

“I’m thankful I got to play this role,” said the award-winning actor, who currently heads the Film Development Council of the Philippines. “And in a way, I’m happy that people are annoyed by my performance. That means I’m doing the job right.”

‘More authentic’

The fact that he had to deliver some of his lines in Spanish made the job even trickier.

“I had to study Spanish. Usually, we would just do the first two lines of our monologues in Spanish, but at times, we’re asked to do whole