Coco admits having ‘one longtime girlfriend,’ but insists on keeping personal life private

by HANNAH MALLORCA

COCO Martin might be known for being strictly tightlipped about his private life, but he appeared to have confirmed that he’s in a relationship with a mysterious longtime girlfriend.

In an interview with broadcast journalist Karen Davila, the “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” star made the brief revelation about his private life on her Youtube channel, which was uploaded on Thursday, Feb. 16.

“You’re a very private person, at pasensya ka na (and I’m sorry). Kailangan ko ‘tong tanungin, ganoon ang buhay (I have to ask this question, this is life). So, you have one longtime girlfriend?” Davila asked Martin.

“Sakto lang (It’s okay),” Martin answered, before bursting into laughter.

Davila, while laughing, persuaded the actor to answer if he’s in a relationship with someone at the moment.

“Opo ( Yes ),” Martin replied, although he did not disclose her identity. When asked by the broadcast journalist on whether their relationship is going to end up in marriage, he said, “Dapat po, dapat ( It should be ).”

During the interview, Davila also asked the 41-year-old actor if he sees himself having children in the future. While he sees himself being a father “anytime,” he stressed that he wants to keep his personal life away from the spotlight.

“Sa akin kasi, gusto ko panatilihing pribado ‘yung buhay ko. Kasi mahirap po pag in-all out mo, lahat pakikialaman. Diba parang sa isang magkasintahan, pag nagliligawan kayo, pag nagdedate pa lang kayo, gusto ng lahat magkatuluyan. Pag kayo na, ang daming opinyon hanggang sa magkasira kayo.

Bakit ko hahayaan? Ito nga lang sa ginagalawan ko [sa showbiz], ang gulo-gulo na eh. Papapasukin ko pa sila sa personal na buhay ko?” he explained.

(For me, I want to keep my personal life private. It’s hard to be all-out about my life because a lot of people want to pry. For example, for partners who are currently in a relationship, when you’re in the courting and dating stage, people want you to get together. But when you finally decide to date, there are a lot of opinions about your relationship which might end up ruining what you have. So, why would I allow it to happen? It’s messy to be in showbiz, so why would I want others to be involved with my personal life?)

Martin also noted that he doesn’t talk about showbiz once the cameras are off, saying that he prefers to focus on everyday problems at home.

“Sa bahay po namin pag umuuwi ka, ni-isang beses, hindi ako tinanong about sa trabaho kasi ayokong pinag-uusapan ‘yung showbiz. Kunwari, maganda ba si ganyan? Mabait ba si ganyan? Hindi nga namin pinag-uusapan ‘yung project na ginagawa ko,” he said. “Normal lang [pinag-uusapan namin]. Problema sa bahay, kung anong dapat ayusin. Kasi mga kapatid ko, nasa akin din. May mga pamangkin ako, ako ‘yung tatay eh. Meron akong lola pero ako ‘yung head of the family ngayon,” the actor added. (When I come home from work, we never talk about showbiz. Not even once. We never talk about if a certain celebrity is beautiful or kind. We don’t even talk about the projects that I’m doing at the moment. We talk about normal things. Just problems at home, and what needs to be fixed. It’s because my siblings are with me, my nephews and nieces see me as their father. I may have a grandmother but I’m the head of the family now.) The “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano ” star was also asked how he manages to resist temptation

Filipino Canadian teen gets rst-ever platinum ticket from ‘American Idol’

in the industry, where he mentioned that his hard work is a reminder to not be involved in entertaining certain desires.

“Mahirap nga po. Ako naman sabi ko nga ang lahat naman ng tao, lalo na bilang lalaki, dadaan at dadaan diyan. Pero sa akin kasi, kapag nag-mature na, makikita mo rin ‘yung magiging kapalit, lalo na ngayon. Pag ikaw, gumawa ka ng isang pagkakamali, lahat ng pwedeng pinaghirapan mo, lahat ‘yun malulusaw lang,” he said.

(It’s hard. For me, everyone has a stage where they’re faced with temptation, especially as a man. But for me, when you mature, you eventually realize the fruit of your actions. When you do something wrong, everything that you worked hard for will be gone.)

Martin has long been involved with Julia Montes, who starred as his leading lady in the 2012 soap opera “Walang Hanggan” and his childhood friendturned-wife in “Ikaw Lamang” in 2014.

While the rumored sweethearts have yet to confirm or deny romance speculations, they have been spotted together in various encounters including visiting the grave of the late Fernando Poe Jr. on his 83rd birthday in August of last year.

The “Doble Kara” star was also surprised by Martin on the set of “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” on her birthday in March 2022, and were seen together going through voter registration in September 2021.

FILIPINO Canadian teen Tyson Venegas won the first-ever platinum ticket of the American Idol’s 21st season with his soulful rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” all while playing the piano.

Venegas, who was one of the contestants in Season 2 of ABSCBN’s The Voice Teens, wowed Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan as he confidently hit each riffs and runs, his voice curling and doing slow vibrato.

The performance of this 17-year old native of Vancouver, Canada was so powerful that Richie quipped that he needed to validate if he was indeed just a teenager as he said.

Richie asked Venegas’ mom, Iris, to verify his age. “He’s claiming to be 17-years-old, but he’s performing like a 45-year-old.”

Venegas’ mom told him that one of her son’s first concerts was Richie’s. “He was inspired by you, and that’s when he learned to sing from his heart.”

“We’ve flipped the switch now. I inspired him back then, he just inspired us today. Let me tell you, that performance was spot-on professional,” said Richie.

“You sang notes and runs that I haven’t felt in my body in a long time, and I felt so connected, I feel so alive,” said Perry.

Bryan, for his part, told Venegas: “You are exactly what we look for, what we pray for.”

Platinum ticket

Because of Venegas’ impeccable performance, he was awarded the first ever platinum ticket, which Richie said would mean that he could “coast through one whole week of Hollywood week.”

The exclusive platinum ticket, introduced only last year by American Idol, will be given through the audition round. This is expectedly higher than the golden ticket that is usually given to contestants who are able to advance to the next round after an impressive performance.

For Venegas, this means that he need not join the first round of performances during the Hollywood week and be able to watch from the sidelines. (Evangeline Valderrama/Inquirer.net)