In the midst of the controversy between him and former talent manager Rose Flaminiano and the recent death of his Daddy Rollie, returning actor Gabby Concepcion still has reasons to be happy. One of these is his renewed friendship with former wife Sharon Cuneta.
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) had the chance to chat with Gabby yesterday, October 16, after his photo shoot for his I/M clothing endorsement held at the La Mesa Dam Eco Park in East Fairview, Quezon City.
He had to finished 15 layouts that day, but his high energy was like a breath of fresh air. And even if the exclusive interview was conducted right after his shoot, he was very friendly and relexed. He told PEP, one of his main goals in life is to reconnect with former friends and make peace with old foes.
He said, "Hindi ba noong dumating ako, sa [The Buzz] ang sabi ko, ‘Nandidito ako para manumbalik at manibagong buhay. Humihingi ako ng tawad sa mga taong nasaktan ko.' I meant that. So, gusto kong kaibiganin lahat ng mga taong nakaaway ko or may masama ng loob sa akin.
"Ito 'yong sinasabi ko, e. Sa mga bagay na hindi mo naplano, mangyayari sa 'yo, e. 'Yong mga bagay na pinaplano mo, hindi mangyayari. Pero at least make an effort to try to reach the goal. 'Yon ang ginagawa ko ngayon, so unti-unti, I'm making friends with the people."
PEP then asked him how far has he gone in reaching his target. He vaguely replied, "Well, parang negosyo 'yan, e...Parang darts 'yan, kung minsan tatamaan mo, kung minsan hindi. Pero tira ka lang nang tira. Don't stop because the day that you stop, that's the day that you lose. I still want to win this game of trying to win people back or trying to be friends with everybody. 'Yon ang goal ko now that I'm back."
In the middle of the interview, PEP tried to ask him about Sharon. We thought he would stay away from this topic, but he smiled and shared some good news, "Friends na kami."
The former matinee idol continued, "After my father died, a lot of things happened. There had been a lot of changes, believe me, that I've not talked to anybody in the press about."
Since it's a positive news, PEP asked the Iisa Pa Lamang actor if we could share it in public. He answered, "You can write that down. Sharon and I are friends now. It's different. When my dad died, things have changed. You know, time has a mysterious way of healing things and I think it's happening."
Although he still has yet to see Sharon personally, Gabby said that they communicate more regularly now.
Does this mean there's a possibility for them to be in a movie together?
"We're in a better relationship right now, I just hope we maintain it," he answered earnestly. "'Yon na lang. 'Yong goal ko to be friends with people that, you know, I didn't have the opportunity to share with before I left, e, ginagawan ko ng paraan. It's slowly happening."
He continued, "Unfortunately nga, like I said, I cannot please everybody and ganun lang. What will happen, will happen. Pero at least, mayroon kang goal. Ako, addition ako, hindi ako subtraction."
Lastly, PEP asked him a shot-in-the-dark question—not to spark intrigue, but merely to get his opinion.
What can he say about the rumored rift between Sharon and husband Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan?
This time, he excused himself from the subject and said, "I have no comment. Wala rin naman akong alam tungkol doon, e. I don't mind other people's personal lives."
Catch the other exclusive interviews of PEP with Gabby Concepcion!