Lea Salonga finds it hard to believe that the young generation of Filipinos today has become wrapped up in "hugot" stories involving romance, unrequited love, and heartaches.
In fact, "hugot" is uttered often in conversations about personal experiences in breakups and heartaches.
It is unheard-of for Lea who admitted she had her share of hearbreaks.
She told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), "I tend to be a really positive person. I guess, yeah, I mean if you have a breakup, cry. Eat all the ice cream in the world.
"Make sure that you are surrounded by friends that will take care of you through that difficult time because you need a support system like that.
"And, I mean, I've seen friends through breakups, I've had friends who have seen me through breakups.
"At the end of the day, eventually, you'll heal and you'll be ready to fall in love again.
"My belief is the universe is always listening. It always has its eye on you, and when the right one comes along, you'll just know and it'll happen, and no more hugot-hugot.
"There shouldn't be any fixation on that. I don't know how healthy that actually is."
PEP.ph met Lea at the musical-style launch of her latest endorsement last August 1, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight in Circuit Makati.
LEA'S MARRIAGE ADVICE: HAVE HEALTHY INDIVIDUAL LIVES
Lea and her husband Robert Chien have been married for more than a decade—18 years in November, to be exact.
Asked what has kept their marriage strong despite the fact they're both busy in different lines of work, Lea simply points to their "healthy individual lives."
The Broadway star says their individual lives "feed into our married life."
She explains, "We have something to talk about because we come home, there's something that either one of us has experienced."
Lea adds that a strong marriage also means knowing that the relationship isn't all about romance and romance alone.
She says, "It's hard to keep that up. It's not realistic. It's not sustainable.
"I think it helps to choose the right partner and to know what your expectations are.
"You can't expect it's going to be romantic all the time."
Lea and Robert got married in 2004.
They have a 13-year-old daughter named Nicole.