"Yung atin kasi was young love na may pagka-mapusok. Kung ano ang mga yun, a big part of that would always be yung part na naging tayo. And for that, I'll always be thankful and grateful. If I were to live my life again, I'd still choose you to be my first boyfriend and my friend now."
This was Claudine Barretto's very candid and final message to ex-flame Mark Anthony Fernandez in their one-on-one interview held yesterday, August 1, on Showbiz Central. The ex-lovers reunited as members of the Kapuso network, and in the process, settled old issues after 15 long years of having no communication with each other.
"Never akong nagkaro'n ng masamang tinapay sa 'yo," Mark, for his part, said to Claudine before Claudine's final message. "Lagi kong iniisip na kakampi kita kahit anong mangyari. At iniisip ko na kung nalagay ako sa isang mataas na pedestal, hindi kita puwedeng kalimutan dahil kaibigan kita."
Later he added, "Never ko naman tiningnan ikaw na hindi kaibigan, kahit hindi tayo nagkita, iniisip ko kaibigan pa rin kita, na hindi lang nagkikita."
Mark and Claudine were a serious boyfriend-girlfriend tandem when they were just 16 years of age and were both with ABS-CBN. They did two movies together, Pare Ko and Mangarap Ka, both shown in 1995, for Star Cinema, the film arm of the Kapamilya network. Now the two are with GMA-7, and would have appeared in a co-production of Viva Films and GMA Films, the film arm of the Kapuso network.
15 YEARS OF SILENCE. Claudine, who co-hosts Showbiz Central for a limited engagement, also grabbed the opportunity to ask Mark to comment about a few unsettled issues.
"Fifteen years nga ba? Bakit?" she asked, pertaining to the long period of time they did not see or talk to each other.
"Ang theory ko, talagang naging busy na lang tayo sa kanya-kanyang buhay," Mark replied. "Si Claudine, bilang sikat na noon, lalo pang sumikat, lalong naging busy. Tapos nung ako, nung naging okay na, naging busy na rin. So, wala nang oras para magkatawagan pa sa panahon na yun. Yung time na yun, wala pang cell phone..."
"May cell phone na no'n!" interrupted Claudine, sending the audience laughing. "Binili ko yung unang cell phone mo. Ginamit mo sa pambababae mo. Nakakaloka ka!"
She also asked him the reason behind the breakup.
"Masasagot mo ba 'yan o masasagot ko?" asked Mark. "Sa tingin ko, masasagot ko. Sa tingin ko, Claudine, priorities lang. May mga ibang bagay ako na mas binigyang importansiya."
Claudine said, "I don't remember na nagkaro'n tayo ng closure."
"Actually, wala talaga," agreed Mark.
"Kasi, parang one day, nawala ka na lang, or one day umalis na lang ako," said Claudine.
"Parang hindi na lang tayo nakapagkita ulit," Mark added.
OLD AND NEW. In the same interview, Claudine asked Mark about the recent reunion movie that never came to be.
"Ako talaga ang may mali, para magkalinawan," Mark replied. "Basically, isang malaking miscommunication lang. Sana isipin na lang natin ang magandang bukas kaysa nakakalungkot na pangyayari nung kahapon." He also said that should he and Claudine be allowed to work together again, he would prefer to do an action-drama project.
The actress also asked: "Ano'ng masasabi mo sa Claudine na nakilala mo noon sa Claudine na makikilala mo pa ngayon?"
"Yung Claudine na nakilala ko dati, napakabait," Mark said. "Kung ano yung minahal ng tao, siya yun. Kung ano yung ginusto nila sa 'yo, basically yun yung nararamdaman ko. Yung bukas naman na makikita ko, isang honed, sharpened [person], better than the person I met."
Mark and Claudine's romance started and ended when they were teens. What have they learned from their relationship?
"Natutunan ko paano mas maging gentleman," answered Mark. "Natutunan ko paano mas magmahal nang lubos sa isang tao, to be a more of a man pag nandiyan na yung girlfriend, para walang mangyaring masama kay girlfriend."
Claudine returned with, "Actually, ever since naman, in fairness kay Mark, ganun naman talaga siya. Dati, di ba, you used to say na laging ikaw yung protector ko, yung hero? Kasi lagi niya akong pinoprotekahan sa lahat ng bagay."
Mark, in return, said, "Never naman nawala sa isip ko yung pag-aalala. Siyempre ayokong may mangyari sa 'yong masama. Laging iniisip ko na nasa mabuti kang kalagayan, na maganda ang kapakanan mo."
Both also said that they have missed each other since the end of their relationship.
"Actually, na-miss kita at natutuwa ako na maganda yung career mo at sa pamilya mo," said Claudine.
To this, Mark replied, "Siyempre, na-miss, lalo na nung bago pa lang tayo naghiwalay, nung mga panahon na yun, na-miss kita. Nung kakahiwalay lang natin, na-miss kita siyempre."
Claudine and Mark also thanked their respective spouses—Claudine's husband, actor Raymart Santiago, and Mark's wife, non-showbiz beauty Melissa Fernandez—for allowing them to be "friends again." Claudine and Raymart have one biological son and an adopted daughter; Mark and Melissa have two sons of their own, while Mark has a daughter with a former girlfriend.
And to prove that everything is well between them, Mark has already agreed to guest in Claudine's drama anthology on GMA-7.