Regine on Mark’s coming out: It couldn’t have been easy

Mark Bautista

Regine Velasquez is happy about Mark Bautista—one of her “anak-anakans”—coming out as bisexual, which, she surmised, couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.

“I’m sure he thought about that for a long time. You don’t decide on situations like his just like that. I’m sure he was trying to discover things about himself. And finally he said, ‘This is it, this is me,’” she told reporters at a recent visit to the auditions of GMA 7’s coming singing contest, “The Clash.”

Mark recently hogged headlines after releasing a tell-all book in which he revealed that he had a “bromance” with a “guy friend.”

While Mark didn’t confide in her about his gender identity, Regine said they have always kept in touch. “He would text me from time to time. Maybe he’s thinking that he disappointed me, but not at all. I’m happy for him,” she said of Mark, who joined the 2003 talent search “Star for a Night,” which she hosted.

“I’m happy he’s back. Finally, he can be comfortable with himself. It’s hard to live when you’re hiding something, especially in an industry where you get asked to do things you may not necessarily like. Now, Mark can go on without being afraid that someone will know [about his secret],” she pointed out. —ALLAN POLICARPIO