The ‘hows of KathNiel’ off-cam

Arlene Muhlach (right) with Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla

KD stands for K-drama. It could also mean “Kathryn (Bernardo) and Daniel (Padilla).” Just like a Korean series, KathNiel’s digi movie “The House Arrest of Us” (THAOU) is binge-worthy. It is currently No. 1 in the Philippines on Netflix.

My good friend, Arlene Muhlach, plays the mom of Daniel. They were locked in for two weeks in Balai Isabel (Batangas) for the shoot. The fun “QuaranTeam” of “THAOU” is out to spread good V (vibes) to make us momentarily forget about the bad V (virus).

Arlene shares some off-cam stories: “The dog Summer in ‘THAOU’ is Kath’s but seems to love only Daniel and follows him around like a lovestruck girl. She doesn’t even listen to Kath’s calls and instructions when Daniel is around.

“The sweetness of KathNiel off-cam is like that of best friends. They goof around like barkada. Malambing sila, but not OA na PDA. Walang arte at ere talaga si Kath and Daniel. Trabaho kung trabaho, laro kung laro. Love them so much.

“The running joke on the set was Dennis Padilla’s punchline in the series: ‘What is prenup?’ It served as the ice-breaker in the morning and ‘patawa’ during the last scenes for the day.”

From left: Marco Gumabao, Kylie Verzosa and Xian Lim

Xian, Kylie and Marco on the ambiguities of love

It’s a day before Valentine’s Day, do you know where your heart is? That’s something people in a “no strings attached” relationship are clueless about. Or as I say in jest, “OPM” … On ‘Pag Magkasama, Off ‘Pag Magkahiwalay. Just like the characters that Kylie Verzosa (Daphne) and Xian Lim (Joaquin) portray in the Vivamax (VM) Original Series, “Parang Kayo Pero Hindi,” which is now streaming on the one-stop entertainment hub, VM.

Based on the bestseller by Noreen Capili aka Noringai, the film also stars Marco Gumabao (Robi). So, if you feel like you are someone’s “Insignificant Other,” Daphne, Robi and Joaquin’s story is yours as well.

Here’s my chat with Kylie (K), Marco (M) and Xian (X):

Would you go for a “no labels” kind of relationship?

K: Been there, done that. It drove me nuts. Never again. I want a concrete label. Girls are at the losing end in that kind of setup.

M: I’ve experienced it, and it sucks. I wanted to take things to the next level, but the girl was not on the same page.

X: I’m old-fashioned when it comes to love matters, so “no labels” is a no-no for me. But I’ve had relationships that made me question what I was doing. But I look at those wrong relationships as arrows pointing me to the right one.

If you didnt have a boyfriend, who would you fall for Xian or Marco?

K: It’s hard to choose because I don’t picture them in a romantic way. Marco is like a barkada, while Xian is like a protective brother.

For Xian, do you and Kim (Chiu) have marriage plans already?

X: It’s not yet in our agenda. We still want to accomplish many things. For now, marriage can wait.

Diego Loyzaga (left) and Barbie Imperial

Why Diego is Barbie’s ideal boyfriend

During this time of social distancing, Cupid still has a way of bringing hearts together. Just like in the case of Barbie Imperial and Diego Loyzaga.

“Diego is such an ideal BF. He does not run out of ways to show his love for me and my family,” gushed Barbie. “He makes me feel so secure and knows how to woo me when we have tampuhan.” Any lessons from her previous relationship that she’s applying now? Barbie replied, “To put in more effort and not give up easily when we are going through a rough patch.”

So V-Day is not Virus Day at all for Cupid’s newest “Love Carrier.”