Marco Gumabao
While Marco Gumabao isn’t denying that what he and Cristine Reyes have right now is “something special,” the actor still feels reluctant to put a label on their relationship.
“That puts a lot of pressure on the relationship. The thing is we’re both happy. We’re not seeing other people… But yeah, I’m just not into labels,” he told reporters at a recent press conference for TV5 and Viva Entertainment’s new weekly comedy series “Kurdapya.”
And should things get “official” between them, people will know about it “when the time is right,” added the 28-year-old hunk, who was recently spotted vacationing with Cristine in Siargao island.
Marco and Cristine aren’t hiding the fact that they’re dating—“what you see is what you get.” “Outside work and behind the cameras, we’re just two normal people who enjoy going out, eating out, and spending time in the mall. We don’t wear shades or try to obscure our identities. If people see us, then they see us,” he said.
But still, they don’t want to attract unnecessary attention.
“Right now, we just want to enjoy our time together without other people sticking their noses in. The reason I try to be private about my love life is that other people start meddling and scrutinizing you when they find out you’re dating someone—I don’t want that. I want a happy and quiet life,” he said.
“We’re both single. We’re not stepping on other people. It’s just better to keep things private.”
What attracted him to Cristine? She’s “girlfriend- or wife-material,” for one. “She’s very kind. Walang arte. She’s fun to be with wherever you go. She’s loving and caring,” said Marco, who doesn’t mind the fact that Cristine already has a daughter from a past relationship.
“She’s not the first woman to be a single parent. And there’s nothing wrong with being one,” he stressed.
Reason for bullying
Meanwhile, because bullying is one of the themes “Kurdapya” touches on, Marco looked back on his childhood and how he was teased and mocked by his classmates when his father, Dennis Roldan, was sent to jail for kidnapping in 2005.
“When I was in Grade 4, my father went to jail. That was the time when everyone in the school who wanted to bully me finally found a reason to do so. I wasn’t a bully and I wasn’t about to let myself get bullied. If I allowed that, then everyone would do it, too. My batch knew it was a sensitive topic. I also made sure to show that just because my father got jailed, didn’t mean they had the right to bully me,” he said.
There was a time, though, when he felt isolated. “I was young and I think that’s how I felt… But now that I’m older, I just think that everything happens for a reason,” he said.
In a way, that experience prepared Marco for the constant scrutiny celebrities experience on social media.
“As a public personality, your every move is being watched. And they can comment about whatever you do. But try not to let that get to you. Pasok sa isang tenga, labas sa kabila. Kill them with kindness. I laugh off their comments. And sometimes, if I have free time, I engage with them, just for fun. Sayang naman ang effort nila!
“Social media has opened up new venues for bullying. So let’s always think about what we say. Think before you click and speak,” he said. INQ