Valentine’s Day 2024: Unconventional relationships in PH showbiz

Love is love, and this day and age has seen more and more of those openly proving this, defying the norms set by society.

As we celebrate love and its many facets this Valentine’s Day, let’s meet some pairs from the local entertainment industry whose relationships, although unconventional for some, have grown and remained.

Ogie Diaz and his wife Sowl Diaz

Diaz and Del Rosario have been together for about 24 years now, and their love has given them five daughters named Erin, Godhie, Georgina, Cory and Meerah.

Recalling in a 2021 interview how their love story started, Del Rosario disclosed that it was her who courted Diaz, who was openly gay but in a relationship with another woman at the time. Fast forward to today, the couple has stayed together despite naysayers.

‘Sila ‘yung may problema, hindi naman kami,” Diaz spoke about critics of him being a gay dad to his children with Del Rosario. (They are the ones who have a problem, not us.)

“Ang ipinagpapasalamat ko sa mga anak ko ay hindi sila naging suwail at hindi sila ‘yung tipong bata na big deal sa kanila kung ano ‘yung pagkatao ng tatay nila,” he added.

(What I am thankful for is that my kids did not grow up to be disobedient and that they are not the type of kids who make a big deal out of their father’s identity.)

Vice Ganda and Ion Perez

Vice Ganda and Perez, whose love story blossomed in the noontime show “It’s Showtime,” confirmed their relationship to the public in 2019. They got engaged in 2020, then had a wedding commitment ceremony in Las Vegas in October 2021.

Their love had been subjected to judgment and hurtful comments in 2023 after the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) suspended “It’s Showtime” for 12 days over the couple’s alleged “indecent acts.”

Despite this, Vice Ganda and Perez made their vows to each other and have continued to be loud and proud of their love.

“Ours is not just a simple love story. It’s revolutionary. Something I will always be very proud of. Even in my next life,” Vice Ganda said of their relationship.

Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna 

Sotto and Luna, who share a 34-year age gap, have remained together for over 12 years now despite initially being considered controversial by not a few local showbiz observers.

The couple tied the knot in January 2016, then welcomed their firstborn Tali a year later. Their family recently had an addition as Luna gave birth to their second child Thia Marceline in January 2023.

Expressing her gratitude on their 8th wedding anniversary, Luna wrote, “Thank you Lord for all the blessings and milestones we’ve been hitting these past few days. Thank you for eight peaceful years of marriage.”

Ice Seguerra and his wife Liza Niño

Seguerra, who came out as a transgender man in 2014, and Diño have been friends for years before they decided on forever.

The couple got married on Dec. 8, 2014 in California, where same-sex marriage is legal. A month later, they held a symbolic marriage ceremony in the Philippines to celebrate their union with their family.

“Our love is far from perfect. But we have managed to find perfection in the imperfect because I truly believe that LOVE IS AN UNCONDITIONAL COMMITMENT TO AN IMPERFECT PERSON,” Diño addressed Seguerra.

“To choose to love somebody isn’t just a strong, spontaneous feeling… It’s a deliberate choice. It is a decision and a promise, and I choose you,” she added. “Over and over, I choose you. And only you.”

Maris Racal and Rico Blanco

Racal and Blanco, who have a 25-year age gap, first met when they collaborated for a song. A month after the song was released, Blanco reached out to the actress and asked her to watch a movie with him, which supposedly started their constant communication with each other.

After confirming their relationship in May 2021, Blanco opened up about how his relationship with Racal started, saying that the actress’ “happy vibe” helps bring out the best in him.

“Ang gusto ko kay Maris (What I like about Maris) is she doesn’t even realize it but nakaka-happy ‘yung vibe niya (her vibe makes others happy),” he said. “In general positive, ang positive ng vibe niya (her vibe is so positive).”

“It brings out the best in me. Yung positive side ko nalalabas din kasi minsan nakakalimutan ko din na I’m playful pala (I also get to bring out my positive side because sometimes I forget that I’m playful),” he added. “There’s a bit of child-like fun in every person and then she brings that out.”

Racal, for her part, described Blanco as her “pahinga and security.”

“I feel safe when he’s around. Feeling ko, any kind of problem or overthinking, kapag sinasabi ko sa kanya, he always gives this logical reason kung bakit ko ‘yun nararamdaman and unti-unti kong naiintindihan ‘yung self ko and whatever I was thinking,” she said.

(I feel safe when he’s around. I feel like any kind of problem or overthinking, when I tell it to him, he always gives me this logical reason why I felt it and I gradually understand myself and whatever I was thinking.)

Coco Martin and Julia Montes

Martin and Montes had long been speculated to be in a relationship before they confirmed their romance in May 2023.

“Napakasarap ng pakiramdam namin dahil 12 years na kaming magkasama, pero pareho pa rin tulad ng dati,” Martin spoke of their relationship. (It feels good that we have been together for 12 years but our relationship is still the way it is when we started.)

With this confirmation, it can be presumed that the pair started dating in 2011 when Montes was only 16 years old, and Martin, on the other hand, was 29.

Meanwhile, the couple are rumored to be engaged after the actress was spotted wearing a diamond ring. When asked to about in an October 2023 interview, Montes did not confirm nor deny anything.

“Siguro po (Maybe) let’s cross the bridge when we get there. ‘Yun lang (That’s all I’d say),” she said, further affirming that she’s currently “very happy.”

Ai-Ai delas Alas and her husband Gerald Sibayan

Delas Alas and Sibayan, who have about a 20-year age gap, have been in a relationship since 2014 and got married in 2017. In 2022, the couple renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas—a commitment the actress-comedian strives to observe every five years.

“Ngayon lang kasi ako nagkaroon ng asawa na ganito kaayos,” she spoke of Sibayan. (This is the first time I had a partner that is this admirable.)

Chanda Romero and late actor Bernardo Bernardo

In a 2024 interview, Romero recalled her relationship with the openly gay late actor Bernardo and said that sexual preferences didn’t matter to them at the time because they loved each other.

“That was different because I think looking back, that was very special, because ‘yun ang talagang I loved him as he was,” she said.

Romero disclosed that she was very supportive of Bernardo—who died in 2018 due to a tumor in his pancreas—even to his new object of affection.

“When Bernardo loved me when we were together, it was one of the few times that I knew it was really love between the both of us. And it was taboo. We were just so unafraid and so proud of having found each other. We were both happy,” the actress added.

Raymond Gutierrez and BF Robert William

Gutierrez, who came out in 2021 as a member of the LGBTQ community, revealed his relationship with William in June 2022.

Before coming out to the public, Gutierrez said he kept his sexuality to himself because he was scared of bringing “shame” to his family and he did not know how others would treat him after coming out.

To mark the 2022 Pride Month, he introduced William by showing a photo of them walking at the beach while holding hands to mark Pride Month.

“There’s nothing to hide. What is there to hide? If the pandemic taught us something, it’s to live your life now,” Gutierrez said.

Klea Pineda and GF Katrice Kierulf

After coming out as gay on her 24th birthday, Pineda finally introduced Kierulf with whom she has been in a relationship for over a year.

Prior to her relationship with Kierulf, Pineda admitted to having dated male celebrities including Jak Roberto, Jeric Gonzales and Andre Paras, but said that none of them made her heart beat as when she would go out with girls.

“How lucky I am? I found my best friend and soulmate in one,” Pineda said in her message for Kierulf on their second anniversary.

“Words can’t describe how excited I am to experience life with you,” she added. “Our love is a forever kind of love.”