Ricardo Cepeda (left) and Marina Benipayo —ALLAN POLICARPIO
They say that hard times reveal true friends.
These words never rung truer for Ricardo Cepeda, who spent the last 11 months in prison for alleged syndicated estafa. The actor was recently released after posting bail.
“It’s true. You will find out who your real friends are and those who just say they’re your friends … those who just claim to know you. To be honest, there were people I was expecting to step forward, talk on my behalf or stand up for me. But no—not a word,” he told Inquirer Entertainment in an interview.
The actor was arrested last October 2023, after being implicated in an alleged investment scheme carried out by a sales company. He was first detained at Camp Karingal, Quezon City. After two months, he was transferred to Cagayan Provincial Jail in Tuguegarao, because the case was filed at courts in Aparri and Sanchez Mira.
Ricardo maintained his innocence, insisting that he was only a “brand ambassador” for the company and had no involvement in the issue. He pointed out that his name doesn’t appear on the company’s general information sheet filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“I thought, ‘They obviously don’t know me that well because they played safe and assumed I was guilty … perhaps they were scared of being associated [with me],” Ricardo said. “But surprisingly, there were people I didn’t expect to be there for me.”
Acting comeback
Was he worried about his imprisonment harming his reputation in show biz?
“Not really, because I play villains anyway,” he quipped. But turning serious, Ricardo said he believes that the relationships he built in the industry hold more weight. “What’s more important is that I know I have been good to everyone … nothing negative.”
In fact, Coco Martin has already reached out to Ricardo about the potential return of the latter’s character in the primetime action series “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.” He is also considering movie offers.
Ricardo couldn’t be more driven for an acting comeback.
“I feel very motivated. I’m in debt. I have to get back in the black,” he said laughing. “I know that the truth will come out, but what I was frustrated about was that I was wasting time, incurring expenses. I wouldn’t have minded going to court if I could at least earn a living.”
The biggest thing the 59-year-old actor worried about during his imprisonment was his family. He knew he could deal with it. But he couldn’t bear the thought of his children being subjected to vitriol, online or in real life.
“My kids are grown, but we still help them from time to time. There were a lot of negative comments. I didn’t want them to fall into depression,” said Ricardo, who has two daughters, Samantha and Sachi, with ex-wife Snooky Serna; and two stepsons, Mark and Joshua, with current partner, Marina Benipayo.
Fortunately, Marina held the family together while he was away. “She’s my hero,” Ricardo said. “She told the kids not to despair or give in to sadness. She would reassure them: ‘We know that your father didn’t commit any wrongdoing. He will come out, but it’s just going to take some time.’”
Inmates are allowed to make scheduled video calls, so Ricardo made sure to use them to stay in touch with his loved ones. “I drew strength from them. It was hard. But seeing them taking things in stride and knowing that they weren’t suffering made me feel a lot better,” he said.
He initially discouraged Marina from visiting him in Cagayan regularly because of the cost and physical toll of long travels. But looking back, he’s glad she did. “She would say, ‘No, I will go there.’ Whenever she was there, I was grateful. I didn’t realize how much I was missing her,” he said.
To help pass time and keep his anxiety at bay, he busied himself by working out and reading books on law. “I couldn’t just stay mad and keep questioning things every day. The only thing I could control was my health and my attitude,” he said.
“My fitness level dropped and I gained weight. I was diagnosed with hypertension. So I focused on working out, doing pilates. Soon, I saw good results,” he said. “I also read about court procedures to help educate myself … It made me feel less worried because I knew what was happening.”
‘Be careful’
Asked what advice he could give to his fellow celebrities, Ricardo said to always keep their ears open. “Aside from your talks with the company, listen to what other people around you are saying.”
“Of course, talking to the company, you will hear only about good things,” he added. “I only learned about the details [of the issue] while listening to the complainants.”
One can never be too careful. Ricardo did his own research, he said, and by all appearances, the company in question was stable, its owners trustworthy. “Be careful,” he said. “Because I thought I was.”