Angelica’s wish: More downtime for Lloydie

ANGELICA Panganiban

All that Angelica Panganiban wants for boyfriend John Lloyd Cruz this year is for him to slow down on work.

“He’s such a workaholic and pushes himself even when he’s sick,” Angelica said. “I want him to have a balanced life, and have time to spend with his family, or do what he pleases.”

Despite Lloydie’s workload, though, the 26-year-old actress said they always find time for each other. “That is, when we don’t have shoots. If we’re lucky, we get to have long dinner breaks,” said Angelica, whose romance with Lloydie reportedly started during a movie shoot in Vietnam last April.

Asked before Christmas what she was giving Lloydie, she said finding a gift for someone who had everything wasn’t easy. “I’ll probably give him a credit card!” she said, laughing. “Trying to outdo each other with expensive gifts is passé. The simpler, the better—and more heartfelt.”

She said Lloydie was ecstatic about her holiday reunion with her family. “He suggested things to do, restaurants … he could be an events coordinator!”

Like comedy

What else had she learned about him? Angelica replied, “I didn’t know that we had similar personalities. When we’re together, it’s as if we’re doing a comedy flick.”

One of the lead stars of the Metro Manila Film Festival best picture “One More Try,” Angelica said she never knew there was something missing in her life until Lloydie became part of it. “I still can’t believe this kind of feeling exists,” she said.

Even so, she admitted, they have spats like other couples. “It happens usually when he doesn’t reply to my text messages,” she said. “It’s so … high school!”