Coco Martin rewards self with ‘peace of mind,’ ‘privacy’

Coco Martin. Image: Instagram/@cocomartin_ph

MANILA, Philippines — In the age of social media, virtual engagements count for a celebrity’s fame, even infamy in some instances. Entertainment denizens also profit from their numerous online platforms, resulting in a saturation of stars on all screen sizes. Count Coco Martin out of it.

“Peace of mind and privacy are the most valuable things in life now, that’s hard to get especially now that we have social media. That’s what I reward myself and my family with, that I protect them,” the multi-hyphenate superstar said in Filipino at the sidelines of an appreciation lunch hosted by a pharmaceutical company at a hotel in Quezon City on Jan. 23.

“It pains me to hear something bad about me, what more if you hear hurtful words about your family? So why will I allow me or my family to get hurt? I want a quiet life. That’s not a loss. For me, what is important is my work, that’s what I want to discuss,” the wildly popular actor-director-producer continued.

Martin takes over the late Susan Roces for the pharmaceutical brand’s campaign, and he said he felt as if the Philippine movie queen bequeathed it over to him. He also longingly shared memories with the veteran actress he will always remember.

“She would always feed us all, all the staff and crew. And she will give out the heartiest laughter, it was so much fun having her around during filming,” Martin shared. Roces, wife of the late Philippine movie king Fernando Poe Jr., also kept him grounded, and imparted pieces of advice that have guided him in both his professional and personal life.

“Huwag mahihiyang magtanong (don’t be shy to ask),” Roces would say. And Martin said he would not have attained all the success he has been enjoying in the entertainment industry had he not conjured up enough courage to ask.

He said all throughout his journey in the industry, asking questions got him through. “When I got here, I knew nothing about show business, this work. I needed to ask when I had to learn something, in acting, in directing, in all aspects,” Martin shared.

Martin will be working with another one of Poe’s family, award-winning actress Lovi Poe. The two will pair up for the modern-day iteration of yet another one of the most memorable movies of “Da King,” — “Batang Quiapo.”

He said he already spotted the younger Poe’s talent when she was still with GMA. “I didn’t expect she would move to [ABS-CBN], so when she transferred I told myself I would want to work with her someday,” he said.

He found “Batang Quiapo” to be his dream project with Poe, and it was serendipitous that she had already wrapped up filming “Flower of Evil” when they were looking for actors to fill up the cast.

Martin promised “Batang Quiapo” would be entirely different from “Ang Probinsyano” that ran for seven years. “I am really proud of it. The treatment is different, the camera work, everything is different. This is the perfect time to upgrade what we are doing,” he shared.

“Batang Quiapo” will drop its first trailer on Jan. 27 during the telecast of “Darna” on the primetime bloc. EDV