Rommel Padilla: The father also rises.
Remember the Biblical passage about the sins of the fathers visiting upon their sons? The complete opposite just happened to Rommel Padilla.
The success being enjoyed by his son, rising teen idol Daniel, has rubbed off on Rommel, who has landed a key role in the new ABS-CBN soap, “Lorenzo’s Time”.
The former action star knows he owes his sudden return to the limelight to his son by former singer-actress Karla Estrada. “Ang bilis nga ng mga pangyayari, hindi ba? Nakakagulat! And syempre, I am so happy and proud of him,” Rommel says.
Rommel has been out of the public eye since 2007 after he became a provincial board member of Nueva Ecija, where he lives with his new family.
“Siguro, masasabi kong life-changing moment for me ‘yung pagpasok ko noon sa pulitika na hanggang ngayon naman eh pinag-iingatan ko pa rin at ginagawa. Iniwan ko ang pag-aartista ko noon para magawa ang isa pang bagay na gusto ko—na hindi para sa sarili ko o sa pamilya ko kundi sa bayan,” he says.
So why is he back on television now?
“Na-miss ko lang. At saka maganda naman ‘yung project na ibinigay sa akin. Kakaiba. Naiiba ang tema. At dahil na rin siguro sa naalala ako ng mga tao when Daniel came out sa limelight, nung may offer naman syempre, nagustuhan ko naman,” he admits.
Needless to say, his heart swells with pride seeing Daniel follow in his footsteps. In fact, he feels the boy is filling the far bigger shoes of Rommel’s more successful brother, Robin.
Daniel Padilla: Like father, like son? More like uncle.
“Nakikita ko kay Daniel ‘yung naging simula ni Robin nung nasa Viva na siya,” Rommel says. He swears his son’s charisma compares to Robin’s phenomenal rise as an action star in the late ’80s.
“Nag-attend ako ng isang mall show ni Daniel, sobra ang reception ng tao. Kaya I can say na siya ang magiging next Robin. Na mangyayari naman kung talagang paghihirapan niya at pagtatrabahuan. Although I think andyan na, eh,” Rommel says.
He is also quick to acknowledge that his son’s charisma comes with another Padilla “curse”–that of being a babe magnet.
“Sumpa ‘ata ng mga Padilla ‘yun, eh. Lapitin ng babae. Mapagmahal lang,” Rommel quips.
Has Daniel introduced him to his loveteam partner, Kathryn Bernardo?
“Hindi ko pa nakikilala ng personal. But one time, sinabi ko kay Daniel na gusto ko siyang dalawin sa taping niya. Sabi ko, ano ba ang gusto niyang dalhin ko sa set. Dalhan ko raw siya ng pizza. Tinanong ko kung anong pizza. Aba, pinaghintay ako at tatanungin muna raw niya si Kathryn kung ano ang gusto nitong pizza. Dinala ko sa set kaya lang, hindi na ako bumaba. Dinalhan ko lang siya ng food. Siguro, may time na maipapakilala niya rin sa akin si Kathryn.”
What advice does he give to his son, especially when it comes to handling girls?
“Naku, sabi ko nga, sana sa akin na natapos ang sumpa ng mga Padilla. Mapagmahal lang naman kaming talaga. When it comes to Daniel, nakikita ko si Robin sa kanya, eh. ‘Yung ‘pag nagmahal ng babae, tutok talaga at alaga.”
Rommel does not hide the fact that Daniel is only one of his eight children by five mothers. Is he married to any of the mothers?
“Muslim ako like Robin, ‘di ba? Kaya pwede akong mag-asawa ng higit sa isa. I married Daniel’s mom. Si Robin pa ang nagkasal sa amin,” he shares.
“Kaya rin siguro up to now, maganda ang pakikisama ko sa mga nanay ng mga anak ko. Like si Karla, nauwi pa rin sa pagiging magkaibigan ang lahat. At naging very open naman siya sa akin noon whenever she needed me to be with Daniel at some points ng buhay ng bagets.”
Rommel, who has an eight-month-old baby with his new wife, is also proud that Daniel and his other children get along well with one another.
“Kung naging babaero ang naging dating ko in the past, naging maganda ang bunga nito in some ways with the children I have,” he says.
In not so many words, it can be said that Omeng has really matured in his outlook in life. Is this also one reason why he readily accepted the project with former sister-in-law Carmina Villarroel in the cast?
As for his work in “Lorenzo’s Time”, he is thankful for the chance to work with his former sister-in-law, Carmina Villarroel, a godmother of Daniel’s.
“Wala namang problema sa amin ni Carmina. Medyo kinabahan lang ako nung first day namin. First time namin itong magsama sa TV. Eh, after ng ‘mamatay’ si Rustom, hindi na kami nagkita. Hindi man lang daw namin siya kasi inimbitahan. At saka, naging parte ng pamilya namin si Carmina kaya mahal namin siya. Ninang siya ni Daniel, eh.”
He also clarifies the alleged feud between Robin and BB. “Wala namang ganoon, eh. Kasi nung umuwi si BB, nag-party pa kami sa bahay ni Robin. Hindi naman sila nag-aaway. Medyo nagkaroon lang ng hindi pagkakaintindihan over a project na hindi natuloy,” he shares.
Is this the movie that BB was supposed to do under Robin’s production?
“Yun na nga ‘yon. Doon medyo nagtampo si Robin. Pero sa ibang bagay, ‘yung kumbaga eh, sinabi na ni BB na choice niya, sa amin nung una, masakit. Nung mapanood ko ‘yun sa TV, nahulog ako sa upuan ko eh,” Rommel confesses.
“Ako tao, hindi ko pwedeng husgahan ang kapatid ko. Ang inaalala ko eh ‘yung nasa itaas. Kung ano ang magiging ano sa kanya nung nasa itaas ‘pag laon. Pero, whatever she is now, kapatid namin siya at mahal namin siya!”
Rommel also reveals Robin’s plan to produce a movie project that will put him, Rommel, and Daniel together. Would BB be part of it?
“Let’s wait and see. ‘Yung kaming mag-ama at si Robin, oo. Pero dahil sa nangyari nga with him and BB, hindi ko alam. Tingnan natin. Sana.”
