SOONER THAN later. Ganito ang laging sagot ni Direk Paul Soriano kapag natatanong kung kailan ba sila pakakasal ng girlfriend niyang si Toni Gonzaga.
“I always say sooner than later because… of course in the back of my mind, I’m also saving for a family and a future with Toni,” katuwiran niya nang makausap namin kamakailan.
“Six years na ang relationship namin. Pero ‘yong wedding talaga kung kailan? We don’t know yet. Uhm… I guess in time. But you know, for me, definitely soon! Sonner than later. I know Toni doesn’t like me to talk about it. Gusto niya, quiet muna. Na let’s keep it a mystery!” bahagyang natawa ulit niyang sabi.
Kapag natuloy na raw ang pinakahihintay ng marami na kasalan, mas gugustuhin daw sana ni Direk Paul na maging very private ito.
“Uhm… you know me, I’m a very private person, eh. ‘Di ba? So if you’ll ask me, I just want it to be very personal. But I have to respect Toni’s industry also. ‘Di ba? So, at the end of the day, the wedding talaga is about the girl, eh. Siya ang spotlight. So, if she agrees to that, okey rin sa akin. I think what’s nice about me and Toni is that we have trust. For these six years, it’s never been broken. So, even though we have arguments, even though we have disagreements, we still trust each other to fix it. I think after six years, parang tapos na ‘yong growing pains.
“‘Yong first at second year, of course maraming adjustments ‘yan. Kasi very private ako. Very behind the camera. Siya naman very public and everyone is very interested, ‘di ba? So, we went through… it was more of getting used to each other’s families, work, ‘di ba? Adjustments days.
“Now that we’ve been together for six years, parang relaxed lang kami ngayon, eh. Like she’s shooting a movie now. We can’t see each other. Okay lang.”
May pagkakataon ba na naging isyu sa kanilang dalawa ang selosan?
“Wala naman. Well, I mean… si Toni talaga, zero selosa ‘yan. But for the six years, she hasn’t shown me anything. For me naman, if I get jealous, it’s about time. Kasi of course, may time that you wanted to see her, ‘di ba? It’s been a long day or a long week. And she has still shooting. Or she still has taping. Pero okay lang. I understand. I understand the demands of her job.
Ikalawang beses nang pagpu-produce ng pelikula ni Direk Paul Soriano. Una niyang proyekto ay ang Thelma na pinagbidahan ni Maja Salvador kung saan siya rin ang director.
This time, ang pelikulang Transit naman ang kanyang prinodyus na isa sa sampung finalists sa gaganaping Cinemalaya (Philippine Independent Film Festival) ngayong July 26 hanggang August 4.
Pangunahing tampok dito sina Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Irma Adlawan, Mercedes Cabral, at ang child actor na si Marc Justine Alvarez. Tinatalakay sa nasabing pelikula ang tungkol sa naging batas sa Israel na pagpapa-deport sa mga anak ng mga dayuhang nagtatrabaho roon.
Unlike sa Thelma na bukod sa pagiging producer ay siya rin ang direktor, sa Transit naman ay ang baguhang filmmaker na si Hannah Espia ang namahala sa pelikula.
“This is Hanna’s story kaya hindi ako at siya ang nagdirek. Tinulungan ko siyang i-produce ‘yong story niya.”
Rubbing Elbows
by Ruben Marasigan
