Franco and Ayen : Friends & lovers - CONVERSATIONS with Ricky F. Lo

It’s probably the best-kept secret in a very transparent world like showbiz and we should take our hats off to Franco Laurel and Ayen Munji for having been able to make their romance as private as possible, for as long as possible, until a Deep Penetration Agent (DPA, nuts!) got wind of it and sent a "feeler" to The STAR.

That was late last year. The latest word is that the couple has set a date at the altar "sometime in the first half of this year," a special event meant to be low-key and quiet that the couple won’t reveal a single detail, not even the date or the venue of the wedding.

Everything is going according to the plan, thank you.

With a select group of very close friends as witnesses, Franco, 28, and Ayen, 29, are set to formalize and legalize their relationship with hardly any fanfare that characterizes showbiz weddings. But then, neither of them is showbiz although they’re both in the midst of it.

Co-host of ABS-CBN’s Saturday sizzler Keep On Dancing, Franco describes himself as a "private person" and so does Ayen, the fourth wife of Brunei’s Prince Jeffrey (younger brother of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah) from whom she’s divorced. Like Franco, Ayen is a great lover of music (her father is popular musician Emy Munji). She was also the producer of Rama at Sita, the multi-million-peso musical mounted at the UP Theater in early 1999 and which proved memorable to her and Franco because it served as the "bridge" between them.

News of the romance came as a surprise to showbiz-watchers who have been wondering and speculating about Franco’s love life ("zero," they surmised, all because Franco was mum about it). Just when some people were starting to doubt his, uh, "sexual preference," came the refreshing tidbit that Franco is finally bringing home his dream girl whose two kids from her previous marriage will make Franco an "instant father."

Here’s how the two met and fell in love, a romance founded on a beautiful friendship:

Is your decision to get married done at the spur of the moment?

"Actually, we’ve been planning it, kaya lang secretly until the press got wind of it. What we want is a low-key wedding, a quiet and simple wedding. We started planning as early as August last year pa, so it isn’t really a spur-of-the-moment decision."

How long have you known each other?

"Almost three years."

It means that your friendship started when Ayen was still married to the Prince.

"Oh, yes, she was. But when we started going out, she was already free, divorced na siya. I want to make it clear."

Do you still remember when you started getting romantically involved?

"August of 1999. But we really started as friends. In fact, walang ligawan na nangyari between us. Basta, it just happened naturally. I kept it to myself but when I met her, I had an instant crush on her. But I kept it a secret because I was aware of her status in life then. We became friends and we started opening up to each other and hanging out together. Just as friends; wala pang romantic involvement."

Was Ayen based in Brunei at that time?

"I don’t think she was."

Or maybe at her (alleged) Forbes Park mansion.

"As far as I know, she wasn’t staying in Forbes Park. Sa Alabang siya nakatira; neighbors kami. That’s why we became friends. I also know that she travelled a lot, until she decided to settle down in the Philippines in December of 1999."

With her kids?

"Yeah. She has two. One is 10 and the other is 6." (Note: Names withheld for security reasons.)

So how did the romance officially start?

"Since we’re neighbors, as I’ve said, we hang out together a lot. We attend dance classes together, we work out together. But until noong kami na talaga, I never pried into her personal life. When she travelled, I never asked where she was going. But she does travel a lot."

For leisure or for business?

"I don’t know; I’m not sure. As I’ve said, hindi ako nakikialam; hindi ako nagtatanong. I respect her need for privacy. Anyway, during one party before one of her trips abroad, we got to talking seriously, not as ‘boss’ and ‘employee,’ but as, well, ganoon na nga."

Has she ever been your "boss"?

"Well, she was my ‘boss’ sa Rama at Sita because she was the producer of that musical. I played Bharata, the youngest brother of Rama."

Were you the personal choice of Ayen for the role?

"I don’t think so. In fact, I was among the last one to be hired for the role. That was in late 1998 when they held auditions for Rama at Sita. She later related to me that during the auditions, she didn’t have any idea who I was. ’Yon ang first meeting namin. Later, nagkukwentuhan kami, we just talked. I guess we found each other interesting. We’d talk on the phone quite often."

Talk about what?

"Just about anything, anything under the sun. Then we got to know each other better when she decided to stay here for good. All in all, I think we’ve been together for two years now."

Is Ayen your first serious romance?

"No. I’ve had other girlfriends."

From showbiz?

"No. From the private world."

How many girlfriends have you had?

"Serious ones? Two."

So Ayen and you are two right people who meet at the right time. Both of you were free and available.

"We were both free. I want to make that clear. We didn’t step on other people’s toes."

I suppose you were really meant for each other.

"I believe so, I think so. I believe that everything happens for a reason, for a purpose. It’s funny, though, that when I first met her, there was something in her na parang mysterious. I noticed it when we were introduced during the Rama at Sita auditions. I knew from that moment that we would click. It’s her personality. Nag-jibe kami. You know how it is when you talk to a person and you realize that you enjoy talking to each other. You’re so comfortable with each other that you simply open up to each other."

Was the feeling mutual?

"I think so. While she seemed open to and comfortable with me, she was quite, as I’ve said, mysterious."

Were you intrigued by that aura of mystery?

"I guess so. You know, she’s the type of person who doesn’t easily open up to anybody. She’s very private, just like me. Whatever she allowed herself to tell me, iginagalang ko. We just got along really well from the very beginning."

At what point did you realize that your friendship was developing into a romance?

"Around August of 1999."

Was there any exchange of "I love you’s"?

"Nothing of that sort. But we just felt that our relationship was graduating to a higher level. Knowing that she just came from a serious relationship, I didn’t know if she was ready for another one. But we talked seriously and we made sure na ready na siya."

Were you? I mean, ready for a serious relationship?

"I was ready but I didn’t know if she was. In the first place, I didn’t want her to get seriously involved with me on the rebound."

How did you propose to her?

"During one of our conversations, I told her that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. It happened in Singapore where we were spending a vacation. We were with a group. On the day we arrived, although very tired, we had dinner, just the two of us. I took out a small box and opened it. May ring sa loob. When she saw it, she started to laugh, parang she wasn’t taking me seriously."

Where did you buy the ring?

"In Manila."

It must be very expensive.

"I worked hard for it."

Did you use up all your savings for it?

"Hindi naman. May natira pa naman. Anyway, I gave the ring to her and I told her, ‘I just want to make it formal - and legal. Can we get married?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ That was in July last year. So you can say that we got formally engaged at that time. July 12, 2000."

Are you close to Ayen’s children?

"I am. Close ako sa kanila. They’re comfortable with me and I’m comfortable with them. I’m so attached to the kids and I love them very much. I’m more than willing to be their stepdad. We go out to lunch, to dinner."

Why do you prefer a small, quiet and "secret" wedding when you can have an engrande one?

"Ayen is a private person and so am I. We want to avoid creating a big hoopla over the whole thing. It will be a solemn occasion and only very, very few people will be there. Piling-pili lang talaga."

But the Laurel is a big clan and they can fill up the whole place.

"Sorry na lang but I’m not inviting all the relatives. They’ll get to meet Ayen later. I am not for big celebrations, anyway. We want the occasion to be quiet and simple but very meaningful."

Aside from the fact that you both fiercely guard your privacy, what do Ayen and you have in common?

"The love for music. We both love music very much. She’s got a beautiful voice, something unique. I’ve never heard a voice such as hers. Malinis. It’s perfect. When you hear her sing, you can’t help but fall in love with her. She used to sing with a band before. We also both love to eat. I would research on good restaurants and we’d go there. Mahilig siya magluto at ganoon din ako."

Being neighbors, do you eat in each other’s place? Like nice neighbors do, you know.

"The funny thing is that sawa na siya sa pagkain sa bahay niya, so she’d go to my house para kumain. When she eats in my house, na-i-excite ako so I tend to eat a lot."

Do you stay for the night in her house – or vice-versa?

"No. Conservative pa rin tayo."

Did Ayen produce some of your shows?

"No. It was my Mom who produced my shows. Kawawa naman ang Nanay ko hindi siya nakri-credit as producer. I want to give credit where credit is due." (Her mom is the former Felicia Reyes and his dad is Francis Laurel, the nephew of Doy Laurel. Franco’s grandfather, Ambassador Jose S. Laurel III, is Doy’s older brother. Cocoy Laurel is Franco’s uncle, while designer Rajo Laurel, Chema Laurel Marquez, a.k.a. Kenji Motoki, are his cousins. – RFL)

How much of a Laurel are you?

"What do you mean?"

Well, the Laurels are noted politician and artists.

"I should say that I am 50 percent Reyes and 50 percent Laurel. I guess I get the best of both sides, the good traits of both families. But I’m more of an artist than a politician. I never enjoy politics. When you grow in politics, either you love it or you stay away from it. I’m glad that on the side of my Dad, mas inclined sila toward business and the arts."

Where did you study (college)?

"Well, after finishing grade school and high school at Montessori, I went to Japan and enrolled at Keio University in Tokyo."

Why in Japan?

"I went to Japan in 1990, right after graduating from high school. You see I admire my grandfather so much. He went to a military academy before the war. My parents gave me an option, whether to study here or in the States or in Japan. I thought, ‘Why not try Japan?’ It’s closer to the Philippines so it was more convenient for me to come back. I was only 17 then, the eldest of two brothers and two sisters. I lived alone in Japan."

Did you take up music in Keio University?

"I went to a language school for one year and a half. I studied Japanese. After that, I passed the entrance test at Keio University and finished my course there. I came back home in 1996. Six months later, I joined showbiz."

As an actor?

"No. As a singer. But at that time, it was hard for a solo singer because the band craze was at its peak. The scene was dominated by the likes of Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano and Regine Velasquez so it was hard for a newcomer like me to penetrate the market. It so happened that they were looking for a guest co-host at Eezy Dancing (which was then aired on ABC 5; he later moved to Keep on Dancing on Channel 2) and I applied. And there I stayed."

Being used to living alone (in Japan and) here, would you have any difficulty adjusting to married life? You know, sharing a bed with somebody, etc.

"When I decided to marry Ayen, I was ready to give up that kind of life for a new one. It’s easy to adjust, especially if you’re living with somebody you love. I’m ready to have kids of our own."

How many kids do you want to have?

"Hopefully, God willing, siguro two first and then, isa pa. On Ayen’s side, mayroon silang twins. Her mom has a twin sister. If God wills it, sana magkaroon kami ng twins, one boy and one girl."

How soon do you plan to have a baby?

"Not so soon. Maybe in 2002? First, we want to enjoy each other’s company."

Where do you plan to have your honeymoon?

"Siguro sa States."

Would you strive to give Ayen the kind of life she had with the Prince?

"What I promise to give her is a life full of love and full of happiness, a life full of self-fulfillment. A happy family. That’s all I can promise her. A happy life."