It’s payback time for Carmina

It’s a classic case of deja vu. Carmina Villarroel sees herself in her young co-stars on GMA’s Kakabakaba Adventures. And she can’t help but sigh: "I feel old! (compared to them, that is)!"

After all, teen models Bettina Carlos, Julianne, Gayle Valencia, Margaret Wilson, Princess Schuck, the mischievous Sean Ignacio and the G4 (Jay Aquitania, Benj Basa, Rainier Rodriguez and John Schimeer) call Carmina "Ate." And while it’s a sign of respect, it’s also a symbol of ehem, seniority in terms of age.

Carmina is taking the responsibility that goes with it oh-so-seriously.

"I give my co-stars inputs about how to deliver their lines, how to pick their costumes, etc. It’s not that I want to interfere. I’m not even the executive producer. I just want to help, that’s all. My older co-stars guided me in Palibhasa Lalake when I was still starting out. I was the youngest in the cast then," says Carmina.

It requires patience, to be sure, she adds. But it’s payback time, and who is she to complain?

Not Carmina, who, admittedly, is more active in showbiz than Zoren Legaspi, father of her twins. This has never been a problem for the couple, who has been together for the past three years.

"Zoren works, too (he’s also in the weekly Kakabakaba Adventures). And he’s not afraid of taking even small roles. That’s good," Carmina sounds like a blushing bride.

Besides, he’s a good father. Carmina appreciates how her ‘Dinosaur" (her pet name for Zoren, thanks to his long limbs) is hands-on with their twins, taking them out whenever he can, and agreeing with her that they themselves – not the family driver – bring them to school once they start studying this June.

Zoren, Carmina gushes, is also a good partner. He still writes her love letters. And she still thrills at the sight of them. He gives her little gifts at the drop of a hat: a key chain, Winnie the Pooh items, etc. These thoughtful gestures endear him more to her.

But they’re not thinking of marriage. At least not yet. Even if that’s the only thing lacking in their rosy relationship, a rarity in showbiz.

"It’s not that I don’t want to get married. That’s every girl’s dream. But the annulment of my marriage (to Rustom Padilla), traumatized me so. The court took so long to hand down its decision," reveals Carmina.

Since her twins were born in the US, they carry their father’s surname, and Carmina is the only one in the family with a different family name.

The situation, she says, becomes more glaring the minute they travel together.

"I’m the only one with Villarroel in my passport," chuckles Carmina.

Like her mother, who raised all five of them children well even while she was working, Carmina is confident she can balance career with motherhood.

Her logic is, if her mom can do it, why can’t she? After all, not one of her brothers and sisters turned out a problem child.

This early, Carmina is not discounting the possibility of any of her twins entering showbiz. She knows it’s in their genes. And this early, the twins are singing and dancing at the slightest excuse.

On top of that, they get a regular dose of TV shows with their parents as stars.

"One time," Carmina relates, "my daughter saw Zoren being hostaged by other people. She cried out to Zoren, ‘Father, why are those two guys holding you?’ The girl was bewildered."

When Zoren explained it’s only a role and make-believe, the little girl shot back at her amused parents, "Then it’s all joke, joke, joke!"

Instead of talking about boys the way they used to during their Regal days, Carmina swaps child-rearing stories with Aiko Melendez, whose son, Andre, is Carmina’s godson.

"And our gimmicks, they’re so different now!" relates Carmina. "They now revolve around children’s parties, baptisms, etc."

Gelli de Belen has remained a bosom friend, tried and tested by time. Gelli, reveals Carmina, never tolerated her mistakes. She scolds when needed.

"Gelli is honest and open with me. She tells me when I’m wrong, and I tell her when she commits a mistake. When she’s hurt, I’m hurt. When I cry, she cries, and vice-versa. It’s hard to find someone like her," Carmina describes their friendship, a rarity, especially in the fickle world of showbiz.

After everything she’s been through, Camina has every reason to feel blessed.