Love between opposites

They didn’t fall in love at first sight. In fact, when they met on the set of the ABS-CBN soap Tabing-Ilog in Laguna eight years ago, bells didn’t ring, never mind if she was free and so was he.

Seven years later, Jodi Santamaria and Panfilo “Pampi” Lacson Jr. are a happy couple, blessed with a cute little boy, Panfilo Lacson III (Thirdy for short), two years old.

“And to think that when we first met, Pampi simply ignored me,” recalled Jodi with a laugh. “Maybe he was deliberately not paying attention to me precisely to catch my attention and he did succeed. He intrigued me with his, I thought, being supladito.”

They went steady for four years and have been married the same number of years. She’s now 26 and he 28.

Maybe it’s their being opposites (in many ways) that helps make their marriage work. “I’m the talkative type and he’s the silent type,” admitted Jodi, proving that opposites do attract. She’s deep into showbiz and he into his own business (advertising, etc.).

They allow each other space and a chance to grow.

“Pampi doesn’t stop me from acting,” said Jodi who, especially after marriage and motherhood, has matured as an actress, making heads turn with her fine performances in soaps, including the recent ABS-CBN suspense-thriller Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara (with Susan Roces and Kris Aquino) where she played a vengeful ghost. (She’s now in another ABS-CBN series, the action-adventure Palos where she plays a scientist. She was also in the early episodes of the ABS-CBN kiddie show Kung Fu Kids as the mother of Jairus Aquino, one of the title rolers.)

“But I always proceed with caution,” she added. “I know that I now carry the surname Lacson so I’m careful with the roles I choose to play.”

When are you celebrating your wedding anniversary?

“We’re celebrating our third wedding anniversary on Thursday, March 27. We got married in Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay. There’s a little chapel doon and that’s where we got married. A few months later we got married in civil rites here.”

Oh, not in one of those cute chapels at the street corner?

(Laughs) “No naman. Our wedding was well-planned. We had a big reception and we had many guests. It was not a drive-thru wedding, huh. I want to make that clear. May mga drive-thru weddings doon, di nga ba?”

You came home soon after...

“I came home in April. Later that month, I learned that I was pregnant. Our child was made in Las Vegas. I had some commitments here so I had to come back at once. But Pampi stayed behind because he had some things to attend to. After six months, I went back to the States and stayed there until I gave birth. So our son is an American citizen.”

You married young, right?

“I was 22. Young ba ‘yon? Pampi was 24.”

How’s your marriage so far?

“So far, so good. So far, everything is okay. Masaya, especially now that we have Thirdy na parang laruan namin sa house. Of course, like any married couple we have misunderstandings but not naman serious. You know, we are two different people na pinag-isa, so there are bound to be little clashes. But, as I said, not too serious na hindi namin naso-sort out at the end of the day.”

What do you usually argue about?

“Small things only. Like now, we’re building our own house, so we argue about the little details. I want a walk-in closet and he wants something else. Small things like that. I want a certain color for the curtains but he wants something else. Nothing serious.”

Is that all?

“Well, sometimes the issue is time. We are both busy so sometimes we don’t get to really see each other. But always, we set aside time just for us, with Thirdy. We go out of town.”

You’re staying with Pampi’s parents, right?

“Yes. We’ve been living with them since after Pampi and I got married. Until now. Kasi nga our house is taking time to build. Two years in the making na. So we have no choice but to stay with my in-laws. Wala akong masabi. My in-laws are super nice. Sobra!”

Is Pampi an only child (that’s why his parents wouldn’t let him go)?

“No, he’s not. He’s the middle among three children. People think that Thirdy is the Lacsons’ first grandchild. Actually, he’s one of the six.”

During the early years of your marriage, there were rumors that you were separating. How do you and Pampi deal with the rumors?

“We just ignore them; hindi namin pinapansin. As long as we know the truth, why bother, di ba? Some of the rumors came out in blind items. It was when those items started coming out every week that we kind of got irked. So I decided to speak up; nagpa-interview na ako. I guested on The Buzz para matapos na once and for all. Even now, reporters still ask me about those rumors.”

How’s Pampi as a husband?

“Very supportive, very malambing, very caring. He doesn’t stop me from doing what I love doing, which is acting. Showbiz. That’s me, eh. Showbiz. But sometimes, he would chide me, ‘Uy, dahan-dahan naman,’ when the tapings for my shows overlapped. Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara was into its final stretch when Palos started taping, so halos hindi na ako umuuwi ng bahay. I would swing from one taping to another, and I was taking a bath practically on the set. So Pampi said, ‘Ano ba ‘yan? Don’t you ever rest?’ Actually, he wasn’t concerned na hindi na niya ako halos nakikita but baka daw magkasakit na ako.”

What about Thirdy?

“Sometimes, I would bring him to the set. But not when I’m too busy baka hindi ko siya maasikaso.”

What kind of family did you come from?

“I have one brother. Dalawa lang kami. My family is conservative, lalo na ang lola ko. She’s very religious. My mom is strict but she also lets us learn from our own experience. When I was young, we joined groups in our church, such as the Legion of Mary. My brother and I were active in church because of our lola who is Katoliko sarado — you know, pagdating ng six o’clock start na kami ng rosary.”

Are you bringing up your son the same way?

“Yes, siempre!”

The Lacsons are a very political family. So how do you fit into the family?

“Actually, it’s only Dad (Ping) who’s in politics. You know, now that I’m carrying their surname, I have to be very careful with what I do and what I say. I don’t want to drag the surname Lacson into something bad. I’m even careful with my choice of roles. I make sure na walang masasabing masama sa akin ang tao.”

Has Pampi gotten used to showbiz (especially the intrigues and the gossips)?

“Sanay na siya. We’d been going steady for four years before we got married. Naging kami noong 2001, during my Tabing-Ilog (ABS-CBN soap) days, two years after I joined showbiz.”

How did you meet?

“One of my Tabing-Ilog co-stars — I won’t say who — had a boyfriend who was Pampi’s friend. One time, Pampi tagged along with the boyfriend to the set (in Pagsanjan, Laguna). When we were introduced, I didn’t even know who he was or who his father was. The first thing I noticed about him was his being aloof. I was intrigued. I told myself, ‘Sino ba ang supladitong ito?’ When you’re an artist, you’re used to people being curious about you. But not Pampi. Parang bale-wala ako sa kanya. He was more interested in watching the TV.”

Oh, parang na-hurt ang ego mo.

“I told my co-star’s boyfriend, ‘I want to know him (Pampi) better. Ipa-date mo ako sa kanya.’ The following day, aba, nagti-text na siya sa akin, only for me to find out much later that it was my co-star’s boyfriend who was texting me in behalf of Pampi. No wonder when we met again, nagtataka ako kung bakit supladito pa rin siya. I was puzzled. He was very friendly sa text but when we met, hindi niya ako pinapansin. It was only when we started going steady did I realize that he was shy. He wasn’t anti-social at all like what my friends suspected. Mahiyain lang talaga siya especially toward those na hindi pa niya kilala. We are opposites. I’m outgoing.”

How was your first date?

“Very funny. Sa bilyaran! He was fond of playing billiards kasi, eh. I didn’t know that he was already courting me kasi hindi siya nagsasalita. Two weeks after we met, he brought me home at doon siya finally nagsalita, ‘You know what, I really like you. I find you very witty. I think I love you. Do you love me?’ Sabi ko, ‘Huh?’ Nabigla ako. ‘But we’ve known each other for only two weeks!,’ I told him. After that, he became aloof again because he thought that I rejected him. He didn’t know na nagpapa-hard-to-get lang ako. Anyway, after four months naging kami na.”

And how did he propose to you?

“Nothing dramatic. He phoned me from the States. Sabi niya, ‘Isn’t it about time?’ So, hayun.”

How are you as a mom?

“I’m a cool mom. Si Thirdy, parang kapatid ko lang. I enjoy his company kahit super kulit ‘yan.”

How’s Pampi as a dad?

“He’s a doting father. Nakaka-aliw silang dalawa ni Thirdy. They would go to the mall, just the two of them, and they would ride the carousel together.”

And how’s Sen. Ping Lacson as a father-in-law?

“He pampers his grandchildren. Thirdy yata is his favorite. I’m really proud of my father-in-law dahil ma-prinsipyo siya. He cannot be bought.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])