Life Begins

As its first ever cover boy (in its latest issue, with Cristine Reyes, 2009’s Sexiest Woman, on the flip side), Robin Padilla was asked by FHM magazine this question: Finally, how do you know that a man is not a man? His answer: “Siguro sa usapin ng babae. Doon ko kasi tinitingnan kung ang isang lalaki ay hindi tunay na lalaki. Kung siya ay madaldal sa usapin ng kanyang mga babae — eh bakla yon. Dahil ang babae ay iginagalang. Kapag ipinagkatiwala niya sa iyo ang sarili niya, at minahal ka, at ibinigay sa’yo ang lahat at pag-uwi mo ay ikukuwento mo sa buong kabarkadahan mo, at ipagyayabang mo, at ibibidyo mo pa, bakla yon!”

Turning 40 on Nov. 23 yet, Robin is as fit and firm, as dashing, daring and, yes, as dangerous as ever, featured in FHM with 20 other Pinoy Men of Style (including Eddie Garcia, Dolphy, former Pres. Joseph Estrada, Vhong Navarro, Richard Gomez, Manny Pacquiao, Jaime Augusto and Fernando Zobel, Rico Blanco, Rep. Teddy Locsin Jr., visual artist Kiko Escora, painter/photographer/mountaineer/etc. Romeo Lee, Lav Diaz, commercial director Sid Maderazo, Matteo Guidicelli, former E-Heads member Raimund Marasigan, apl.de.ap (Allan Pineda of Black Eyed Peas), Joey de Leon, Ariel & Maverick and Billy Crawford).

Also an in-demand endorser (of Liveraide, Revicon and Excedrin, among others), he has just been tapped as the star of the new Skyflakes commercial which has as theme “how to grab your big break in life.”

Strip Robin naked (if you dare to and if he will let you — at your own risk!) and you will see a body criss-crossed with keloids that look like the map of the globe, which are his “souvenirs” from his derring-do in life-threatening scenes that he’d rather do himself, refusing any “double” so as not to cheat the public.

Spirit still high after a two-week trip to India where he studied an Indian form of martial arts and yoga, with a side trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra, Robin agreed to do a “body talk” for Conversations. He stands 5’10”; weighs 170 lbs.; and wears medium-sized shirt, size-31 briefs and size-9 shoes.

Don’t your keloids have any side effects?

“None so far, except na sumasakit ‘yon kapag mainit.”

What other, hmmmm, “souvenirs” did you get from your shootings?

“Part of my back is broken. My Achilles Heel was injured. Marami akong injuries sa pelikula.”

Just like Jackie Chan whose body bears several such “souvenirs.” Like Jackie, you also don’t have a “double” in your risky (as in life-threatening) scenes, right?

“Eh siempre, inabot ko ang panahon na wala pang daya.” (Laughs).

“Now, it seems na puro daya na ang pag-gawa ng pelikula.”

Aside from martial arts, what other workout do you do for conditioning?

“Only martial arts. I’d rather do yoga. I’m turning 40 (on Nov. 23) and I’m not supposed to lift weights. Sabi ng doctor ko at yoga teacher ko, hindi na maganda sa katawan ng mga taong ka-edad ko ang nagbubuhat ng mabibigat. They said that the best exercises ay ‘yung may kinalaman sa relaxation ng internal organs. Yoga is one of the best.”

You easily lose weight or gain weight as required by your role. You lost weight for Joaquin Bordado and you gained weight for Totoy Bato.

“It’s easy. Focus lang ang kailangan.”

Aren’t you fond of sports?

“No, I’m not. Martial arts lang talaga. Hindi ako mahilig sa basketball dahil pikon ako, eh.” (Laughs) “Badminton naman, it’s not a ‘contact’ sport, eh. I prefer ‘contact’ sports like martial arts. I also like running and mountain-climbing. When I trained for Totoy Bato, I climbed Mt. Pulag in Benguet Province. Next time, I want to climb the Himalayas.”

Kaya pala maganda ang condition ng katawan mo. Any part that needs improvement?

“Puwet ko. My butt.” (Laughs) “Parang kulang yata ang laman d’un.”

Aside from those affected by keloids, what other part of your body is vulnerable?

“My head. I suffer from migraine. Kapag sumumpong ‘yon, tapos na kaagad ang araw ko. I take Excedrin for that. It’s effective, that’s why I agreed to endorse it.”

What part of your body is your favorite?

“My legs. They are strong, well-developed, thanks to my mom (Eva Cariño) who made me scrub the floor. Pinagbubunot ako ng Mama ko kaya lumakas ang legs ko. She also made me carry pails of water to the third floor where we lived. Thanks to the bunot and the balde at talagang na-develop ang legs ko. Among us brothers, I’m the only one with well-developed legs.”

I wonder, with your tight schedule, do you manage to sleep eight hours per night?

“It’s Ramadan so I can’t sleep for eight hours because I have to pray as often as I can. Bawal sa aming mga Muslim ang hindi makapag-dasal. We pray five times every day and during the Ramadan we pray longer at night. I hardly sleep at night, so I try to make up for it by taking power naps during daytime. Importante ang tulog; importante ang pahinga ng katawan. Usually, I try to sleep for six to seven hours. ‘Yon daw ang pinaka-ideal sa edad ko.”

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“After I pray, I read books.”

What kind of books?

“It depends on my mood. When I’m in a good mood, I like to read historical books, those about empires, etc. When I’m sad, I read biographies.”

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

“Toilet muna and after that, I pray again. That’s very important. ‘Yon ang turo sa amin — pray as soon as we wake up.”

How many pillows do you sleep with?

“Only two. Actually, I don’t sleep with a pillow under my head. I sleep lying flat on my bed kasi it’s good daw for the body, especially sa akin because I have a bad back.”

What do you wear to bed, pajamas?

“Naku, I’ve never worn pajamas in my whole life. I wear shorts with nothing from the waist up. Sometimes, when I put the aircon on, I wear jogging pants and T-shirt.”

Do you sleep with the aircon turned on full blast?

“No. Sometimes, I don’t turn the aircon on. Mas gusto ko pa ang electric fan, pero hindi nakatutok sa akin.”

Aside from yoga, how do you cope with stress?

“Yoga is very good in relieving stress. Sometimes, I have a massage. When I was in India, I learned that massage is a way of life there. Kasama ‘yon sa kanilang pamumuhay.”

What about your diet? What do you take for breakfast?

“Outside of the Ramadan, I take oatmeal with goat milk.”

Any food that you avoid?

“I stay away from beef; I prefer goat meat dahil ‘yon ang pinaka-walang taba. It’s the safest meat to eat.”

Do you manage to take three square meals a day?

“I don’t usually follow the three-meals-a-day routine. It depends on what your body needs. But I avoid eating too much, ‘yung tamang-tama lang. I eat often but in small amounts.”

What vitamins do you take?

“Of course, those that I’m endorsing — Liveraide and Revicon.”

For snacks?

“Siempre po, Skyflakes. Even before I became its endorser, talagang Skyflakes guy na ako. Hindi ‘yon nawawala sa baon ko anywhere I go. ‘Yon ang pinaka-handy na pang-sangga sa gutom, especially for those like me who are always working out, para hindi ka magka-ulcer.”

How much water do you take per day?

“More than 10 glasses.”

Coffee or tea?

“Ah, coffee. I love coffee.”

What’s your favorite hideaway aside from Australia (where his wife Liezl Sicangco and three of their children are; their daughter Queenie, as martial artist who co-stars with Robin in a GMA show, is here).

“After visiting India, I’m going to Iran on Sept. 12 to study naman the Iranian form of martial arts. But of all the places that I’ve been to, my favorite is Agra in India, where the Taj Mahal is. Hanep ang lugar na ‘yon! Na-in-love talaga ako!” 

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