How does a couple, the wife a Catholic and the husband a Muslim, spend Christmas and other religion-related occasions?
“Just like everybody else,” assures Mariel Rodriguez who has remained a Catholic almost three years after she got married to Robin Padilla, a devout Muslim. “This is my third Christmas with Robin. We spent our first Christmas with his family. Then, we spent part of the Christmas Season last year with the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro where we distributed relief goods. Actually, we look at Christmas as a Filipino tradition, not as a Catholic or a Muslim.”
So at the couple’s West Fairview home in Quezon City, there’s a Christmas Tree and the hall (which used to be a school for Robin’s Muslim scholars) is decked with the usual Christmas trimmings, except one corner which serves as Robin’s prayer room (no photographs, please!). This Sunday night, the long tables at the hall are occupied by the families of the Muslim construction workers employed by Robin, living in apartments at a compound next door.
“They built their own houses,” volunteers Robin who calls them his Bagong Katipuneros. Vice Pres. Jojo Binay, the administration’s housing czar, has given him a position so he started studying the mechanics of building houses. “So I bought the lot beside my house. My katipuneros started without pay; now, I’m already giving them salary.”
It’s their Christmas party and the couple has invited their friend-reporters to celebrate with them. Food at the buffet table includes beef, fish, vegetables, assorted fruits, biko and other Filipino goodies, but, understandably, there’s no pork. No drinks harder than Coke.
“That’s one thing that Robin prevents me from doing,” reveals Mariel, “eating pork. Well and good, because I have stopped eating pork a long time ago.”
Mariel has beautifully blended with her Muslim brothers and sisters even if, as I’ve been saying, she’s still Catholic. No problem.
“Robin has never pressured me into becoming a Muslim,” insists Mariel. “Bawal ang compulsion sa Islam. It should come from your heart. I see the nice side of Islam and sometimes, I’m tempted to become one. But because of my kind of work, it might be hard for me. I can’t anymore wear a short dress or one with even a low neckline. I don’t want them to think that I disrespect their religion. When the time comes that I’m ready, then go!”
The next “crucial” question: When are they going to have a baby? What sort of family planning are they practicing — birth control or self-control? Or, in the vernacular, pinipigilan?
“All of the above,” answers Mariel without any second thought, adding, “ang plano is pigilan. But self-control is hard, hahahaha! To be honest with you…okay, sasabihin ko na. Kasi Robin is endorsing Trust condoms, di ba? Kapag ini-endorse ni Robin, ginagamit niya talaga. I ‘trust’ Robin, hahahaha! Actually, it was Robin’s talent fee from that Trust endorsement that he used in buying the lot (where the ‘bagong katipuneros’ built their own houses).”
Does that mean that she and Robin are for the controversial RH Bill (4244).
“We need it,” explains Mariel. “It doesn’t mean that if you are for the RH Bill, you are pro-abortion. It’s more for prevention. It’s every woman’s choice whether to get pregnant or not. I’m a woman and I should have a choice.”
Right now, added Mariel, she’s not ready to have a baby yet.
“The same reason behind my not yet becoming Muslim,” she continues. “When I become a mother, I want to be a full-fledged mother who is hands-on in taking care of my baby. But I’m not ready for it yet.”
She’s okay with Robin’s four children by ex-wife Liezl Sicangco (now married to a New Zealander and living in Australia), especially Queenie and Kylie who are only slightly younger than Mariel.
“Liezl and I are okay, too,” confirms Mariel. “Every time the children go to Australia, I ask them to bring my pasalubong for their mom. When they come back, they always bring me pasalubong from Liezl. We talk every now and then.”
Since she and Robin have been married in Muslim rites (first in Baguio and then in India), Mariel has so far given up hope of getting married in Catholic rites after they failed to get a blessing from The Vatican.
“We don’t think about it in the meantime,” she admits. “If it comes, eh, di thank you. But it’s not our priority anymore unlike before when I thought that it was a ‘must’ since some people doubted that we were married. Now, I can tell the whole world that we are married, though in Muslim rites,” adding with a boast, “at saka registered na kami sa NSO. Legal na kami! Sa passport ko, Padilla na ang surname ko.”
Since he can afford and provide for it, Robin may have three more wives if he wants to.
But no, protests Mariel, “Gusto ko ako lang! Everything is okay with me — the foundation, mga anak…he has five, one with Lea (Orosa) and four with Liezl…lahat okey sa akin. And the only thing I ask of him is to have only one wife, at ako lang ‘yon!”
Isn’t she possessive, especially when Robin’s Kapamilya teleserye (Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw) with Kris Aquino and Anne Curtis as leading ladies starts airing end of January?
“As I said, I trust Robin. Besides, Ate Kris is so nice to me. She even invited me to guest on her show Kris TV. One time, I was so touched because she said she has a new van, a Road Trek, and she has let most everybody to ride with her. When she was asked daw if Robin has ridden with her already, Ate Kris said daw, ‘No, I respect Mariel.’ That’s why I like her. Ang bait niya! At saka hello, si Ate Kris pa! Si Anne pa!”
Robin prays five times a day — at 4:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and before midnight.
When his teleserye starts, he might have to pray even harder especially when he comes home after doing love (kissing) scenes with either Kris or Anne, or both.
“You know,” confesses Robin, “I’m only human. Lalaki tayo so hindi maiwasan na magkaroon ng konting malice sa mga love scenes, you can’t avoid getting carried away. But as soon as I come home and I see my beautiful wife in bed, nawawala ang malice ko. Ganda ng asawa ko, di ba? Mahal na mahal ko ‘yan!”
Like most Muslims, Robin keeps tab of his diurnal “sins” and pays a fine for them. With all his love scenes in the teleserye, Robin joked, “Baka doon lang sa fine mapunta ang talent fee ko.”
Besides the teleserye, what Robin wants to do is preach The Word just like what Queenie (the less-showbiz among his children) is doing.
“She gets invited to preach. She and her group are now in Singapore.”
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