Marian & Dingdong: At the right time

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Are they or are they not?

With more stars getting married or engaged these days, the fans of Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera are surely waiting with bated breath for their idols to follow suit as well.

The popular showbiz couple has long been hounded by engagement rumors, which both have had denied time and again. But sources close to the couple swore that the sweethearts, who love traveling together, got engaged for real during an Asian trip late last year. The couple is said to have confirmed “the good news” to the close friends.   

Dingdong and Marian, who were among the roster of stars GMA Network flew in to lend star power to the Araw ng Dabaw celebration over the weekend, playfully downplayed the revived engagement rumor in separate roundtable interviews with reporters, neither confirming nor denying if it were true. 

When The STAR asked Dingdong to address it with a simple yes or no, the actor replied with a laugh, “The right time will come for that. Ikaw palang nagtanong sakin niyan ha. Bilib ako ha. (You’re the first one to ask me that. I’m impressed.) I like that, I like that.”

Marian broke into a wide smile when it was her turn to be asked by this writer about it. “Like Dong, I’ll neither confirm nor deny it, at magsma-smile nalang ako.”

Asked about a supposedly 2015 altar date, Dingdong, who’s turning 34 this year, said, “If you ask me about specific plans, not yet. Let’s just say, who doesn’t want to settle down with someone like her. It’s something I look forward to one of these days, at the right time. It’s something I should work for, something I should earn also.”

When another reporter told Dingdong that his 29-year-old girlfriend, based on her pronouncements in past interviews, comes across as someone not putting any pressure on him, the actor said, “My effort din ako (to assure her) but she’s also in the position that she also has a lot of commitments, not just to one person, not just to herself, but to a lot of things.

“She has endorsements, and a lot of people are depending on her for different things, so di pa kinakailangan or di pa ina-allow to engage in stuff such as a long-term commitment. There a lot of things to weigh, especially with her stature now, she’s all the more busy, she’s so in-demand. These are things, you have to savor, kailangan sagarin, you have to make the most of it.”

“Basta happy. Happy kami,” Dingdong stressed. 

For Marian, one thing she’s proud of in their relationship is that they are also the best of friends. “Kung hindi siguro kami artista at makikita niyo kami sa labas, iisipin niyo kung mag-boyfriend ba ito o mag-best friends? That’s how we are. It’s healthy also. It’s not like — we should always be sweet to each other, we should only be boyfriend and girlfriend — we’re not like that. And I’m very transparent with him and vice versa.” 

With Marian visibly more aglow and getting sexier by the day, landing yet again on the FHM cover, did Dingdong ever feel the tiniest fit of jealousy what with the male attention and admiration Marian is generating?

“Siguro sa isang tao lang ako na-threaten, and that’s her father,” laughed Dingdong.

“Hindi ko kasi siya pinapansin pag-andyan si Papa (laughs). Sweet kasi kami. He treats me like a baby,” described Marian of her Spanish father (who knows how to speak Filipino, by the way) who plans on visiting the Philippines this year.

Marian, nevertheless, said that she’s crediting the “glowing aura” to a consciously positive disposition. “I’m not saying I’m fulfilled in all aspects of my life. It’s not perfect. But with what’s happening in my career, love life and family, happy talaga ako.”

Meanwhile, the two are busier than ever this year. Taping as well as promoting the primetime series Carmela (with leading man Alden Richards) are Marian’s priority. She’s thankful that viewers are embracing her team-up with Alden even as it was deemed unlikely at the onset.

Marian is due to shoot two more films with Regal Entertainment, Inc., one of which is a heavy drama reportedly with Derek Ramsay.

For his part, Dingdong is scheduled to begin taping for his new series with Maricel Soriano and Lovi Poe, with the working title Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real. “It’s more than a love triangle, a story about three people who are victims of love. It’s straight drama, very realistic, from the creator of My Husband’s Lover.”

Dingdong will also produce and star anew in the sequel to Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles with a planned release date late in the year.  

Both have also been making more time for their charities. Part of Dingdong’s Davao visit was giving school bags and supplies to more than 300 deserving primary students of Zonta Elementary School at Isla Verde under his Yes Pinoy Foundation in coordination with the network’s Regional TV team.

Marian, also with the help of regional TV, launched early this year Kapuso Adopt-a-Bangka Project to help victims of the Supertyphoon Yolanda in the Visayas pick up their lives again by giving them a means of livelihood. They have since turned over 100 bancas to a fishing community in Bantayan Island in northern Cebu.

Then, there are more travels for them individually and as a couple. After Balesin Island for last Valentine’s, Dingdong said he wants to return to Palawan with Marian. “The place is very memorable for us because of Dyesebel (in 2008),” he said. It’s maybe because apart from breathtaking beauty of the island-province, the place was also witness to how their reel pairing became a real one “towards the end,” as Dingdong confirmed, of the shooting of the series.