MANILA, Philippines — Markus Paterson sees nothing wrong about finding love online, knowing fully well that in this day and age, social media and other digital streaming platforms have become part of our daily existence.
The Kapamilya actor admits to not being so familiar with the traditional courtship in the Philippines or winning the heart of a girl through “akyat ng ligaw sa bahay,” but he prefers wooing his ladylove in person.
“Yeah, I believe in ligawan. It’s a cultural thing, especially here in the Philippines and since I grew up in the UK, it’s not really a part of our culture. So, parang nagulat lang ako with the whole process but it’s nice to learn because I’m also a Filipino,” said Markus, who was born to a Filipina mom and a British dad.
Courting a girl, he added, is not just about making a good impression, but also showing his honesty and pure intentions.
“There can still be a lot of factors but for me, it’s being true to yourself and making sure you’re showing your true colors because the worse thing is getting into a relationship and suddenly the person changes, parang they’re just putting their best foot forward where they think they would like them more because they are being someone else (someone they’re not).”
Unlike his character Greg in this Saturday’s episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) titled Strangers Online, opposite Heaven Peralejo (as Wena), Markus is far from seeing himself entering into a long-distance relationship (or LDR for short). He values being with someone physically. He declared, “That’s my love language, physical touch, and for me, I probably wouldn’t survive because medyo clingy ako.”
Nevertheless, Markus accepted the challenge of acting out a character, who professes his love online. Based on the trailer, the actor will certainly make audiences think about the pros and cons of surviving the distance in the name of love.
Markus agrees that there is no love without sacrifice. Becoming a dad at 23 years old has taught Markus to determine what is important.
“I put away lahat ng mga bisyo, everything that 23-year-olds do like going out to party, things like that. But it wasn’t even a hard thing to do because I embraced (my) being a young father,” said Markus, who is a proud dad to his and Janella Salvador’s one-year-old son Jude.
Meanwhile, Markus is grateful for the opportunity to display his acting talent once again in MMK following his impressive performance in Viral Scandal.
Strangers Online, if he is not mistaken, is Markus’ fourth MMK project. He hopes to do more in the future.
“Kahit sobrang mabigat, sobrang maraming drama, it’s very, very fun because you learn more about yourself as an actor. My first three (MMK stints) were very, very small roles because I just joined the industry then, but the way they treated me was so amazing. I hope in the future, mas marami pa akong opportunities with MMK. Nagpaparinig na ako, hahahaha,” he concluded.
(MMK airs Saturday nights at 8 on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, ABS-CBN Entertainment Facebook page, iWant TFC and A2Z Channel.)