Bettina Carlos draws inspiration from baby daughter

CEBU, Philippines - Bettina Carlos didn’t have to look far for inspiration for her role in GMA-7’s “Temptation of Wife.”

The 25-year-old actress plays Tiya Madel, a “mentally delayed” woman known to be the younger sister of Romeo Salcedo (Raymond Bagatsing), but later on will be revealed as his love child with Yolanda Armada (Ayen Munji-Laurel).

“Meron akong anak at mga pamangkin, kaya kuhang-kuha ko yung kilos ng mga bata. Pero pinag-aralan ko din ang karakter ko para natural ang kalabasan sa harap ng kamera. Mahirap siya, pero konti lang,” said Bettina in a pocket interview with the Cebu press before a mall show with her “Temptation” cast mates.

She serves as the drama’s comic relief, uttering lines that are naughty and forthright as seen through the eyes of a child in a grown woman’s body.

Bettina was not the first choice for the role, as Candy Pangilinan and Eugene Domingo were the initial names floated around. When she was finally cast as Tiya Madel, some critics doubted if she could deliver.

“Nakakatakot talaga, ang lakas kasi ng Temptation, kaya iniisip ko palagi na kaya ko ‘to,” she expressed, adding she feels glad most of the feedback about her portrayal have been positive so far.

She regards her inclusion in the primetime series as a big break, considering how well-received the original Korean version was when it aired on Philippine television.

“Nanood ako nang ilang episodes. Hindi ko pinanood nang buo kasi ayoko masyadong gayahin lahat. Kahit remake siya, dapat naman may konting bago na napapanood ang viewers,” she said.

Earlier episodes had Bettina executing a lot of scenes with the soap’s main star Marian Rivera, and she said this resulted to a blooming friendship between the two.

“Naging close na kami ni Marian, kasi sa taping, may times na nagtatawanan at nagbibiruan kami before a take,” she shared.

According to Bettina, Marian displays a friendly disposition, contrary to past unfavorable reports about the Primetime Queen’s behavior.

“Ugali ko kasi na kung ano yung ipakita sa akin, siyempre iyon yung basis ko. And wala siyang ipinakita sa akin na ikakagalit ko. Ang bait talaga niya. Minsan nga, dederetso na yan sa set galing sa taping niya sa Extra Challenge, pero marunong pa rin ngumiti.”

Bettina will have plenty of time to build and renew friendships with the Kapuso stable of artists, because she signed a five-year contract with GMA Artist Center effective until 2017. After her management deal with ABS-CBN’s Star Magic ended early last year, Bettina expressed her desire to be a freelancer. About the same time, GMA-7 extended a good offer, so she latched at the chance to reinvigorate her career with the network responsible for discovering her.

“Sinabi ko talaga sa Star Magic na i-release nila ako kasi gusto ko maging host sa mga show,” said Bettina, a Communications Technology and Marketing graduate at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Her track record shows that hosting is a field she’s quite proficient at. At 17, she was invited as guest host of Nickelodeon Philippines Kids Choice Awards back in 2005 after impressing the cable channel’s Asia-Pacific top executives. She also co-hosted GMA-7’s former lifestyle show”3R” with Iza Calzado and Chynna Ortaleza.

It’s something she gets to do again since her return to GMA-7, where she’s assigned to host regional events. An added perk: She gets to travel around the country and is exposed to each region’s culture while working.

She also exercises her other communication skill, this time in written form, through a column she has maintained since 2007 for Pilipino Star’s Pang-Masa tabloid, a sister publication of The FREEMAN under the Philippine Star Group of Publications.

“Yung mga sinusulat ko, tungkol sa youth. Sa kahit anong bagay o mga pangyayari sa ating bansa, kailangan din naman mapakinggan ang boses ng kabataan,” said Bettina.

That Marketing part of her college degree, she gets to apply to her home-based baking business, which she called Baked Bites by ABC (Bites is Bettina’s nickname while ABC stands for her full name Anna Bettina Christina).

Bettina explained she has to grab every income-generating opportunity due to her status as a single mother. Her daughter, named Amanda Lucia and nicknamed Gummy, is now one year and ten months old.

She prefers not to talk about the identity of Gummy’s father, with whom she has had no communication with. Bettina no longer expects him to cough up financial support for their offspring, either. She can very well afford to raise her child on her own, she said.

As to whether she has a special someone at the moment, Bettina was quick to say she is not planning on entering into a romantic relationship anytime soon, as she would rather focus on rearing her little bundle of joy.

“Kahit wala akong partner, masaya naman ako sa buhay ko ngayon dahil sa baby ko. Kaya natatawa ako sa mga sinasabi ng ibang tao na kailangan merong partner para maging masaya. Para sa akin, hindi totoo ang ganyang kasabihan. Depende po yan, kung paano mo dinadala yung sarili mo para maging masaya ka,” a smiling Bettina ended. (FREEMAN)