THE OTHER CHARO SANTOS (Jingle Extra Hot Magazine, December 28, 1981)

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(Jingle Extra Hot Magazine, December 31, 1981)

 

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THE OTHER CHARO SANTOS

by Baby K. Jimenez

TOO INTELLIGENT.  MASYADONG poised.  Sobrang sweet.  Very mabait.  Never-a-hair-out-of-place type.  Too prim n' proper.  Sobra ang pagka-confident, matindi ang self-reliance.  Name it, she has it.  She knows what she is talking about anywhere, all the time, anyhow.  

     And now you start to wonder:  may imperfections ba itong si Charo?  Masyadong mataas ang kaniyang standards.  Hindi siya kayang abutin ng basta-basta.  Does she ever laugh or scream?  Nagagalit ba?  Marunong naman kayang mag-flirt?  Lagi ba siyang nakaluhod sa simbahan at walang patid na nagro-rosaryo?

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"SI Gerry!  Didja hear?  Nakapasa siya sa Board!"  Naka-toothpaste ad grin siyang nakahiga sa room 200 ng Medical City nang dinalaw namin siya noong hapong iyon (biktima ng slipped-disc, tension, fatigue).

     Si Gerry?.  Oo, si Gerry niya.  Mahal niya.  B.F. niya.  

     "Ako ang unang bumati sa kaniya, binisita niya ako the other day bago siya bumalik sa Mindoro.  I knew he would make it.  Kita mo, Doctor na siya ngayon and I am very proud of him.  Sabi ko nga sa kanya -- siguradong pasado na, andito kasi siya the day before na-release sa papers ang mga nakapasa."

     Unti-unting nawala ang smile na iyon sa mukha niya, followed by some minutes of silence.  Her eyes were misty by now.  "I miss him . . . ngayon pa namang may sakit ako . . ."

     Tinukso namin siya, flower shop ba ang silid na iyon?  Kabi-kabila, sa bawat sulok, ay nagkalat ang mga bulaklak.  May yellow roses.  Red ones.  Kulay-puti.  Iba't ibang orchids.  Chrysanthemums.

     Now, the laughter rang.  "O, masama sa akin ang tumawa, sumasakit ang likod ko," she reminded us, balik na naman ang sparkle sa mata niya.  Temporarily yatang iniwan si Gerry sa likuran ng utak na iyon.

     Ay naku, bakit nga ba ganito, sangkaterbang suitors (na kung biruin namin sa kaniya ay shoo-tors).  May abogado.  May businessman.  May executive.  May . . . teka, baka ma-give away na namin ang score sa puso niya.  May nagpadala bang artista?  Ayaw kong sumagot.

     "Alam mo, ayaw nilang maniwalang may sakit ako," she said.  "Bakit, pati ba naman ang pagkakasakit, wala sa personalidad ko?  But my God, I am a very weak person, vulnerable ako!  Why do people think na kayang-kaya ko ang lahat, na hindi ako marunong umiyak, magwala, magkasakit at magkamali?  There's nothing so special about me, I am a very ordinary person."

     Ring ang phone.  Katok sa pinto.  More fllowers (sabi ko, magtayo na lang siya ng tindahan).  Chocolates from . . . Cakes from . . . Ang hirap magsalita eh.  Nalimutan naming itanong kay Charo kung puwedeng i-print.

     Get si Charo ng stick ng cigarette.  "Pahingi namang light o, kanina pa ako nagtitiis.  Wala kasi akong posporo," and we lit her Cartier.  Oo, medyo chain-smoker na rin siya.

     "Nakaka-gaang ng problema, nakakapan-relaks, parang outlet na rin," she explained.  We reminded her about the Itim days,   she wouldn't touch the cigarettes and though she did not tell us, we got the impression na nakakabawas sa pagiging lady ang paninigarilyo.

     "Noon iyon," she smiled again.  "Laki rin ng pinagbago ko."

     What brought the changes?

     "1977 noon . . . nang namatay ang father ko (he was also a doctor).  I had to carry on from there.  I had to be the new father to our family.  Kay Mommy, sa lahat ng kapatid ko.  A month before he died, my papers were ready.  Paalis na ako papuntang New York.  I was going to work as PR attache sa ating tourism office doon . . . In short, hindi na ako mag-aartista, tatalikuran ko na ang lahat.

     "That was only about four years ago, at parang ang tagal-tagal na . . . When I was making my first film (Itim), ang simple lamang ng mundo ko.  It meant church, home and a very few friends.  Black and white lamang ang tingin ko sa lahat ng bagay.  Ngayon, exposed na ako.  So much water has passed under the bridge.  Ang mga experiences ko sa trabaho -- movies, iba't ibang offices, mga travel agencies, and other businesses  . . . Now I know how it is to work with both professionals and un-professionals.  I've dealt with people from all walks of life.  The haves and the have-nots.  Mga execs at simpleng empleyado.  Mga sikat and the messengers.  Now I know I should not compartmentalize people as lawyers, doctors, actors, etc.  . .  Alam ko na silang tingnan as people.

     "I don't know how it all started.  Ang general impression ng lahat ay parang kaya ko ang mundo.  Pero hindi.  Marami akong frustrations, dreams at alam ko ang aking weaknesses and limitations, ang aking mga hang-ups.  And yet I don't seem to show it.  Maybe because I'm in a world where people have to survive and if I show people that I am weak, they might step on me and might fail to give me the respect that I am enjoying now.

     "I guess I am a survivor.  Noong nag-travel ako (part of her winning the Miss Baron Travel Girl), I was alone.  Nang pinasok ko ang movies, I was alone.  Nang umentra ako sa Bancom, I had to learn it my own way.  Now that I am line-producing (first project niya ang Kisap-Mata), alam ko na rin how it is to be at the other side of the fence -- at nalalaman ko rin ito through my own doings.

     "Dahil na rin iyan sa upbringing and breeding ko.  I had a very temperamental father.  I remember his outbursts.  I've had enough temper and noise as a kid kaya pinangako ko sa aking sarili na maging iba.  I've been suppressed at ngayon lang unti-unti akong lumalabas sa aking shell.  Sabi ko nga, I will never shout at people, I'll try very hard not to show my temper . . . I know it is unhealthy pero mahirap baguhin.

     "Kaya nga ako very grateful kay Gerry.  In my early years of growing up, he had always been there:  supporting me, providing me the needed clutches.  Kung wala siya, matagal na siguro akong nag-break down."

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AT paano nga ba nagsimula si Gerry sa buhay niya?

     Pitong taon pa lamang si Charo noon when she became aware of Gerry's existence.  Pareho silang taga-Mindoro.  they grew up together.  They went to the same school, Holy Infant Academy.  Lagi silang may competition.  Sa female side, si Charo ang nangunguna at palaging pambato.  Sa males, it was Gerry.

     "Daig ako ni Gerry sa Arithmetic, pero pagdating sa Language, talo ko siya."

     Gerry was aggressive, "T'saka, maliit pa, cute na talaga."  Pagdating ng Grade III, lumipat si Gerry ng school.  Pagkatapos nila pareho ng Grade VI, both were valedictorians.

     "No, hindi si Gerry ang unang nanligaw sa akin.  Marami before him.  I was only in Grade VI and yet, kino-court na ako.  Padala sila ng mga roses, love-notes and chocolates.  But I never paid attention -- ang bata-bata ko pa.  Pero si Gerry ang first crush ko."

     Charo was on her second year high school nang nagpunta sa States si Gerry.  He was the exchange student ng Rotary, scholar siya sa University of Pennsylvania.  1972 na nang nagbalik siya, first year college na sa St. Paul's (Manila) si Charo (natapos rin syang valedictorian sa high school).

     "One year akong niligawan ni Gerry.  '73 na when we went steady, and the next six years that followed ay hindi ko malilimutan.  Smooth sailing . . . Nang bandang '79 na . . . unti-unting dumating ang bagyo sa amin . . . "

     At tapos na ba ang love story?

      "No . . . hindi pa naman.  Pero hindi na kasing-simple nang bata pa kami.  I am now twenty-six, si Gerry ay 27.  We still care for each other though.  But at this point, we are not forcing the issue.  We're not rushing things.  I also believe in fate.  Que sera, sera.  If I lose him, baka mahirapan na akong ma-in love pang muli.  Maybe nobody will ever love me the way he did, he does.  I know I am his whole world . . . And yet may mga bagay na can't be helped, di ba?  They just happen and sometimes they do happen when least expected."

     Marriage?

     "Not so soon . . . I'm giving myself two years more perhaps."

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MAY karibal si Gerry"

     Pinaikot lang namin ang aming mga mata sa mg nagkalat na presents sa kuwartong iyon and she didn't have to answer.  She was lighting her fifth stick.

     All these years na nasa showbiz siya, we have yet to her na na-in love si Charo sa co-star niya.

     "I can fall in love with an actor, why not?  But he should be one person who is sincere, discreet and will not flaunt it like a badge on his sleeve."

     Sinu-sinong mga nakatambal niya ang nanligaw sa kanya?

     She volunteered to describe her leading men.

     Jay Ilagan:  "Una kaming nagkasama sa Tisoy, then sa Kakaba-kaba Ka Ba? and now, sa Kisap-mata.  Sa huli, he plays a weakling, my husband na walang magawa sa pagiging over-possessive and strict ng father ko (Vic Silayan).  It was only very recently nang ginawa namin ang Kisap when we became very close.  He has matured a lot.  Nagulat din ako sa pagbabago niyang ito.  He's a far cry from the Jay I first worked with.  Kung titingnan mo siya, okey-okey lang.  Pangiti-ngiti, mabiro.  But actually, he has depth.  He has a mind of his own.  Very supportive of people he respects.  He is one of the few totoong tao na nakatrabaho ko na.  Magaang ba, no false pretenses.  He is not even conscious that he is a movie star."

     Ronnie Poe:  "Very protective siya sa mga leading ladies niya.  Karinyoso pa.  Maalaga.  He pays attention to everybody sa set - hanggang sa crew at staff.  He makes you feel comfortable.  He goes out of his way to break the ice, bago pa kayo mag-shooting.  Gusto niya ay relaxed ka sa kaniyang company.  When he likes you, he shows it.  Demonstrative din.  And above all, a true gentleman."

     Christopher de Leon:  "Childlike siya.  Thoughtful and very generous.  Very moody rin.  Pareho kaming Scorpions.  Masaya ring kasama, you have to know him para maintindihan mo siya ng mas mabuti."  

     Bembol Roco:  "Tahimik iyan.  Intense.  Unpredictable.  Pero totoo.  You know where you stand with him.  Wala siyang facade."

   Rudy Fernandez:  "Simpleng tao, walang ere, walang yabang.  Down to earth.  Napakalambing, karinyosong-karinyoso.  Guwapo siya, I like his eyes.  I think they are his best assets."

     Johnny Delgado:  "Sira ang ulo, lagi kang tatawa sa mga pranks niya, mga jokes.  May laging handang sense of humor.  Masayang kasama."

     Phillip Salvador:  "Pinaka-demonstrative siya.  He is warm, mabiro and loves to tease.  Tinatawag nga niya akong Cha.  Nagtaka ako noon.  'Yun pala, for every leading lady niya, gumagawa siya ng sariling pet-name."

      And now, she confirmed, "Oo, may mga nanligaw, eighty percent sa mga naging leading men ko.  Pero sabi ko nga sa kanila, huwag na lang, hindi naman kami talo, so, we end up being good friends, instead.  Barkada."

     No particular preference?

     Ngiti, hithit ng sigarilyo.  Ngiti uli.  O sige, ayaw mag-komenta.

     Pero puwede ring mapangasawa siya ng isang aktor?

     "Puwede rin.  Who could tell?  You see, we cannot just plan things.  Nangyayari na lamang iyan.  At pag nangyari, saka na lang natin i-detalye," again, the smile.  The naughty smile.  O sige.

     But she can't give up the movies once she's married.  

     "Baka nga hindi.  Maybe, I won't settle sa role ng isang simpleng housewife lamang na house-keeping lamang ang ginagawa.  I'll be bored.  Siguro, I can lie low.  But not give it up totally.  Or if I give it up, I have to be involved in other forms of art.  Like interior designing, painting, stage-acting."

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WHAT makes her a true-blooded Scorpion?

     "I am passionate.  I have so much passion in everything I do.  I cannot do things by halves.  No half-ways.  I am very intense.  Put me in a crowd and I can sense people who are plastic and sincere.  Kaya ako rin, it's either I like a person so much or ayoko talaga sa taong iyon.  Parang extremes."

     She is very moody.  "Minsan gusto ko ang isang tao, then the next, I may dislike him.  Loka, ano?"

     She gets attracted to people who are assertive, intelligent "at saka dominante."

     But she could be fickle, unpredictable, wishy-washy.

     "I may have a cold facade but there's so much heart in me."

     She is very calculating.  "I may make the best of friend or the worst enemy."

     She wants to be babied, spoiled (not in the true sense of the world -- kungdi yung pagbibigay sa kaniya ng extra attention), and madali namang maging happy.

     "Happiness to me is having a sense of achievement in anything I do.  Tulad sa Kisap-Mata, baby ko ito.  And now that it's finished at nakikita ko na ang results, I feel very fulfilled.  At saka siyempre, gusto ko 'yung feeling na no matter what, come hell or high water, nandiyan ang mahal ko and will stand by me . . . kahit na ano pa ang mangyari."

     She has a very high threshold of tolerance.  "Kahit na alam kong bina-back bite ako, kahit na may nagkamali sa aking tao, I'll still give him the benefit of a doubt.  Madali ring magbalik sa akin ang morale, or mai-ease ang aking depression if a sincere friend tells me na kaya ko, na maso-solve din ang problems, na may solution ang lahat."

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MAHIRAP ngang isipin na may kakaibang Charo Santos sa likod ng kaniyang malakas na personalidad.  Each time we think of her as "pinaka . . ." na mukhang sobrang matatag at hindi puwedeng hipan ng kahit na anumang hangin, we try to recall the times when she cried on our shoulders.  It took us more than one year to see this side of hers.

     Hindi namin malilimutan ang unang eksenang iyon nang nag-iiyak siya at bigla kaming tinanong:  "Don't you realize I need you, too?"

     We used to label her among the strong and the mightly.  Compared to the other "anaks" we have in the industry, ang akala nga namin ay special case siya -- na hardly would she ever depend on our availability or morale support.  Na akala rin namin, hindi niya kailangan iyon.

     When we saw the tears rolling down her cheeks, noon lamang namin na-realize na hindi siya estatwa, hindi monumento, na siya rin pala ay babasagin, at doon pa lang kami nagsimula sa pagiging protective sa kaniya.

     But then, iilan lang ba ang nakakakita ng ganitong klaseng Charo Santos?

Source:  Jingle Extra Hot Magazine, December 28, 1981

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