Luis Manzano happily shared that his relationship with actress Jennylyn Mercado continues to flourish. “Okay na okay naman. Very busy but still we find time for each other. Going very, very strong,” he beamed.
He was also asked about his girlfriend’s previous statement that she is pleased that Luis is supportive of her when it comes to her concerns with son Alex Jazz and Jazz’s dad Patrick Garcia. Luis said that he would give his all-out support for Jen, although he would rather not make it public. “’Yung suporta ko naman does not necessarily need be on camera or in front of the camera; ang suporta ko will always be behind the camera ‘cause I don’t want to touch those very sensitive issues within their family,” he explained.
Being busy with their respective careers, Luis said that he and Jen are able to make their relationship work by being understanding of each other’s duties and having an open communication. “We can’t spend everyday together, we respect each other’s schedule and we maximize any given time; whether it be a late call-time, an early pack-up. Isang movie lang kami or simple dinner… that really helps.”
Like most couples, the actor-host said that they also have misunderstandings but see them as opportunities to make themselves and the relationship grow. He continued that the key factor is that when one is not in the mood, the other should not provoke.
While they are both in showbiz, Luis said that he and Jen agreed that they will not do a project together in order to preserve a little privacy in their relationship. “Ayaw naming paglaruan [ang relasyon namin]. We’re already in showbiz as it is, so we don’t see the point, di ba… na mas mapaglalaruan dahil pareho kayong in front of the camera.”
He added that he does not mind if either makes a cameo appearance in each other’s projects, like in movie or appear as guest in each other’s shows. “But a serye or movie, we’d rather not,” Luis pointed out.
This coming Holy Week, the couple might do scuba diving in Batangas or be with their friends as they have done in the past years.
Meantime, Luis is busy with his hosting stints for Pilipinas Got Talent and Minute To Win It. As for the success of PGT, Luis said that credit should be given to their staff. “Mas kino-congratulate dapat ang staff kasi they gave a totally different show kumpara sa seasons one to three. Mas deserving talaga ang staff and production,” he stressed.
Another reason for the actor-host to rejoice is of the top-rating morning game show he hosts, Minute To Win It. Luis beamed, “Siguro nakakatsamba lang ako ngayong 2013 na lahat ng ginagawa ko medyo nagugustuhan ng tao, so thank you.” He explained that probably one factor that makes the game show a hit is because many people want to start their day with a bit of excitement, which they get from Minute To Win It. In the said program, a contestant is given tasks which he should be able to accomplish in one minute in order to proceed to the next round.
For now, Luis is setting aside acting projects because he has his hands full with hosting stints. Nevertheless, his recent tweets with Korean pop star Sandara Park about making a movie together caught fan attention. They first met when Sandara was a contestant in the 2004 artista search Star Circle Quest over at ABS-CBN where Luis was one of the hosts.
Luis said that Sandara tweeted him about making a movie together after the latter watched his movie with Vice Ganda and Toni Gonzaga. “Siya ang nagsabi [na gumawa ng pelikula] kasi napapanood yata niya ang This Guy’s In love With You, Mare, tapos sabi niya gusto niyang gumawa ng movie, so sabi ko, ‘Oo naman.’” Luis added that this plan remains a dream for the meantime and that he thinks that Sandara is really missing the Philippines.
He said that he and Sandara don’t really get to communicate very often, but they try to exchange a few words when they catch each other online.
