MANILA -- Heart Evangelista said she has considered marrying without the permission of her parents, whose disapproval of the actress' romantic relationships has made headlines time and again.
The 28-year-old former Kapamilya star, who is currently in a relationship with 43-year-old Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, admitted that she has envisioned her wedding without the presence of her father Rey Ongpauco and mother Cecile.
"I always ano, e, I always thought of that," Evangelista, whose real name is Love Marie Ongpauco, was quoted as saying by entertainment news site Phlippine Entertainment Portal.
"I never really thought of… siguro moment lang 'yun na naisip ko that I will have my parents at my wedding. I always thought that they will never be there because they will not be able to accept… no one talaga will be good enough for them," she said.
She added: "So I always… that wasn’t a problem for me. That’s why I always say I wanted a small wedding."
Escudero, who is now engaged in his re-election campaign for the May 13 polls, earlier expressed his intentions of marrying Evangelista within five years.
In March, Evangelista's parents held a press conference and publicly asked Escudero to leave their daughter. The couple also accused the lawmaker of being arrogant, disrespectful, and an alcoholic.
In another press conference, Cecile blamed Escudero for the worsening health condition of Rey, who she said is distressed over the defiance of their daughter.
Cecile also accused the senator of "manipulating" her daughter, who has repeatedly expressed that she intends to "fight for" her relationship with Escudero.
This isn't the first time Evangelista's parents disapproved of the actress' relationship.
The former "Hiram" star said the reason for her separation from actor Jericho Rosales, her former boyfriend who she once referred to as her "one true love," was the objection of her parents to the relationship.
The two broke up in 2008.
The Ongpaucos also reportedly disapproved of Evangelista's relationship with Japanese-Brazilian model Daniel Matsunaga, with whom she broke up last year.
Asked if she regrets not fighting for her past relationships, the actress said, "No… I think it comes with age, e. It really comes with age. You cannot compare before."
"The situation is the same but the person is different, the character, so it’s not the same," she said.
Unlike before, however, Evangelista said she is now willing to stand by the man she loves. The actress has even chosen to live apart from her parents, to the point of estrangement, according to Cecile -- a move that was lamented by the Ongpauco couple in an earlier interview.
Evangelista confidently said that Escudero, likewise, is ready to stand by their relationship despite intrigues. "Yeah, oo naman, in fairness naman sa kanya," she said.
According to the actress, her boyfriend expressed confidence that she will eventually reconcile with her parents.
"He just said that, ‘You know this too shall pass.’ And ‘Magulang mo ‘yan, kahit ano pa ang mangyari, ‘ganyan, ‘One day mami-miss ka din nila.' My dad especially will miss me one day," she said.
"And, you know, parang sinabi lang niya sa akin na, ‘No matter what you do, you always think many times before you decide on something because even from afar, you would want them to be proud of you.’
"So that’s what I plan to do," she said.
