I grab this post at manila bulletin regarding the Interview of Mark Gil on the Buzz.
Mark Gil is hurt that his daughter Andi is facing difficult trials early in her life.
MANILA, Philippines – All that veteran actor Mark Gil wants from the father of his 21-year-old daughter Andi’s’s unborn child is to own up to his responsibilities.
“Stand up...just stand up,” was Mark's message to the father which he said in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Boy Abunda aired on “The Buzz” on July 10.
“Konsensya. We’re not asking anything from you..."
Mark continued: “All we ask is harapin mo. Tanggapin mo, aminin mo. But we don’t need you.”
The actor, who, himself, fathered a child at an early age, related his personal experience.
“Alam mo I fathered [a child] when I was 16 [years old], and when I was 16 years old, I had Gabby [actor Gabby Eigenmann]… [At] 16 years old I had no idea what life would be for me.
“Salamat siguro sa talent, sa pagiging artista ko...I’ve never turned my back on my children even at that time when I was 16 years old. Dahil kahit hindi ko alam 'yung magiging responsibilities ko, pinandigan ko 'yun. Hinarap ko. I grew up with that little boy, that’s Gabby. And then so on and so forth, ‘di ba?” he said.
Taking a swipe at the parents of the father of Andi's child, Mark said he hopes “your parents teach you well.”
“It’s really my question: Do you have parents? What kind of parents do you have? Nanggugulpi ka ng bata, ng babae? Hindi ka man lang ba pinangaralan?”
Andi’s father even went on to reveal something about the pregnancy for the first time on national television.
“Kalimutan na natin 'yung gulpi, kalimutan na natin lahat. Hindi pa ‘to, meron pa kong alam. Pinainom pa ng abortive pill [si Andi]. There’s too much detail of it that I don’t really wanna touch,” he alleged.
Mark also defended one of the guys whose name is being dragged in the issue.
“I also have to touch on another guy that’s also being victimized. Such a wonderful guy, si Jake.
"Look, Jake Ejercito comes from a respectable family. He’s there. Alam niyang ‘di kanya ‘yan [child], alam niyang hindi. But he’s there. So I respect this guy,” he said.
On the issues involving Albie
As this was his first TV interview addressing Andi’s issues, Mark also took the opportunity to talk about Andi's ex-boyfriend, Albie Casiño, and the issue of him allegedly beating her up. Mark did not drop names in the interview, however.
Apparently, Mark learned the news from his son Gabby.
“Oo [pinangalanan kung sino 'yung nabugbog]. So alam ko. Tapos maraming issues na sinabihan din ako na basahin mo sa Internet yung FS [Formspring]. So my wife, Maricar, she made me read a lot of things from this person,” he said.
Casiño, 18, hogged entertainment headlines last May when he vehemently denied laying a hand on Andi through his Formspring account. He also posted what some deem as offensive remarks about her. But before May ended, Albie deactivated his account.
Mark went on to say, “This boy has a problem. He’s got a very big problem. He’s so young… Ayoko nang basahin eh. Kasi kilala ko siya eh. Ang nakita ko sa kanya 'yung siguro ako nung araw, nung bata ako. This guy has a lot of anger. Marami siyang galit sa mundo.”
Mark said he tried to talk to the boy, but was ignored.
“First thing, I had lunch with Andi and my wife Maricar and Stevie, 'yung kapatid ni Andi. And I asked Andi, ‘Can I have his number?’ Sabi ko, ‘You don’t mind I’ll text him?’ Sabi ko kausapin ko lang about the ‘panggugulpi.’ Sabi ko, ‘Come face me. Come talk to me, face me.’
“And he wouldn’t text me back. He would text Andi. Pero magkasama kami ni Andi. So I said, ‘I’m gonna give you a call. Please answer. Let’s talk. Talk to me. Harapin mo ako.’
“Kasi tinanggap namin si... 'yung tao eh. Tinanggap namin siya sa bahay ko. Gusto ko siya. Mabait siya, mabait. We also had a get-together in my sister’s house, si Cheri. Nandodo’n siya. Family. Everybody was happy.
“And then you learned this so siyempre, ang akin, ‘Hey, hijo, harapin mo ‘ko. Ano bang problema?’” the actor said at length, adding, “Ang pangit ng ugali niya.”
“I feel deceived. Kasi nung [lumabas ang] gulpihan issue, nung sinampal-sampal daw niya, tapos meron pang nangyari daw sa Greenbelt in public raw… this is my daughter! Huwag naman, ‘di ba? Huwag naman. [She’s] not just my daughter, she’s Andi Eigenmann. Si Agua Bendita, ‘di ba? It’s my daughter.
“Bastos, sobra! My daughter doesn’t deserve this,” Mark said.
“Don’t do this to my daughter. Don’t do this to us. Pinapalabas mo na… Andi said already, ‘I only had one boyfriend,’” he said, referring to Andi’s tweet in June 30 where she shed light on the identity of her child’s father.
Later in the interview about Andi’s pregnancy, Mark said, "Ngayon palalabasin niyo pa, ‘we are happy and we are willing to have a DNA test?’ Come on. That’s enough insult.”
Recall that on June 30, Casiño’s mother – through “E-Live” host Ogie Diaz’s Twitter account – said, “Walang problema kung anak ko ang nakabuntis ke Andi. Blessing yan. And we welcome DNA Test.”
“You think you’re tough? We are not,” a teary-eyed Mark continued.
On how Mark took the news about Andi’s pregnancy
Without saying exactly when it was, Mark recalled the day Andi’s mother and prominent actress Jaclyn Jose told him of their daughter’s condition.
“Tumawag sa akin si Jane, si Jaclyn. Jaclyn and I are very civil. We’re friends. I always welcome when she calls me."
When he detected distress on Jaclyn’s voice, Mark asked her, “‘Anong problema?’ And then she was trying to tell me na may mga nangyayari eh, sa buhay ni Andi. Ako naman, wala akong alam,” said he.
According to the actor, he initially thought it was still about the “panggugulpi issue.”
When Jaclyn finally broke the pregnancy news to him, Mark said, “Nararamdaman ko 'yun eh. [I said] all right, no problem.”
However, he did not deny that his first reaction was anger. He contacted Jaclyn the following day because he was at a taping when she first called him.
“[I told Jaclyn] 'Look, let’s put aside our reactions. What is important [is that] we have to reason first: Ano ang gusto ni Andi? Hindi masusunod kung ano 'yung gusto ko [or] kung ano 'yung gusto mo, natin. Ano ang kay Andi?’
“And Tito Boy, she said, ‘Andi decided to keep the baby.’ I take my hat off to Andi. Yes. So I told Jane [Jaclyn], ‘dun tayo. Kung saan si Andi, dun tayo.’”
Despite admitting that he’s not the type of father who meddles with his children’s businesses, Mark said he immediately called up Andi afterwards.
“I asked her, ‘Are you all right?’ [She said], ‘Yes daddy. I’m fine.’”
“Alam mo, Boy, hindi ako nanghihimasok sa buhay ng mga anak ko eh. Kasi kilala ko sila eh. Kilala rin nila ko. I don’t go into details. Ang akin lang, titingnan lang kita. ‘How do you feel about it? Are you okay?’ Because I know I will find, in any way, what I can do to help you.”
Asked how her daughter feels about the pregnancy, he said, “I cannot really speak much because hindi naman siya lumaki sa ‘kin. Pero like I said, I’ve always been around. Only when I’m needed, I’m there like Superman.”
Mark, who remains in constant communication with Andi, nevertheless described her current state, “She’s good! She’s very strong. Andi’s in control, malusog.”
The actor also stressed that they don’t really need the father of Andi’s child in their lives.
“Hindi na namin kailangan ng ama sa anak ni Andi kasi ang dami niyang tatay. Ako, the whole Eigenmann clan and also the other side, sa mommy’s side niya. Maraming ama ang anak niya. Hindi namin kailangan ito,” he stated.
Mark ready to forgive, but asks boy to ‘shut up’
Asked if he’d be able to forgive the boy for still not standing up for Andi, Mark said, “Of course! 'Yun lang, basta sincere. We’re not hateful people naman eh.”
The actor said he’s hoping that the boy, whom Mark insisted on not naming, would come back for Andi and his child.
“If he would, isang ‘sorry’ lang eh. 'Yun lang eh, sa panggugulpi. All I wanted was, like, say sorry. That’s all and everything would be okay,” he added.
“Marami akong ‘sana…’ [like, ‘Sana] kainin mo 'yung computer mo.’ At turuan mo nanay mo. At 'yung tatay mo sana magsalita rin at turuan ka ng mabuting leksyon.
“Ito rin ang tinanong sa akin ng tatay ko nung nag-uusap kami, ‘Wala bang magulang ‘yan? Wala bang magulang ‘tong batang ‘to?’ Yun din ang sinabi ko eh. Wala bang magulang itong batang ito? What is it all about? Show business? What is it? You’re building him up to be a bread winner? What?” Mark said.
Saying that the boy has already “caused so much harm already,” the actor asked the boy to “please leave my daughter alone. Please leave us alone and shut up. Shut up, that’s enough.”
“Don’t. You’re barking at the wrong tree. We are harmless people… Just stop it, stop it,” he added.
Asked what he would do if ever he bumps into the boy in the future, Mark said, “Nothing.”
At the latter part of the interview, Mark became emotional to the point of shedding tears for his daughter.
“I told myself, ayokong maging emotional. Pero isa akong ama na kakaiba ang sitwasyon ko kasi nga my life has always been an open book. But when it comes to my children, thanks to you, na meron akong pagkakataon na magsalita.
“We are all celebrities and we owe this to the public even if we have to sacrifice dignity and privacy. And I also find a little space for myself to [tell] Andi, na ‘Andi, I’m your dad. I’m hurt. But I’ll be strong for you,’” he explained.
On a brighter note, Mark said he looks forward to this new addition to the clan.
“Andi’s pregnancy is not all that bad. It’s actually a beautiful thing. I can’t wait for November. I’m gonna have my fourth grandchild and my first girl grandchild. I’m really excited. I believe this baby is gonna be beautiful,” he said, smiling.
According to Mark, Andi had revealed to him the baby’s gender last Fathers’ Day.
On a final note, Mark told Andi that “you’ll always be my princess. I love you;” and promised her that he and the rest of their family will remain by her side. He also believes showbiz will welcome back Andi after giving birth because she has the talent.
Casiño's camp has yet to give their statement as of this writing.
In related news, Andi already made her first public appearance a week after Jaclyn confirmed her pregnancy. She graced Preview magazine's Best Dressed Ball held last Friday, but declined to give an interview to members of the media.
--I hope the issue be settled the soonest possible. To Andi, you will still be Agua Bendita to us..
