[Sandara-Park] [SandaraPark_Forever] wala lang!!!!

Hero speaks up

By Alwin M. Ignacio, Contributor
Friday, 08 19, 2005

There is no denying that every square-inch of Hero Angeles is a star.
His innocent-looking face is quite captivating. In fact, he can
easily eclipse his look-alike, the fabulous Vic Zhou of F4 fame. He
has a set of beguiling, rounded doe-eyes, and a pair of perfectly
placed dimples. When he flashes his signature smile, he can only be
described as a "beautiful boy." And, yes, this a compliment. The very
first ABS-CBN Star Circle Grand Questor (which was the Kapamilya
network's counter-attack to GMA 7's ultra-phenomenal Star Struck) is
in the midst of a professional tempest and this interview will give
readers and his legions of fans the chance to know his version of the
truth.

A star rises

People became aware of Hero Angeles' stellar presence during the
talent search which was produced by ABS-CBN. Fans and supporters of
the show were practically glued to their TV sets wondering who would
be the ultimate Questor.

Hero recalls, "Honestly, when the announcement came, parang wala ako
sa sarili ko. In a way, I was in shock. There was so much shouting
kasi. Hero-San! Hero-San! It took quite awhile before the reality of
me winning really hit me. I actually cried when my family went up on
stage."

And does he now know what made him win? "What made me win? I guess
it's my charisma. That time, nagustuhan ako ng tao kasi I had a very
striking resemblance with Vic Zhou of F4. Alam ko naman that if they
based it on my talent at that time, mukhang matatagalan pa iyon. (He
smiles). Eventually, I think the people were able to appreciate the
things I did. They saw kung sino talaga ako. Na-inspire ko ang ibang
tao."

Naturally, Hero was paired immediately with Sandara Park. They became
a staple in several musical variety shows, an afternoon teenage drama-
comedy series, a fantaserye and two box-office hit movies. "Natuwa
siguro sila sa itsura namin. I think it is because we complement each
other physically. We were like a pair taken from a Chinovela. We were
always seen together so that started the Hero-San thing. Also, I
think we had good chemistry."

How was his working relationship with Sandara? "Working relationship?
Meron ba? " He laughs. "Mahirap din because iba yung culture niya and
iba rin ang gusto niya. We all know naman who she likes. Noong una
okay pa. Kaya ko pa. I could still stretch my patience. As time
progressed, though, it was becoming difficult to work with her.... We
had our share of fights kahit during the contest pa lang. Our
fighting was a common occurrence. Ilang araw na hindi nag-uusap,
tapos bati agad. And you know, she does not make any effort to patch
up the difference. I guess it's her way of asserting her desire to be
famous and popular. For the sake of the fans lang talaga kaya ko siya
binabati."

The disclosure of the relationship between Sandara and Joseph
Bitangcol was a big relief for Hero. He doesn't mind the revelation
although he thinks, "Dapat sabay na nila inaamin. Sana rin nagpagsabi
sila. You know, I was trying to protect our love-team. A lot of fans
were asking me then why I wasn't courting her. I always tell them
ayaw kasi ng nanay. It didn't feel right naman to admit that she was
with somebody else during those times. Ang problema, they were always
seen together even when our team-up was still intact. When they were
asked about their relationship, of course, they had no choice but to
deny it. In a way, I think our love-team was hurt, most especially
the fans who were rooting for us. Although yung iba, hanggang ngayon
ay Hero-San pa din."

Hero'S fall

Hero seems unperturbed about the issues he currently faces,
considering these are not for the faint-hearted. An ordinary 20-year-
old would not be comfortable trading places with him and wearing his
shoes. These days, he wages a battle against his home network and a
widely-read entertainment columnist.

In one newspaper article, it was reported that Deo Edrinal, vice
president for Talk, Variety and Game of the ABS-CBN Entertainment
Group, wanted to meet with him and discuss his career plans. Hero and
his brother, however, requested that their lawyer be present in the
meeting. Edrinal did not acquiesce to this condition and nothing
tangible materialized with the initial talks.

"Sir Deo Edrinal is one of the vice-presidents of the network. My
career is being handled by Star Magic. So, I guess it's only proper
that as far as my career is concerned, I must be only speaking the
terms and conditions with Mr. M (Johnny Manahan). If he has plans for
me, the appropriate course he should have taken was to present the
proposal firstly to Mr. M. He first met with my Kuya (Henry, his
elder brother), I wasn't there in the meeting. I got to see and
review the proposal he offered and didn't like it because there was a
catch," Hero says.

The professional rift with his network is obviously doing his career
harm. Hero is now rarely seen on television, there are no projects
crystallizing in the horizon, and he is what showbiz kibitzers are
describing as a "frozen delight."

"I am confused," Hero reveals. "Nalilito ako sa kanila. Parang
nangangapa ako. I don't know why they are not doing anything to
communicate with me. Ako pa ang nangangamusta sa road manager/handler
ko. If I ask them about this situation, they cannot give me definite
answers. Basta ako tuloy ako sa buhay. Ako, hindi ako tulad ng ibang
artista na magpapaka-showbiz. I just have to be myself. I am product
of a reality-based contest and I am as real as I can be."

The young man also wonders why there seems to be a concerted effort
on his network's part to stop him from his expressing his opinions.
He relates: "I want to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding
that, although parang pinipigil nga nila akong magsalita. Before
kasi, if people requested for interviews, they immediately granted
it. Ngayon kasi, kagaya ng pinagdaanan mo, dapat may consent from Mr.
M, eh wala naman pala siya. Maybe there is a new policy right now,
which I'm not aware of, but there are some things that cannot wait."

Is a meeting with Mr. Manahan in the foreseeable future, which might
be the answer to end his predicament, transpiring soon? "None. The
only letters we get from them are from the Legal Department. Dati,
fan letters lang ang natatanggap ko, ngayon nadagdagan na. These are
letters stating that we cannot grant interviews to entertainment
shows from the other network."

He laments: "I feel bad about this because I feel they have no right
to curtail my freedom to express myself. What is wrong with that?
This letter came after I filed my counter-affidavit. May mga media
doon sa court house. Nandoon naman ang crew ng TV Patrol and Star
Talk, andun din ang The Buzz. It was just that the reporters of TV
Patrol did not arrive on time. So, I guess, fault nila iyon na that
they were not there. Yung Buzz footage kinunan nila yung kinukunan
din ng Star Talk and then they aired it earlier. Then, sa TV Patrol,
they used the wrong headline. They were misleading the people to
believe that I wanted to make amends. Kawawa naman ang mga tao who
got to watch it because what they reported was wrong."

During the course of the interview, Hero admits that the Star Magic's
head honcho does not like his brother. This fact is a shared opinion
by majority of the writers who know the entertainment industry well.
They say the one person to blame for Hero's fall from grace is his
brother, who acts as his co-manager.

Hero confirms: "Yes. Mr. M does not like my brother. Pag nagkikipag-
usap siya sa akin, he always emphasizes, 'only you.' But I always
bring him along and it irks him. He has a right to be in all the
meetings because he functions as my co-manager. They hate him and I
don't know why. He has become a victim of so many tags - stage
brother, mukhang pera, then into a measly termite. I feel bad about
all these because even if I defend him to death, the negative write-
ups continue and, of course, people will believe what they want to
believe. Right now, with all the things that are circulating, I just
laugh it all off."

Is he willing to talk with Mr. M without the presence of his brother
to finally put an end to this impasse? "Yes. Thrice na kong naki-pag-
usap it's just that they really don't like my brother to continue
functioning as a co-manager. As a co-manager kasi, he gets to have a
say in all the matters concerning me. Binubusisi niya kasi talaga. I
don't see anything wrong if my brother asks questions especially if
it has something to do with the way my career is being handled. Saka,
I believe managing a person's career is something that you learn as
you go on. Yes, they may offer me more experienced people. That is
their choice and it is also my choice to stick it out with my
brother."

Crucified?

Most recently, Hero filed a libel case against entertainment
columnist and talk-show host Cristy Fermin. It is already in the
hands of the court and this fact left me with no choice but to ask
him about his feelings towards Fermin instead and not discuss the
suit. Is he close with the Ms. Fermin? "No!" he retorts.

Do you think you have to bestow her a certain amount of gratitude
since she might have helped you in your career when you were just
starting? "I don't think so. She used to write good things about me
and my Kuya always made sure that we thanked her. Okay naman noon
although let me state that we are not friends and we are definitely
not close. I just don't know what triggered her to make all these
write-ups against me."

The personal opinions written by Fermin in a tabloid might be amusing
and entertaining to some, but others might consider them vicious and
quite derogatory. "She has no reason to do this," Hero
says. "Whatever are her ulterior motives, I am positive that she can
no longer pinpoint what drove her to write all the things she wrote.
You know, this incident made me want to become a writer. Para naman I
can write about my side. Titirahin ko din siya. Series din, pero
editorial cartoons." He smiles naughtily and presses on: "Honestly, I
am trying my best to understand that it is part of her job. She
claims that what she writes comes from her heart, may
pinangagalingan, and then you'll read, 'base sa aking impormante.'
Maybe it's her heart that gives her all the information she needs.
Sana naman mapakilala niya ang impormante niya. Sabi niya wala siyang
galit sa akin, but when you read her columns, she seems to be
expressing otherwise."

He declares: "Masama ang loob ko sa kanya. Hindi lang ang loob pati
labas. At first, I was just trying to ignore all the things that she
was writing because I was sure there would come a time that she would
stop it, but she did not. I even chronologically arranged all the
stories that she wrote and pantay-pantay ang nararamdaman kong inis
sa lahat ng isinulat niya."

Can he face her? "I can face her, why not, but what is there to fix?
She keeps on saying that her door is open for reconciliation. Ako din
naman, bukas ang pinto ko...para sa iba." Hero sighs. "I just don't
see the logic why people are saying that this is the price I have to
pay for being successful. Must an actor be pulled this low and just
bear all the negative write-ups quietly? Para ba ma-redeem ko ang
sarili ko, I will apologize to someone who had hurt and insulted me?"

What has he learned from this experience so far? "That showbiz is
like a masukal na gubat. They keep on saying that showbiz is a rotten
industry and being relatively new, I must say I am experiencing it
firsthand. Also, not all the people you meet in this industry deserve
your trust. You must discern carefully who are the real ones from the
fakes. I'm really grateful to the support of my family. Pero sa
Kapamilya ko, wala!" He smiles bitterly after this remark.

Recent events in Angeles career: a scheduled TV hosting/guesting for
an afternoon gossip program was cancelled at the last minute; a show
in a provincial mall was also ordered stopped.

Hope springs eternal

With a lot of free time in his hands, Angeles is back in school as a
third year-irregular Fine Arts student in UP Diliman. He admits
feeling a little intimidated during this first few days in school
because he didn't know how his classmates regarded him. He says he
enjoys the congenial atmosphere in the university. He also busies
himself with provincial shows and other worthwhile activities.

Hero talks about the other valuable lessons from his recent
experiences. "If you say something, be man enough to stick with what
you said. Be truthful and let us stop perpetuating lies. It made me
stronger and more mature. It helped me to manage my life quite well.
It made me appreciate the value of sincerity and honesty. It made me
assert my right to protect myself from abuse. Whatever situation I'm
in right now, kung ano mang gusot ito, alam kong kaya kong unatin. I
know how to fight my battles and assert the truth."

His message to his fans: "I thank them for all their support. I am
happy that they are there for me." And what does he think will the
future bring to him, say, two years from now? Hero replies: " Well, I
guess I'll have a new contract by that time, pero baka hindi na sa
kanila." He laughs. "In case I decide to stay with them, everything
must be right by that time."

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