by Cora Llamas
Gabby Concepcion answers the Sharon questions and accepts Rudy Fernandez’s advice to “embrace his destiny.”
The boyish face, seemingly unmarked by the ravages of time, and the chiseled body, still toned throughout the years by a healthy diet and hours of badminton play, would still give the popular matinee idols of today who are half his age a run for their money. Gabby Concepcion, in his middle 40s, still draws in the crowds, makes the headlines, lands on the cover of iinnumerable magazines and billboards, and in the not so far future, will make box-office cash registers ring and TV ratings soar.
He still beams that rakish smile and connects with a charming politeness that can disarm any reservation or cold hostility. Indeed, he still moves and talks like the showbiz prince that he was more than a decade ago. Up close, he exudes that indefinable but unmistakable aura of the classic movie star that would be hard-pressed to match by any young star today.
But once in a while, the scars of his past and the tensions of the present still show. Yet even that is significant. Gabby shows that part of his heart by choice, not by accident. As he himself admits, these days, he is no longer afraid to talk.
There was a time not so long ago, through the bigamy accusations, the scandals that rocked an awards night, and the never-ending fascination of the public with his relationship with his former flame Sharon Cuneta and their daughter KC Concepcion, that Gabby simply refused to talk. He was a different man then, and the rules of the game were also different. As he puts it, “Before, a director advised me na huwag ko na lang sagutin ang mga intriga at lalaki lang. Wala naman akong kamag-anak sa showbiz noon. Siyempre ang papakinggan ko iyong mga beterano.”
Opening up
He pauses then adds, with a twinkle in those dreamy eyes, “Pero ngayon, lahat sinasagot ko na.” Call it a sign of maturity, coming to terms with the underbelly of the industry. Gabby continues, “Noon, didibdibin ko. Kulang ko na lang kuwelyohan at ilagay ko sa ringside. Ngayon, naiintindihan ko na.” He laughs just a little, “Ngayon, sinasabi ko na lang, titingnan ko kung paano natin pagkakakitaan. Noon walang mga reality show kagaya ng Pinoy Big Brother. Ngayon, kapag nagtitirahan, mas lalong nagiging interesting iyong show.” He also observes that stars today are more open and forward about the questions that people – and entertainment writers, in particular – ask. “Si Kris [Aquino] at si Gretchen [Barretto], sinasagot lahat!”
The controversies and the intrigues erupted almost immediately as soon as he landed. From the start, Gabby has said that he is returning home to be with his sick father, Rolando. But tabloids to blogs alike soon exploded with accounts of the cases that had been filed against him, his fight with a talk show host about a product that he allegedly endorsed but was now backing out of, and alleged conflicts about his movie contracts with rival companies Star Cinema and GMA-7 Films. And, of course, the endless questions about the much publicized non-closure with Sharon and his long-standing issues with KC.
But he’s taking it all in stride now. He says, unfazed of the swirling clouds that stubbornly dog his every move, “Narito ako para makibagbati, at makatulong sa industriya sa sarili kong paraan. Straight shooter na ako, hindi na ako umiiwas, kapag ako tinanong sumasagot na ako.”
He readily sets the record straight on the reports that he had worked in menial jobs as a gasoline boy and bell boy in the United States. Gabby would be the first to say, as he had in other interviews, that he had to start from scratch, but this particular reportage was stretching the truth. He opines that the ones who spread the rumors were “misinformed. Hindi nila alam ang katotohanan. At that time, kasi, hindi ako nagpapa-interivew sa Amerika. Siguro, may nakakitang naglalagay ako sa gasolinahan at sinabing kaya hindi ako nag-papa-interview e kasi gas boy na ako. E, lahat naman sa Amerika ay naglalagay ng gasolina sa kanilang sasakyan.”
Then there was a time that he acted the gentleman and carried Jolina Magdangal’s bags while they were in one hotel. A Pinoy spotting the moment of chivalry immediately interpreted it through the newswires as Gabby the matinee idol was now working as a hotel bell boy.
He denies chomping at the bit to get back into the biz as was reported several years ago. True, producers had always sent feelers, and he would always answer with the casual showbiz response, “Sure.” It was a polite response that indicated openness but not the desperation that had been previously depicted. Gabby says, “Tinatanong din sa akin kung gusto ko bumalik sa pelikula. Half of your heart says yes, half says no. At that time, hindi ko pa talaga hinahanap na bumalik sa pelikula.”
The turning moment came when he met, quite by accident, his current manager Rose Flaminiano – “Mommy Rose” to those who know her – in Hawaii in October 2007 while she was visiting with the late action prince Rudy Fernandez and his wife Lorna Tolentino. As Gabby puts it unabashedly, “Si Mommy Rose ang humugot sa akin noong nasa baba pa ako.”
Rose says that Gabby was, is, and always be the “all-time matinee idol” – something she immediately saw in that Hawaii encounter. “He still looked good,” Rose remembers, “still handsome, boyish, physically toned, but he carried a maturity and a greater appreciation for his profession.”
Maybe one reason for this new subtle self-confidence was his years of rebuilding his life in the United States. Away from the limelight, Gabby pursued his childhood dream of working in and handling real estate. (His other two dream jobs were of a dentist and a pilot.) The candor of the Americans and their straightforward manner must have come as a welcome change from the old showbiz gossip mill. He also discovered his talent in connecting with people. Gabby traces his real estate success to his spending personal time what he calls the “peer-to-peer network. The Filipinos in the US will listen to what you have to say. They know enough but they also know that you know what you are saying.”
Gabby’s reluctance to return to the biz was overcome at Rose’s assurance that she would take care of the problems he thought he had left behind. Truth to tell, Rose says, “Wala naman akong nakitang problema sa pagbabalik niya.”
Family ties
That newfound maturity shines now, as Gabby does not shirk back when asked about KC’s legal taking on of the surname of his stepfather Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. But he flinches, just a little, at opening of old wounds. “At that time, she was below 18, and the whole thing was probably not her call. Pero ang importante ay kung ano iyong mas nakakabuti sa kanya.” He says and stresses with finality, “Nag-usap na kami [KC] tungkol doon.” When a reporter eggs on if the name change was painful, he rolls his eyes in mock sarcasm, “Obvious ba?”
Finally come questions about the Megastar who had stated publicly that she would no longer answer any Gabby-related questions, even though she herself had said before that there had been no closure with her ex-husband. Gabby says that had he and Sharon bumped into the wake of their mutual friend, Rudy Fernandez, he would have been “spontaneous” and said “Hello.” As for the apology that others are eagerly anticipating, Gabby says lightly, “Nasabi ko na iyong ‘Sorry’ sa TV. Ilang beses ko pa ba sasabihin?”
He turns serious the next minute and says that his connection with Sharon would be “forever.” And because of that connection, even if he could talk about this particular aspect of his life, he would have to defer to Sharon’s wishes. “Ayoko naman sabihin noong tao na ginagamit ko siya. As much as possible, ayoko nang magsalita, baka lumaki lang.”
That means rabid fans would have to hold their breath for any Gabby-Sharon movie reunion. What they can look forward to is his upcoming movie with KC. What may be the most immediate on the pipeline of Gabby must-sees is his ABS-CBN teleserye with Claudine Barretto entitled Iisa Ka Lamang.
Gabby says that the character he plays, a lawyer drawn into a world that he had initially rejected, is one that he can identify with. “Kung ano iyong ayaw kong mangyari, doon ako napupunta, pero gumaganda, at nakita kong doon ang linya ko,” Gabby says then acknowledges, “Ayaw ko maging artista noon pero doon ako napunta.”
That gravitational pull toward the flame like a moth being lured into the light could also describe his self-exile into the US and his return trip home to the Philippines which he says is temporary. His new family, wife Genevieve Gonzalez and daughter Samantha, are joining him in Manila, but eventually all of them would be going back to the US.
While this new Gabby is more confrontational of the questions thrown at him, he understandably draws a hedge of protection around his family. He says that his decision to re-enter showbiz had their blessing – and consent. “Kinonsulta ko sila. Hindi sila showbiz. I said that there are offers coming in. I asked them if they could accept this, and if they will find it OK not just for me but for the whole family. Lahat sila supportive.”
What he does hope for is that he will depart the biz in a more peaceful way than he had first left it all those years ago. He says earnestly, “Sana gusto ko umalis ng showbiz na wala na iyan, ayokong umalis na mayroong gulo. Balak ko talagang bumalik, minamaximize ko lang ang shelf life ko.”
In the meantime, he has films to shoot, controversies to face, and battles to fight. The returning crown prince of Philippine entertainment shrugs, “I go with the flow. Kung babarilin ako, sasaluhin ko na lang. Kahit anong gawin sa akin, nakatayo pa rin ako.”
Maybe the last word on Gabby’s return belongs to Rudy. At the action star’s deathbed, Gabby bent down and thanked him profoundly for that introduction to Rose that signaled his showbiz comeback after so many years. Rudy told him, “Huwag mo akong pasalamatan. This is your destiny.”
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