Piolo recalls his childhood years

The aphorism "Don’t judge the book by its cover" does not hold true for Piolo Pascual. His face is as good as his character.

Born on Jan. 12, 1977, a Capricorn, to a German-Spanish father and a Filipino mother, Piolo grew up in a very loving, closely-knit and religious family. His childhood was simple and normal; playing bahay-bahayan with four sisters and a brother.

"Among the four sisters, Patricia is my confidante. I grew up with her literally since Day One. Magkasunod kami, one year apart lang. I still remember when I was in grade six and she was in first-year high school, I would cut classes because I missed her. We are that close. Para siyang security blanket ko. But now she is in the States," Piolo narrates.

How was it like growing up in the Pascual household? "Our parents never spoiled us. They brought us up in such a way that we can truly learn to value things."

According to Piolo, his father was a disciplinarian. "If he wanted something to be done, ’di pwedeng hindi kami susunod or else. In that aspect, bilib ako sa daddy ko because he made us better persons."

Living independently is one thing Piolo’s father taught him. He recalls his father teaching him to do household chores and letting him do his assignments on his own. No wonder, Piolo has successfully with dealt showbiz intrigues.

Piolo’s mother, on one hand, instilled in him the fear of God. Thus, it is natural for him to read the Bible. Being respectful is another good trait his mom taught him. This was apparent during the presscon for Bakit ’Di Totohanin, held recently at the new ABS-CBN building. Piolo never forget to use "po" and "opo."

The only thing that saddened Piolo’s childhood was the separation of his parents. "My Mom and Dad separated when I was in grade five or six. I’m not just sure about the exact year. My Mom left for the States when I was 13 and Dad stayed with us until he passed away. "I still remember how my Dad used to fetch me from school everyday even if he was tired from work."

Was he naughty during his growing up years? "Before, I used to be naughty to call attention because I felt KSP (kulang sa pansin). When you are the youngest and you already have a brother and sisters like in my case, you feel that your titos and titas never seem to bother with you. So I resort to being naughty. That is my way of making papansin. One time, my sister even fainted because of me. From then on, I realized I was becoming too mean. That’s the time I started to behave. But I’m still naughty sometimes."

What type of person is Piolo? "I’m transparent. I cannot hide what I feel so I just keep quiet. When you are vulnerable bigla mo na lang mare-release and you cannot do that in front of people so I just stay in my car and read a lot of books especially now that I’m not able to go to school because I have to work."

Piolo’s knack for acting was seen when he joined Teatro Tomasino in UST. "When I joined Teatro, I was asked to audition for a children’s show ATBP. (At Iba Pa). Fortunately, they picked me and I joined ATBP. for three years. After that children’s show, I auditioned for Star Circle 3 then left for the States and after a week I came back for the launching and stayed for six months. They thought the reason I left after staying for six months was that I was getting impatient but in all honesty, I really left because my mom wanted me to stay for good in the US."

Piolo has so far proven his thespic worth in TV dramas and in the movies. His last co-starrer with Judy Ann Santos, Kahit Isang Saglit, was one of Star Cinema’s biggest moneymakers last year.

Piolo can now be seen in another team-up with Judy Ann Santos via the movie Bakit ’Di Totohanin. The movie opens today in Metro Manila theaters.

Does he now consider himself a superstar in the making? "No, hunk lang ako," Piolo laughingly answers.