Carlo first saw Donna in the White Castle ad, where a bikini-clad Donna was riding a horse. "Nong makita ko siya sa White Castle, sabi ko, ‘Ganda magdala ng bikini.’ Kaya hanggang ngayon ang tingin ko sa kanya naka-bikini pa rin," laughs Carlo. Thus when they met on Carlo’s first directorial movie and Donna’s second starring role, Carlo told himself, "Popostehan ko na eto."
Carlo and Donna are one of the most loved and most generous couples in the movie industry. Their partnership transcends their personal relationship. They are also called the Golden Couple or the Couple with the Midas touch, from the proverbial King Midas who turned everything he touched into gold.
One of direk Carlo’s most successful creations is Panday which is now a sineserye on ABS-CBN. "Naging legendary ang Panday because of Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ)," says Carlo.
Since FPJ made Panday a movie series, Panday has earned a huge following. "I thought of creating Panday because I wanted to earn money. Nakapagsulat ako dahil gusto kong kumain ng matino. It was not inspiration, but the need to earn money and make a living that pushed me to create Panday, " recalls Carlo.
"Panday is a creation of a beautiful mind," an adoring Donna says. "In the worst moments of Panday, humuhugot si Panday ng lakas sa kanyang pagiging Panday."
"I get my inspiration from Donna’s smile," offers Carlo.
Carlo says he owes a lot to Donna for what he is now. "Di ako makangiti dati. I had inferiority complex until Donna came into my life. I’m sad when Donna is sad. Kawawa ang masasalubong ko," he adds, laughing.
"The key to happiness is not to wallow in the past and not to worry much about the future," Donna admonishes. Carlo hoped that his father were still alive when he started to do well. "Baka humaba pa ang buhay niya."
As producer of most of his films, Carlo describes Donna as "makulit." "When she visits the set, she asks how many rolls of negative I used. I’d tell her, but she still asks other people."
Oftentimes, it would also be a source of their conflicts. "She dips her fingers in the editing and scoring, and she would only give in if I tell her, ‘O sige, hindi na matatapos yan.’"
Donna acknowledges that Carlo being the director, is the "boss" while shooting a movie project. "Donna is the boss at home. At home, when Donna gets angry and shouts at us, I just laugh."
As a married couple, Donna says there is a lot of love and respect in their relationship. But the adjustments continue to this day. And as a husband, Carlo is close to being "perfect."
Carlo admits he still has insecurities. "But of course. Will I ever see someone like Donna again?" And when he would be eaten up by his insecurities, Carlo would kneel before God. "Poverty was my driving force. I don’t want to see my loved ones suffer."
This holiday season, Carlo says the best gift is "more love." And obviously the couple has an abundance of it.
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