Will Carmina & Zoren tie the knot next year?

MANILA, Philippines - Searching for BB Gandanghari has been something Carmina Villarroel and Zoren Legaspi have been doing for quite some time now — in vain. The real-life couple wants to open their new talk show, Love ni Mister, Love ni Misis (which starts airing Monday, Aug. 9, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. on GMA 7) with Carmina’s ex-flame on board.

“I call her Madame BB out of respect,” says Zoren. “She was part of Carmina’s life. It’s a small world, especially in showbiz.”

Zoren adds that having BB on the show will be an eye-opener for viewers, especially married couples.

“It will prove that you can be friends with someone you’ve had a relationship with,” he points out. “People will say, `If Carmina was able to accept things, why can’t they?”

Carmina admits she has mixed feelings.

“I’m nervous because it’s like facing someone for the first time. She (BB) is now a different person. We really don’t know each other,” she points out.

But she’s looking forward to meeting the person she knew as Rustom (Padilla). Carmina wants to contact BB, who she thinks has returned to the US. Why, she would even roll the red carpet for her if she accepts Carmina’s invite to guest on the show.

BB and Ruffa Gutierrez, Zoren’s ex-girlfriend, were the first choice as guests in the pilot episode. Having them around would have started a lively debate about exes as friends. But since the plan went kaput, GMA bosses decided on featuring showbiz couples whose marriages have stood the test of time instead.

Zoren and Carmina themselves have stayed under one roof for more than 10 years. They have nine-year-old Cassy and Mavy to show for it.

That long and still no plans of tying the knot?

Zoren has a ready answer: “For the religious out there, we are married, Biblically speaking. Saying yes to each other is a contract in itself. When she said she loves me and I told her I love her, that’s it. Our bond will last forever.”

He goes back in history and cites an example.

“The contract came into being when governments were put up. Before that, a handshake was already considered a contract.”

He shows a simple band in his finger. The ring, he explains, is a sign that he’s married and “no other person can get near Carmina and me.”

 But the ring is different from other wedding bands. You will not see any wedding date engraved on it.

“That’s because we have no (wedding) anniversary,” Carmina relates. “All we know is the the year when we first got together.”

Unlike other women, she doesn’t feel bad about not (yet) walking down the aisle and saying “I do.”

No, she’s not against marriage. It’s just that she thinks marriage is no assurance of ever-after. She’s seen married couples going their separate ways after 50 years.

And no, Carmina doesn’t feel shortchanged, contrary to what most people say about the girl being in the losing end of a live-in set-up.

 “I credit Zoren for this, “ she says. “Some guys make the woman feel insecure. Zoren doesn’t. Perhaps it’s because we have the same wavelength. We don’t have to open our mouth to understand each other.”

Zoren doesn’t force Carmina to watch a movie with him when she’d rather stay at home after a hard day at work. He knows his beloved is tired and the last thing she wants to do is dress up to see a movie.

So he watches the last full show in the movie house — alone. Carmina doesn’t torment him with questions about where he went, who he was with, etc., when he gets home.

“She makes me feel like single,” Zoren gushes. “She doesn’t nag. Now, that’s something for a guy.”

The trust is well-earned, he tells you. It’s something he worked hard for all these years.

If Zoren feels good about Carmina; Carmina is just as blown away when they’re together.

“If there’s an award for a model father, it’s got to go to Zoren,” she notes. “He’s not afraid if people see him taking care of the twins. He balances his time between work and the kids.”

Of all the pluses he has though, it is his God-fearing ways that Carmina finds most endearing.

“All other good traits follow: loyalty, faithfulness, being a good husband,” Carmina notes. “Put him in an island with lots of girls and Zoren will behave – I hope.”

Carmina and Zoren do have pet peeves about each other. What married couple doesn’t?

Zoren grins and bears it when Carmina takes so long to apply lip gloss before facing the camera. Carmina can’t stand it when Zoren packs his luggage at the last minute.

But like all happy couples, they have learned to live with these slight differences.

“The saying `Don’t sleep over a problem doesn’t apply to us,” says Carmina. “You can’t solve a problem overnight. So we agree to talk it over — calmly.”

You will not hear anyone shouting at the top of his or her lungs in their household.

The twins are not treated as outsiders, but a part of every little thing at home. Carmina and Zoren include them in household discussions, not to make them bear the burden, but to keep them abreast of their parents’ lives.

“Now and then, you’ll hear one of the twins agreeing with Tatay (Zoren) or with Mommy,” states Carmina.

So what’s keeping them from getting married?

“We’ve been talking about dates,” Zoren answers. “And I’d like President Noynoy (Aquino) to marry us. You see, I like him as a person. I like his SONA (State of the Nation Address).”

Meanwhile, the kids are not asking, and Carmina is not about to broach the topic.

But Wilma Galvante, GMA Network SVP for Entertainment has made up her mind.

“We will marry them off on the show’s first anniversary,” she promised.

Carmina protests: “Oh no, that’s not a good year for me to get married!”

Fate may have another plan for her. And, before you know it, she just might find herself walking down that aisle.