Will Toni keep her word?

MANILA, Philippines - It was on national TV when Toni Gonzaga declared that she will right away jump into marriage once her boyfriend, director Paul Soriano, brings home the Oscar trophy for Transit.

“We were joking then,” says Toni regarding her statement during a break at the pictorial for her latest endorsement Le Donne. “What I said was, if he brings home the Oscar; s’yempre suntok sa buwan ‘yun di ba, biro mo out of 78 countries kung talagang maiuwi n’ya ang trophy. Paul is actually leaving this month (for the Oscar campaign). We are really praying na kahit paano may maiuwi ang Pilipinas.”

Transit, produced by direk Paul and directed by Hannah Espia, won the Best Picture award in the New Breed category at the ninth Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and was chosen by the Film Academy of the Philippines as the country’s entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 86th Academy Awards. A shortlist of five official nominees will be announced early next year.

Fil-Am Hollywood producer Dean Devlin had already expressed his full support to Transit. This paper’s Entertainment editor, Ricky Lo, wrote in his Funfare column recently that Devlin, the producer of blockbusters Independence Day and Godzilla, has announced that his company Electric Entertainment has picked up all worldwide sales rights, excluding the Philippines, to the critically-acclaimed Filipino indie drama.

Is Toni going to keep her word about marching down the aisle with direk Paul, knowing too well that Transit got a boost from Devlin? “Yes, of course. But it (the proposal) should still come from the guy.”

Asked about direk Paul’s reaction, Toni replied, “He just laughed and didn’t feel any pressure at all because he knows that what I said was just a joke. Nagbibiruan kasi kami ni Tito Boy (Abunda) at Ate Charlene (Gonzalez). But seriously, I wish for the best.”

With or without a trophy, the 29-year-old Kapamilya star prefers to settle down at the age of 30 and she’s about three months shy of her birthday on Jan. 20. And though she hasn’t received a proposal yet, Toni is wishing to have a boy for a child, “It will definitely be fine with me if we will be blessed with boys because our family consists mostly of girls, even my cousins are girls. But Paul wants a girl. Do I sound as if I’m going to marry soon? Hahaha! Honestly, not yet.”

But what if one of these days, direk Paul pops that heartening, music-to-the-ears one-liner “Will you marry me?” on bended knees?

“Of course, the answer is, ‘Yes.’ I think any girl would say yes if she has found the right one. Well, I believe in my heart that I’ve found him so if ever the time comes, well, why will I say no?”

Having been together for several years now, Toni never denies that they’ve talked and “dreamt” about tying the knot but “as much as possible Paul doesn’t want to share details yet because he wants to enjoy the privacy of our plans and everything. Do I have a dream wedding? For me, as long as you marry the man of your dreams, any destination is a dream wedding.”

What she can only share for now is her admiration for her former The Buzz co-host Charlene, who is willing to sacrifice everything for her husband Aga Muhlach and children Atasha and Andres. “The way she handles her personal life and career amazes me. She will do everything for her family. I think any mother, ‘pag talagang naging nanay ka katumbas ng pagiging ina ay sakripisyo. Being a mom is a big sacrifice already so when I do reach that point, I really have to sacrifice major things in my life.”

For the meantime, Toni continues to have her hands full with work and that includes her latest endorsement deal for Le Donne which commissioned her to be its first celebrity endorser. Le Donne also sponsors for such celebrities as Korina Sanchez, Meg Imperial, Yam Concepcion, Tuesday Vargas and Giselle Sanchez and shows like Startalk, Unang Hirit and Celebrity Bluff.

Le Donne top honcho Marion Salonga says that Toni possesses the qualities that the brand is known for — modern, classy and appealing. The former, too, expresses delight at how the latter is able to maintain a strong relationship with the Lord in spite of her heavy workload.

“After so many years of attempting to get the right endorser for the company, my prayer has been finally answered. I asked around and they all said Toni would be the best choice for Le Donne. Toni is very smart, fashionable and talented. She’s the whole package.”

For her part, Toni recalls that when she was just starting in showbiz, she would feel anxious about entering a Le Donne boutique. “I thought owning a pair would be too expensive but I was wrong. Their shoes are affordable and comfortable to wear. I love this brand even before.”

Le Donne has been around for 43 years now and it continues to live up to its promise of providing modern-day women with shoes and accessories that are both functional and stylish in design at reasonable prices.

During the photo shoot session with Sara Black as the director of photography, Toni displays how every woman can transform into different looks with the help of the brand’s collection of shoes and bags. She exudes an aura that is refreshing and full of life despite her hectic schedule.

“Just being around my family and loved ones; spending time with them is basically ‘me-time’ already. Happy na ko doon and it’s relaxing already to be with them,” says Toni who will be paired with Piolo Pascual in a movie and will star opposite John Lloyd Cruz in the new Kapamilya sitcom Home Sweetie Home.

“I’m also looking forward to spending Christmas in New York with my family. Paul and I will meet there but of course, he is busy for the Oscars so probably we will meet there, but not really to go there together. Baka magkita kami doon; baka lang not yet sure.”