Kim Chiu feels secure, sees growth in partnership with Paulo Avelino
MANILA, Philippines — Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu managed to dodge questions attempting to determine the real status of their relationship during the press conference for their upcoming primetime series, “The Alibi,” under ABS-CBN’s Dreamscape Entertainment.
Both Kim and Paulo, nevertheless, confirmed that the Valentine’s flowers the actress-host received this year came from her perennial onscreen partner.
The sweet — if not romantic — gesture, Kim readily admitted, made her “happy,” a reaction that also pleased the giver.
During the grand media conference for “The Alibi” — the extended version of their hit Prime Video series — Kim was asked directly by presscon moderator and “TV Patrol” reporter MJ Felipe who sent the bouquet she had posted about on social media.
“Siempre, sa kanya,” Kim said.
“Sa akin,” Paulo confirmed.
Kim further shared, “Pag-uwi ko ng bahay (from ‘It’s Showtime’), (I found out that) may flowers din pala ako, girl pala ako…
“Siempre, nakaka-girl talaga ‘pag bibigyan ka ng flowers on Valentine’s,” she said. “Kasi hindi naman yan sa kung gaano kalaki yung bulaklak or kung super dami. It’s the thought that counts — naaalala ka. Uy, thank you. Salamat ha.”
“Masaya ako na masaya ka,” Paulo replied.
“Happy din ako na napapa-happy niya ako,” laughingly added Kim. “We have to be happy every day because hindi natin alam kung anong mangyayari bukas or sa susunod na taon. So kung ano man ang nagpapasaya sa’yo ngayong taon, i-cherish mo na.”
The bouquet is reportedly a mix of roses and peonies — flowers that are said to symbolize healing and protection from harm.
When asked if he knew what his choices meant, Paulo quipped that he simply asked the florist to pick out red and pink blooms.
But people close to Kim know that the seasonal, imported and pricey peonies — reportedly at least P1,500 per stem — are also the actress’ favorite flowers.
The STAR asked Kim if she likewise feels protected when on set with Paulo. She pointed out that she has been fortunate to work with people who respect her and have never taken advantage of her.
“Lahat naman ng taong nakakasalamuha ko ay may respeto sa akin so I feel protected,” she said.
After four projects together, however, she admitted she feels secure working with the actor.
“I think so. Also, there’s a sense of growth in terms of the roles that we’re doing and we’re very thankful to ABS (CBN), to Dreamscape, because they’ve been giving us different teleseryes which tackle different types of roles. And pagka eksena ko si Pau, I also feel like I’m growing as an actor.”
Does Paulo feel instinctively protective toward his co-star?
“Well, I’ve worked with Kim for so long and parang as much as possible, you try to protect them, not just physically. Even as well in terms of knowing, di ba? The more you know kasi the more you are protected for a lot of stuff,” he began.
Citing an example, he added, “Like online scams, ‘di ba parang when you’re with knowledge, knowledgeable about that thing, you share the knowledge and parang at the same time she is protected because she’s knowledgeable about online scams even more.”
With the question circling back to the “meaning” of the bouquet, he playfully turned to Kim and asked, “Nagustuhan mo ba?”
“Oo naman. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Gusto mo pa?” he teased.
“Pwede naman every day,” Kim joked.
“Mamumulubi ako hahaha!” Paulo quipped in return.
Earlier in the press conference, a reporter attempted to pin down the “real score” between the co-stars.
When asked about it, Paulo replied, “100.”
The reporter appeared to interpret it as a bold admission of their rumored romance, following up by likening the response to how another actor, Jericho Rosales, publicly confirmed his own relationship.
But Paulo laughingly clarified, “I didn’t admit to anything, I just gave a score.”
When the question was directed at Kim, she dismissed it in jest, “Para saan ba ito? Ikabubuti ba yan ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas?”
Later, however, fans took to X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and other social media platforms to express disappointment over the line of questioning. One viral post on X said that mentioning another person’s name was unnecessary, to which Kim personally reacted with “True!!!! (emoji).”
At any rate, this reaction underscores that “KimPaulandia” remains one of the most vocal and loyal fanbases today. The STAR was told that fan groups such as KimPau Universe Official, KimPau Night Shift, KimPau Squad, KimPau International and Kim Chiu Global were the ones responsible for the overflowing catered food at the tandem’s first presscon for the year.
This writer has also witnessed that support firsthand in every exclusive interview The STAR has had with the tandem. In fact, this broadsheet’s first video interview with KimPau remains the most viewed among celebrity interviews on its YouTube channel.
During the presscon, both stars attributed the sustained success of their partnership — from “Linlang,” “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?”, to “My Love Will Make You Disappear” and now, “The Alibi” — to fan support.
“We really have to give it to the people supporting us,” Paulo said. “’Linlang’ was supposed to be a one-time project, but they were the ones requesting for more, that they wanted to see more. They wanted ‘Secretary Kim.’ They wanted a movie, we gave a feel-good movie. Now, an intense teleserye…
“Hanggang ni-re-request at may gustong panoorin kami, we’d still do projects together. So it’s for the fans and people supporting us, thank you to everyone.”
Kim agreed, stressing that their loveteam wouldn’t work without the level of support that they’re getting now.
“I’ve done three loveteams. (So I was surprised that) talaga, meron pa palang nagsu-support sa amin ni Pau? And in this day and age, ang bilis ng takbo ng industriya, ang bilis (magpalit ng) artista, ang bilis magsawa ng tao.
“But we’re very surprised at the same time, very thankful for the effort, time and love that (the fans) are giving us. Gusto rin naming ibalik sa kanila by giving them great projects,” she said.
After “The Alibi’s” success when it premiered as the No. 1 show on Prime Video Philippines, Kim and Paulo are going to deliver an alternate ending and never-before-seen scenes for the TV version of their mystery-romance series, which will air on Primetime Bida this March.
“The Alibi: Ang Buong Katotohanan” will dive deeper into the intriguing love affairs of Stella (Kim) and Vincent (Paulo), as well as the mystery surrounding the murder of Walter (Sam Milby), leading to plot twists and revelations not previously shown on Prime Video.
The story centers on Stella, a seductive escort, and Vincent, the heir to the most influential digital news empire in the country. The two become entangled when they connive for Stella to pose as Vincent’s alibi after he is revealed as the prime suspect in the high-profile murder of his rival, Walter.
The series boasts a stellar cast that also includes John Arcilla, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Rafael Rosell, Robbie Jaworski and Angelina Cruz. It is directed by Onat Diaz, Jojo Saguin and FM Reyes.
Besides the “The Alibi” showing on free TV, Kim and Paulo will embark on the “KimPau World Tour” on April 24 in Redwood City, California, April 26 in Anaheim, May 1 in Edmonton and May 3 in Toronto.
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