Coco Martin kills critics with kindness

There was not a trace of annoyance. He did not even flinch. King of Primetime Coco Martin seemed to have mastered what zen means as a way of life when we had a one-on-one, sit-down interview with him in Ortigas just this week.

Our topic? His critics. Coco’s show, Batang Quiapo, has only been on air for less than three months and it has been the subject of criticism by some online influencers, who haven’t done any research on it, but then proceeded to attack the show. They say Batang Quiapo has been a nuisance to the vendors in the area.

When we asked Coco about this, he just had a big smile on his face and said, “(This is what the late Miss Susan Roces taught me.) Sabi niya sa akin, kapag hitik ang bunga, talagang may babato at babato talaga. Ako iniintindi ko na lang siguro iyong mga taong gusto mag-hanap buhay, gusto gawin iyon.”

“Pero sana wala sila masamang intensyong manggulo o makagulo kasi hindi maganda, eh. Sa akin kasi, sino nakakaunawa, pag-pasensyahan mo na lang. Ako naman, sa lahat ng blessing na dumarating siguro yung pagiging mabuting tao binabalik ko. Kesa patulan ko, mas marami tayong bagay na pwede pagka-abalahan,” he added.

Coco is confident in his team and in the show. He explained that a lot of research goes into a project even before it comes into fruition.

In the case of Batang Quiapo, Coco said, “Maayos kami mag-trabaho. Nagpaalam po kami sa mayor sa Manila City Hall, meron din po kaming permits sa ating kapulisan at barangay at pati po sa Simbahan ng Quiapo at mga kapatid nating Muslim. Lahat yan naka-organize at pinagpaalaman ng maayos. (We work well. We asked permission from the city mayor, the police, the barangay, even the Quiapo Church and our Muslim brothers and sisters).”

Considering that ABS-CBN is now a content creator and Batang Quiapo has been airing in many platforms, including TV5, the show has been consistently trending and rating well. Coco’s research team has also some good news.

“Noong i-na-analyze namin siya ng team, oo, it’s stronger than Ang Probinsyano that’s why we’re very grateful. That’s why hard work talaga, iyong pag-pupursige namin sa production talagang todo-todo pa,” he said.

Speaking of todo todo, from the M-W-F schedule of taping, Coco said the show now shoots almost every day.

The work addict in Coco can’t seem to have enough because after starring in an official Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry last December, he is headlining the Summer MMFF film Apag, his reunion project with direk Brillante Mendoza. It is an homage to his day one in showbiz.

“Iba siya sa teleserye na ginagawa ko at MMFF ko kapag pasko. Ito, bumalik talaga ako kung saan ako nanggaling, sa roots ko. (This is different from the TV series and the MMFF movies I’ve made. Here, I return to where I came from, to my roots).”

This is Coco’s way of helping the film industry, he said, “Ako naman, kung hindi tayo gumawa ng pelikula patuloy na mamatay ang industrya.”

Coco is also fighting for a more inclusive showbiz as he hosted the first-ever junket for the regional press in Manila for his endorsement for RiteMed.

For a change, he was the one who housed the regional press from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao in buzzing Ortigas. He learned the good news during the event from his endorsement bosses that in just less than three months, the brand generated more than P1.2B in sales or a 25-percent increase from its previous year performance and they credited that to the King of Primetime. With this feat, Coco said his reward for himself is rest and it will happen this Holy Week.

“Ang ganda ng sinabi sa church,” he said. “Kung madami ang lumalabas para magsaya, mag-swimming, ako, ito ang panahon ko magpahinga. Doon lang ako sa bahay, matutulog ako.”