I am Vin. I exist.

“I have a name. My name is Vin and I exist.”

Those were the words of Vin Abrenica spoken with conviction when he guested in Tonight with Boy Abunda last week. His longing to have an identity of his own, and not just to be known as the brother of Aljur Abrenica, was strongly felt by those who had seen the episode.

Vin admitted that it has not been easy being compared to Aljur all throughout his life, especially now that they are both in showbiz. 

“It’s normal to me, since I was young or probably, since I was born. We were being compared every day in school (by) teachers, and (by) our uncles and aunts.”

Oftentimes, he would hear comments like, “He’s kinder than you are. You’re not listening as much as your brother.”

Even other people, Vin shared, that they always find his brother more charming. He recalled how Aljur was able to sell 10 boxes of pizza in no time.

“When we were kids, we used to sell Abrenica Pizza in the market. We were both given 10 boxes of pizza, I was six or seven years old then. So by 5 a.m., we were going around the market to sell and people would say to him ang cute, cute naman ng batang ito kaya yung sa kanya ubos lahat and I still had 10. What’s good, he would help offer and sell my pizza.”

The comparison got even worse when Vin joined showbiz years later with Aljur then a household name.

“It’s one thing if you’re being compared by the family and it’s another thing when all the articles coming out are about you and your brother, iba ’pag buong mundo na through the Internet,” said Vin, who, by the way, is in the cast of the ABS-CBN afternoon series Wildflower with Maja Salvador in the title role.

Vin said he experienced having sleepless nights when one item described his Kuya Aljur as “magsasaka” (farmer). It puzzled him why until he found out that the magsasaka tag meant bad to him “because while my kuya is magsasaka daw sa tabi ko at ako naman ang kalabaw. Hindi talaga ako nakatulog noon.”

He knew it was harsh. But Vin never gave up. He studied hard and excelled academically. “I wanna prove something because since I was young, you know (there’s comparison). I have a name. My name is Vin and I exist.”

However, Vin stressed that all is well between him and Aljur even while reports came out that the two were not on speaking terms after the former left their house. 

“At first I thought pinapaalis n’ya ’ko. He told me that I’ve slowed down. Every step ko guided n’ya and I didn’t experience any fall, which is bad. I’m not angry and I just went. It’s not true that we’re not on speaking terms.”

Aljur has always been an inspiration with Vin saying, “I wouldn’t have the guts to be in acting if not for him.”

Meanwhile, Vin revealed more of himself in Fast Talk. Read on.

Halik? Hawak-kamay?

“Halik.”

Music or movies?

“Music.”

Lakad? Takbo?

“Takbo.”

Canton o bihon?

“Canton.”

Lily Cruz or Ivy Aguas?

“Lily.”

The boat is sinking, who are you going to save first, Joseph Marco or RK Bagatsing (his co-stars in Wildflower)?

“I’ll drown myself and see the boat sinks hahaha.”

In massage, which do you prefer — soft, moderate or hard?

“Very, very hard.”

Your favorite street game.

“Tumbang preso.”

Kung pulutan ka, ano ka?

“Sisig.”

Describe your sex life in one word.

“Explosive.”

Longest kiss you had.

“All night long.”

Sexiest woman you’ve worked with.

“Maja.”

Best time for sex.

“All the time.”

What is your weakness?

“My family.”

Ano ang mas masakit — mahiwalayan o makipaghiwalay?

“Mahiwalayan. Hindi pa ako nakipaghiwalay.”

Sino ang mas maganda ang katawan — ikaw o si AJ?

“Ako, hahahaha.”

Ilang beses ka na nabasted?

“Wala pa.”

What’s the hardest part of your body?

“My head.”

What’s the toughest, saying yes or saying no?

“Saying no.”

Describe Vin in one word.

“Intense.”