How Pia & Marlon take care of their relationship

‘Off cam, we laugh a lot, we have so much fun, we always joke around. We don’t show everything on social media. We just feel like, you know, it doesn’t have to be in front of the camera all the time. It’s knowing what to share with other people, and what to keep in private.’

MANILA, Philippines — Pia Wurtzbach and Marlon Stockinger have achieved a “milestone” in their one-year-and-a-half relationship by doing their first brand endorsement as a couple.

Having projects together might be a tricky thing to do, especially in the time of social media, when eagle-eyed followers take note of every comment or emoticon, new or deleted photo, follow or unfollow to decode signs of bliss or trouble in paradise. You can’t blame other celebrities if they want their personal lives totally separate from their public or professional lives. 

From left: Event host Janeena Chan, BlueWater Spa president and CEO Mary Simisim, BlueWater Spa operations manager Nancy Go, Pia and Marlon

But for Pia, 28, and Marlon, 27, they’re happy to have hit a level wherein they can work together. The former Miss Universe and the international car racer were presented to the media last week as the new endorsers of BlueWater Day Spa, wherein they talked about how they keep themselves fit (they are competitive with each other, keeping tabs of who spends more time and effort at the gym) and de-stress (BlueWater’s Deep Tissue Massage and Body Scrubs for Pia while Deep Tissue and Athlete’s Massage for Marlon).  

“I think it’s just great that Pia and I have been able to keep a consistent relationship and keep it in a sense that we can already work together, like we are doing this endorsement. This is really fun,” Marlon told The STAR. “It’s a nice thing to be able to do your job and be in a relationship. Mixing the two together is really nice... I’m just happy that we’ve reached this point, that we can work together.”

“When they asked us to be endorsers, they asked both of us,” said Pia, who happens to share the same management with Marlon under Mercator. “We’re really happy that they were interested in getting us a couple because they do have couple services here in BlueWater Day Spa so tamang tama. And also, it’s nice that they’re starting to put men in their roster of endorsers because when we think of spa, especially guys, they try to stay away from it, like oh ‘It’s pang-babae or walang services for me dyan,’ but with BlueWater Day Spa, there’s something for everyone.” 

Marlon added, “We did projects before together (but not commercials or endorsements). It’s just that, you know, a part of (the relationship) you want to keep private then some parts public, and this synergy with BlueWater Day Spa (with) its couple’s treatment was just the perfect fit. And it’s really about our lifestyles, how we like to work hard but also take care of ourselves. With Pia’s busy schedule, with my busy schedule, it was really fantastic to fit it all in.”

Off-cam and away from the media glare, what’s their relationship like? Pia shared, “We laughed a lot, we have a lot of fun, palagi kami nagbibiruan. We don’t show everything on social media. We just feel like, you know, it doesn’t have to be in front of the camera all the time. I really appreciate those moments, especially when it’s with family.” 

“I think it’s knowing what to share with other people, and what to keep in private,” she added.

Top models and pageant winners also join the media launch such as (from left) Neil Perez, Emil Khodaverdi, Aljoshca Barfuss, Nancy Go of BlueWater Day Spa, Diego Harmuch, Nicole Guerrero and Daniel Azurin

According to Pia, they started dating “right before I passed on the crown so he was there when I was Miss Universe passing the crown until now. I’m really grateful he’s so understanding, he’s so patient. Sometimes, I think to myself, siguro kung iba yan, alam mo yun? It’s hard. It’s really tough! But he’s been able to go through all that with me, smoothly.”

Why the Fil-German beauty queen and the Fil-Swiss sportsman click so well may also have something to do with the nature of their respective careers.

Pia said, “I think it also helps that Marlon has some background or some experience in showbiz, and he knows how busy it can be. When he did the F1 racing here in Manila, like parang, during that time, di pa ako sumasali sa pageant. But I remember it, parang yun yung equivalent ng Miss U pero pang-lalaki, kasi meron din nag-fly in na half-Filipino from abroad na may dala — if in my case, crown ang dala ko — siya kotse ang dala niya. And they’re touring around, and the people are going crazy kasi bihira lang siya dito. He had such good achievements abroad. He made us all proud. He won in Monaco, so alam niya yung feeling na nandoon sa spotlight. And then when it was my turn, he knew how to take care of our relationship even though there were a lot of cameras around. I think tamang tama lang din that he knows what it’s like to be in my shoes.”    

Other than that, Marlon also grew up in an entertainment-related environment because his mom used to be a model. “I grew up in the industry, that’s been a part of my life.”

The two have been together for a year and a half now. It may already be long enough for some, but for Marlon, everything still feels fresh and young. And what he looks forward to in this relationship is “being able to know that I can end and start the day with her.”

When they have those little misunderstandings or tampuhan, Marlon admitted to being always the first to reach out. “With food and flowers, just any way to reach a girl’s heart. You can be sweet even with the smallest gestures; it doesn’t have to be a bouquet. You come home, you give her a nice rose and chocolates, then it’s easier to say sorry (laughs),” advised Marlon on how to woo a sulking loved one.   

After the endorsement, what other #CoupleGoals do they have? A TV show or a movie, maybe? 

Pia, 28 and Marlon, 27 are happy to ‘be able to do your job and be in a relationship

Marlon said he already appeared in the closing credits of Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad, Pia’s 2017 movie. “It was for fun. I only found out one day before... (It was) super organic. We were just being ourselves... It wasn’t very far off from how we are as a couple.”

Is he open to do more acting work with Pia? “I don’t know... There’s a chance, maybe. I’m not saying no. But I like our relationship dynamic at home (more),” Marlon said.

Pia also appeared not adverse to the idea of having Marlon star in a movie with her and not just make a cameo, saying: “If the project is there, the story is nice, if the roles are nice, why not? Although I have more fun with him in real life than onscreen. I think, I like our real-life chemistry better than what we would try to show on TV.”

The two couldn’t also escape the marriage question. “Well, not in the near future. We’re not there yet. I still feel like we want to achieve a lot individually... Wala pa yun,” Pia said. 

“I think any person would see Pia as wife material. Honestly, our relationship, it’s working well, we’re working together. I think we’re going to focus on our careers, supporting each other. Somewhere down the road (laughs), it might come along,” Marlon said.