‘First love never dies’: Claudine Barretto recalls ‘mapusok’ relationship with Mark Anthony Fernandez 

MANILA, Philippines — “I think so. I believe so, now.”

That was how actress Claudine Barretto replied when asked if she believes in the adage “First love never dies,” referring to her first love, Mark Anthony Fernandez.

Mark agreed with Claudine and also affirmed his statement from weeks ago that “Love is lovelier the second time around.”

“Yes, I’d like to think Claudine is my first love… I believe in that both in my heart and soul. I’m sure Miss Clau agrees with me,” he told the press at last Monday’s virtual conference for their reunion movie “Deception.”

“Never kinailangan ng forgiveness,” Claudine said when asked by Philstar.com on how she and Mark found their way to forgive each other.

“We always wanted to do a project together, we just didn’t have the right material, timing. We were never enemies. In fact, we never had a closure. Pero we always remain friends and I think I always like her and she always likes me back. Bati na kami.”

Mark was 18, while she was about 16, when they first entered a relationship.

“’Yung talagang young love pero mapusok. We never had a closure but we never think ill of each other, we never speak ill of each other ever. So that’s the one thing na talagang gustong gusto ko kay Mark because he never spoke ill of me, ever. Sa lahat ng mga naging ka-relasyon ko, si Mark ang pinakamabait. Wala talagang masamang tinapay kay Mark. Kumbaga, he takes the jabs kasi… gentleman s’ya eh. So ‘yun. ‘Yung forgiveness, siguro kung meron mang humingi ng foregiveness, ako ‘yun,” said Claudine.

Mark admitted that he missed his time with Claudine: “I love missing Miss Clau all the time. ‘Yung namiss ko sa kanya is to please her and to show her my bags of tricks… My new comics collection. I’m a collector of comics. Many jokes...”

“Ako naman, ang namiss ko kay Mark, ‘yung pagiging gentleman n’ya. Meron s’yang ugali na kahit sobra ‘yung pressure, hindi mo s’ya nakikita na nagagalit. So ‘yun ‘yung mga namimiss ko, ‘yung kakulitan n’ya. Makulit ‘yan eh. Nakakatuwa si Mark. Feeling ko ngayon, sa lahat ng mga pinagdaanan n’ya, mas lalo s’yang naging mabuting tao,” Claudine added.

They both teared up for the upcoming Father’s Day, because they both have lost their dads.

“Pareho tayong wala nang daddy, kasi nga ‘di ba daddy’s girl ako? So every Father’s Day, we usually eat out, spend the entire day with dad and my siblings,” Claudine recalled.

Mark shared that he and Claudine used to bond with “Da Boy,” his dad Rudy Fernandez.

“Pupunta kami kay Da Boy, mangangamusta, lelecturan kami… The fact na nakasama namin s’ya, ‘yung time with him, maraming memory ‘yun na ikwekwento din namin ni Clau,” he said.

Claudine is open for a love scene with Mark because all her movies had that and she does everything needed to be done to make the movie good.

“Kwento ko lang, nu’ng naging boyfriend ko si Mark, si Rico (Yan), bawal ang love scene, bawal ang kissing scene. Pero nu’ng naging boyfriend ko si Raymart (Santiago), wala nang bawal, bawal. So ‘yun ‘yung nangyari.”

She professed that she still loves Mark — as a friend.

“So, hindi naman talaga mahirap mahalin si Mark. Bilang kaibigan, mahal na mahal ko ‘yan,” she declared.

“Right now, what we have is more on thankfulness, gratitude,” Mark echoed.

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