The secrets of Johnny & Janet
But, of course, as you read on, that won’t be a “secret” anymore as Johnny Revilla talks lengthily about his and Janet Basco’s 34-year marriage. That’s a record (applause!!!) considering what people say that showbiz marriages (some of them anyway) are as brittle as peanut candy.
Without much ado, let’s listen to Johnny reveal the “secrets” that have kept him and Janet, along with their children, living happily ever after while negotiating the peaks and valleys holding hands safely and tightly.
Yours is among the stable marriages in showbiz. How do you keep it that way?
“Janet and I have been married for 34 years na… hmm, too long. Maybe, it’s time for a change. Hahahaha!!! But, seriously, we have managed, I guess, to put personalities aside for the betterment of our marriage. We may not be perfect people but we are perfect for each other. I am the yin to her yang. Also, one of the things that really helped us is that Janet and I started out as being best friends. We enjoy each other’s company a lot. Throughout our marriage, good or bad, our friendship kept us laughing.
“We do talk a lot. As a matter of fact, during this pandemic, I got to know her even more personally. My God, I found out she was a professional singer and she’s really Janet Basco!!! Can you believe that? I did not know that! Hahahaha!!! Plus, up to this day, Janet is still sexy to me. (Naughty smile.) And, most important to us, there’s the presence of God in our lives. He keeps us grounded. The Lord is the anchor in our marriage.”
Your parents’ marriage (Armando Goyena and Paquita Roces) was also stable and sturdy. What did you learn from them that you apply in your marriage?
“My Dad and Mom, bless their souls, were together for many years. My Dad, already Armando Goyena, movie star, was watching a DLSU basketball game and saw my Mom across the arena. He then remarked that that’s the woman he was going to marry. Eight children and 29 grandchildren later, they stayed together until the time my mother died. I remember that they loved each other very much.
“As kids, we would often go to their room. While watching TV, they’d be holding hands. Being a teenager, I thought it was wacky. But now, I reflect how blessed I was having parents like them. No matter all their trials, I know that my Dad loved my mother very much and vice-versa.
“Janet’s Dad passed away rather young in his life… cancer took him in his early 50s. But, he, too, was devoted to my mother-in-law. He was also a man of God.”
What have been the challenges along the way and how did you and Janet deal with them?
“Well, like most married couples, we went through periods of complacency, boredom, ups and downs, financial and religious issues, etc. However, Janet and I always agreed not to let money and family get between us. My money was always Janet’s and Janet’s money was also Janet’s. (Hmm, something not fair about that!) We are blessed that never in our marriage did our respective families interfere in our relationship. My mother-in-law lived with us and I can only recall ONE time I said ‘no’ to any of her requests.
“Politics, we never had a problem with… except for now. But again, we decided not to discuss it so we do not end up fighting. Janet likes Pres. Trump and I don’t. However, in local elections, we seem to always agree with our Presidential bets. The differences in our faith did become almost a real problem for the two of us. Janet became a born-again Christian (Bible Baptist) before I did. We got through it, after a long time, when I finally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.”
How did you and Janet reconcile the differences in the way you were raised by your respective parents?
“It really wasn’t too difficult because Janet and I were raised conservatively. Family was always so important to both our respective parents. Janet’s Mom still was the center of her family (since her Dad died early) and my Dad was the center of our family. We respected our parents which I guess made our marriage a union of each other.
“And, really, we had harmony. My family was more centered on Christmas. We needed to be together on Christmas. But New Year’s, well, we kids were allowed to be with our different lakads. Janet’s family was the other way around: New Year’s with family and Christmas with friends.”
How was it growing up as an only boy in a bunch of girls (Maritess, Cristina, Cecilia, Pita(+), Rosie, Malu and Cita)?
“Frankly, it was great! Many people will ask me if I missed having a brother and the truth is ‘no.’ I never had to compete with anyone. I mean, think about it. If you ask anyone who the prettiest Revilla sister is, you’d get different answers. But you ask them who their best-looking brother is, well, it’s only me! (I am also the ugliest brother, but I don’t mention that!)
“One thing that was problematic was the hand-me-down bras were too tight for me! Buwahahahaha!!! Then, I needed to master the art of multitasking because if I didn’t speak out at the dinner table, I’d never get a word in edgewise. We’d all talk at the same time, but the funny thing was we would ‘’hear’ everyone else’s conversation.
“Seriously, though, with all due respect to other terrific families out there, I am blessed to have the ‘bestest’ family ever! I mean, my sisters are the best, nicest and funniest group of characters ever. Although my sister Malu lives in San Bruno, California, and my sister Pita, God bless her soul, is in Heaven watching over us, we still try to get together as often as we can, though the pandemic hasn’t helped much. BP (Before pandemic), we would get together once a month for dinner. I do miss that.”
Does Janet also come from a big family?
“No. She’s the youngest of three. She has two older brothers, Nelson and Jun. She adjusted really quickly to being a member of my family. My sisters all took to Janet immediately. So much so that they already intoned to me that if anything unfortunate happens to us (marriage-wise), I’m out and she’s in! Hmm… something not right about that!”
Briefly now, how was the courtship like?
“Interesting story. Janet and I actually went out on a double date but she was not my date and I wasn’t hers. My date for the evening and I were to meet with Janet’s date in a concert where Janet was the main performer. I remember seeing Janet’s poster on our way up the stairs and I was intrigued by how pretty she was in her picture. And when she did her famous Flash Dance Medley, wherein Janet would remove a layer of her costume every time the song changed, until she ended up in a tanga, which was so popular in those days, my jaw dropped because she was so gorgeous.
“But, what intrigued me most was after the concert, we all met in the disco (short for ‘discotheque,’ a term many of young people don’t know…ay), and when I started speaking with Janet, I was so mesmerized by her soft, demure, modulated voice. I looked at her and remarked that she was not the same woman on stage who had a firm grasp of her audience with her powerful, fabulous voice. Wow. As fate may have it, she and her date didn’t pan out, and I then asked my friend if it was okay if I pursued Janet and he said of course. So, I asked her out and I guess, like they say, the rest is history.”
How are you as parents and as grandparents (how many apos)?
“We were quite strict as parents with our kids. Even now, as our kids are already adults and all working, we still treat them like teenagers. Our eldest daughter, Jantu, is married and lives in Laguna with her husband and two kids. But, our three kids are still in the house with us and we (especially Janet) continue to treat them like our ‘babies.’ Juliana always kids me that I still call my daughters my babies. I told her that even if they are in their 60s, they shall ALWAYS be our babies.
“We have two apos (both from Jantu) Gabe, who is two and extremely naughty and Gia, all three weeks old and so demure and beautiful. I must admit, Janet and I are still strict with our apos but it is so different for we tend to be much more tolerant with them. I easily give in to my ‘Gabey, baby,’ especially when he starts crying. I know I am wrong spoiling my grandson, but, I guess, this is my way of getting back with my daughter for her being a naughty child! Hahahaha!
“It’s so easy being a grandparent. When we cannot handle his naughtiness, it is, ‘Here, take him back… you discipline him!’ But, seriously, he’s so precious. Grandchildren are such blessings! And, take note, his third favorite person, next to his Mom and Dad, is moi. He loves his ‘Wowo’!”
Years from now, your other children will be living away from you with their own families. How do you prepare for that eventuality?
“Honestly, I don’t know. Yes, we do talk about it. But our kids have been a part of our lives since the beginning. I know one day, we’ll be empty nesters. Wow! It is quite a hard thing to fathom for us. Hmm… retire in Tagaytay? Tanay? Dumaguete? Bukidnon? Why not? We think about leaving the congested Metro Manila traffic and fast pace.
“I guess, Janet and I will most probably do the normal empty nesters thing: Travel, we both love to travel. Still, we will never be really alone. We’ll always have our dogs! Hahaha! But our No. 1 blessing is we have Jesus in our life and we know that whether we live or die before His return, we are assured that we will be with Him in heaven for eternity.
“Oh, by the way, I do have three apos in the States from my son, Paul Marc, from my previous marriage. But, unfortunately, we do not really see each other because of the distance.”
(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)
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