FHM.com.ph

PHOTOGRAPHY: DOC MARLON PECJO
INTERVIEW: ALLAN P. HERNANDEZ
MAKEUP: BARBI CHAN FOR MAYBELINE
STYLING: REY SANTOS
Special thanks to Ms. Ida Henares, GMA Artist Center, Chris Ojeda, Jenny Donato, Shirley Pizzaro, Mr. Melvin A. Cruz, Engr. Rommel C. Felipe, Lulu E. De Leon, the Marikina CTMDO; MINISTOP K-CENTER, KARANGALAN, PASIG CITY

How does it feel gracing the cover of FHM X?
I’m happy and honored. It gives me a sense of accomplishment being on FHM’s cover on its 10th anniversary. It’s also my third time gracing the cover so masaya siya.

Did you know that we’ve featured over a thousand women in FHM since day one? We logged 705 in 2006—every girl that appeared—and stopped officially counting since. This cover appearance is a big deal...
Eh, di ang haba ng hair ko ha ha ha! That makes it even more of an honor for me and—(purrs a knee-weakening purr)—basta nakatutuwa! It’s just that I can’t help but look back to the previous covers that I did, especially the first, and now that I’ve got this third one,and it’s for your 10th year, so feeling ko bongga ito!

We remember the first time: During meetings you had your mother with you. She was there at the shoot...
Kaka-18 ko lang nun eh! I remember at the shoot, Barbi [Chan, makeup artist], was having a word with me kasi iyak ako nang iyak. She was wondering bakit ako takot na takot.

Were you afraid that we would take advantage of you?
No, it wasn’t with you guys. Ang feeling ko lang baka mas lalo akong mabastos in public. It was a big deal for me because I was jumping from tweetums to sexy, that there would be no turning back once I did it. Looking back, definitely I don’t regret posing for FHM. It’s a huge thing kasi ang laki ng itinulong nito sa career ko.

What if you had said no the first time?
You wouldn’t see me anymore. Siguro nasa bahay lang ako ngayon. FHM gave me a name.

What can you say to the other artistas who said no to us?
I know some of the girls who refused to appear in FHM do so because of family issues. Their families think that once you pose for FHM you’ll be branded as an easy catch, and I can say that it’s wrong. Nag-pose ako for FHM pero hindi ako pwedeng basta-basta bastusin in public. Also, some of the girls I know who had said no to FHM before, kinakain nila ngayon yung mga sinasabi nila.

We have a common friend, your fellow FHM babe, who unfortunately have had to confront a scandal in public, “nabastos” siya in your words. Care to weigh in on the issue?
It’s not her fault that she got involved in that scandal. We all know what happened and she’s fighting for her rights. Hindi siya nabastos dahil nagpa-sexy siya or dahil sa FHM, nabastos siya because she made a mistake and it got publicized. It could have happened to anyone; meron isang girl na hindi naman nag-pose for FHM pero nandoon [in the sex video] di ba? The issue here is respect: Just because you posed for a men’s magazine doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to it. In the same way, dapat ipakita rin natin na karespe-respeto tayo to gain that.

If it were you in the scandal, would you have done the press conferences, the senate hearing, the whole circus?
Alam mo sobrang bilib ako sa kanya kasi kung sa akin nangyari yon baka nagpatiwakal na ‘ko.