MANILA, Philippines – Abby Viduya never expected to reconnect and rekindle her romance with teenage girlfriend Jomari Yllana.
“We were already happy to be in each other’s lives as friends. We didn’t expect it, but since it happened everything has been going well so far, ”the actress recently told The STAR in an exclusive phone interview.
Abby recalled that she and the actor, both now 45, became their first romantic relationship when they were 15. “It was my first love, my first boyfriend, my first kiss, above all.”
They were a couple for less than a year after working together in the movie Gwapings, Jomari’s launch movie with ’90s boy group Gwapings. Abby, who later became the sexy star with the screen name Priscilla Almeda, was featured in the same movie.
They broke up mainly because they were too young. “Of course, we went our separate ways, we led our own lives and had our own children.”
In the early 2000s, Abby suddenly quit showbiz to return to Canada where she grew up. “Then there was a constant na di naman time, but may kami communication (with Jomari). It was, I think, in 2015, and every once in a while we were hugging each other.
“And then there just happened to be a point where we were both single and ayun, nag-start dun.” I was still in Canada at that time. Kwento-kwentuhan kami and then we decided na when I would stay here again, kita kami and yun. We just did. It’s like picking up where we left off.
After returning to the Philippines at the end of 2019, she was able to say that everything went well with Jomari. “When I came back it made sense na at a certain age di na kailangan ng ligawan, di ba? When I came back here, I was 43, he was also 43, “she explained.
“Nung bata kami, magkasundo na magkasundo kami… How we were when we were young, ganun pa rin eh, but on a different level. I mean, makulit pa rin kami to each other, but now it’s just different because we’re both mature na, marami kaming pinagdaanan pareho sa buhay. We make a point of not having bad vibes in a relationship. But, of course, that can’t be avoided, but we are handling things together, which is really cool.
She said another good thing about their relationship is how secure Jomari makes her feel. “All of my doubts and insecurities, and when I’m feeling down, if Jom has any way to make me feel so happy and secure.”
The pandemic blockades “also opened our eyes to each other”.
Abby and Jomari Yllana recently celebrated their second anniversary as a couple.
“It was stressful, especially the first few months, kasi hindi makalabas. But we made the most of it. We cook for each other, I love to cook, Jom cooks dishes for me too, yung mga recipes ng mom niya. There was a time, nakakatakot lumabas, di ba? What we would do was just shop around. Bonheur na yung makita ang buildings in Makati, ”she said, explaining that when she arrived here in October 2019,“ sabak na kaagad ako sa worked for three months ”for Ang Probinsyano of the FPJ so that she did not never got to see the new stuff in Metro Manila.
The pandemic proved even more difficult when she underwent gallbladder removal surgery earlier this year. “Pero lucky ako because I had Jom looking after me. Basta kami, we’re still together. He really takes care of me.
They celebrated their second anniversary as a couple on October 11. Abby has pledged to support Jomari during the election campaign for his third and final term as Parañaque city councilor. Jomari called Abby his “lucky charm” and posted her photos with the hashtag #firstandlast.
She hopes for the same. “I hope that’s it. I think naman is really everything for me.
Meanwhile, Abby, whose career is co-managed by showbiz veteran Nestor Cuartero and Viva Artists Agency, has made her comeback as an actress. She just completed the lockdown registration for the GMA 2022 series, Lolong. She also plays in a still untitled Vivamax film.
When asked why, at the height of her career two decades ago, she left like this, Abby revealed, “I think back then I could use the word, it was too toxic. The schedules were busy and I just wanted to live a normal life where you could go out and just be you. You know, not in the spotlight?
“It was different back then, the 2000s, 2001. Back then I was making sexy movies, even though there were plans to pose as na dramatic roles. But I shot a movie in New York (Batang West Side by Lav Diaz) and it was so nice to be able to go out without anyone recognizing me.
His last film before disappearing from the public was Syota ng Bayan with Eddie Garcia and Tonton Gutierrez. “No regrets. Maybe my only regret is the way I handled my rollback. Kasi at that point, if I decided to do something, I would just do it without thinking about the consequences of the job. that I left behind. Meanwhile, marami akong nabitin na has plans and all of a sudden I decided, ‘This is it, ayoko na, I want to go.’ So yeah my only regret was the way I handled it.
Returning to Canada was also in part due to his desire to know his birth mother and siblings. She learned that she was adopted as a baby at the age of 16.
“Those days have been a very dark time for me,” said Abby. “Finally, I also met my biological family in Canada. Di ba, I grew up in Vancouver? It turned out that my birth mother moved to Edmonton to raise a new family.
“When I looked for them, nahanap ko naman yung mom ko. My biological father naman was here in the Philippines, whom I had known. But my biological mother is the time when I got to know her and my siblings from her. I became close to them… even my lola there, my aunt and my uncle. There was a time when I learned that I was adopted, galit ako sa mundo. And then, for me, to be able to heal from that, I had to forgive and let go. That’s what I did.”
She took professional courses and ended up doing accounting and administrative work in Canada. “Sometimes I missed showbiz, I missed my friends here because I was away from showbiz for 16 years. I thought to myself, OK, I left this life behind, there is no going back, is there? But of course, when there’s something to come back to, it’s different. When your heart is called in a different direction at a certain age, you follow it, eh. You have to live your life … for yourself, and without regret, di ba?
Meanwhile, The STAR asked Abby what she thought of what she’s also observed as the resurgence of sexy movies. In her heyday as Priscilla Almeda, she felt it was more “taboo” and more difficult to live with, as she recalled the indecent proposals and rude comments made to her in public. She thinks people are more open now.
Abby said of the new generation of sexy stars, “They shouldn’t think badly about what they’re doing. All that’s given to them is just a role, it’s not who they really are. This is what I have tried to say in the past. Di ba kasi soft roles, throbbing sexy roles? Iba kasi in the Philippines, if they say sexy, sexy star, ganun na ang dating. But that’s not who they are, eh. They just portray a role, they portray an image. They should assume it. I mean, if they’re categorized as a sexy star now, that’s okay. Sexy kasi talaga sila. There comes a time, mawawala din (laughs). They are young and sexy. They should be enjoying this stage in their life.
