NEWSFLASH

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CARMINA HAPPIER, BUSIER AFTER BREAK-UP
By Jeffrey Gamil
(Reprinted with permission from the Journal EandS)

Manila, Oct. 26, 1997 - Carmina Villaroel may have let down quite a number of fans when she left husband Rstom Padilla, but her move has turned out to be the panacea to her ailing showbiz career.

Just weeks after she quit their conjugal home, offers have started coming in and Carmina now stars in Star Cinema's offering "Ipaglaban Mo The Movie 2" and is back on TV as a mainstay of "Oki Doki, Dok."

More significantly, she's been welcomed back by the cast of "Palibhasa Lalake" which she angrily left three years ago because of a joke by Anjo Yllana and company about Rustom's sexual preference.

She admits she still has mixed emotions about their separation but is nonetheless happy that her career has made a turn for the better.

"Happy ako dahil simula noong mag-split kami, mas marami akong trabaho," says Carmina. "Busy ako sa career ko at sana lang magtuloy-tuloy na. Career naman talaga ang priority ko ngayon."

She does not regret leaving Rustom and believes she made the right move. "Ako, pag nag- desisyon, I want to believe na iyon ang tama. I don't want to look back. Ayokong magsisi at gusto kong walang regrets. Kung sa ibang tao, mali ang naging desisyon ko, wala akong magagawa. Basta as long as I'm happy, I believe na tama ang naging desisyon ko."

She says she learned a lot from what she went through with Rustom and her mistakes she can only charge to experience. "Ayokong mabuhay sa pagsisisi. Ayokong mabuhay sa 'sana' at ayoko mang sabihing pagkakamali ang umibig ako nang sobra noong 18 lang ako, pero iyon talaga ang pinakamalaking pagkakamaling nagawa ko."

Now 22, she also regrets not heeding her parents' advice four years ago. "Dapat nakikining ka talaga sa magulang mo. Kasi, pag bata talaga, parang kaya natin lahat. Pero wala talagang magulang na gustong mapasama ang anak nila."

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