NEWSFLASH

---

JERIC RAVAL WISER, BOLDER AFTER FORCED RETIREMENT

Quezon City, April 19, 1999 - Remember young action star Jeric Raval, also known at his prime as the father of actress Monica Herrera's son and daughter?

Jeric is back doing what he wants: action movies. He co-stars with sexpot Aya Medel in the Regal movie "Nikilado" which also features Chuck Perez, Patricia Dans, Brando Legaspi, Dindo Arroyo and Bing Davao.

It has been two years since Jeric was forced into temporary retirement after a misunderstanding with OctoArts led to a court case. For two years, Jeric could not make a movie because of a Temporary Restraining Order from the court.

Regal's Dondon Monteverde talked to OctoArts' Orly Ilacad to settle the case amicably.

"I am so glad that's over," Jeric says with relief. "I really believed for a while that my career was over, because I could not make movies while the civil case was pending. And you know that some civil cases last 5 to 10 years. I'd have been an old man by that time, and what could happen to me then?"

The forced hiatus taught him a few lessons. One was to spend money wisely, since he was not earning much from the TV guestings that were his only source of income.

The more important lesson was to never give up.

"If you surrender, you lose the battle even before the fight begins," Jeric says.

Monica Herrera has become a good friend of Jeric, now that she's married to an Australian and settled Down Under. When she and the children are in the Philippines to visit, Jeric borrows their kids Joshua Eric, 7, and Jennica May, 6.

He has two other children with his non-showbiz wife: Tiffany, 8 and Erica, 6. They stay with their mother in Pampanga.

Candid as he is about his children out of wedlock, Jeric nevertheless adamantly denies fathering the love child of sexy star Alyssa Alvarez.