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Chanda after the years: Marriage and charity

Chanda Romero
Chanda Romero

CHANDA Romero started in the early 70s with Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions as a support in the movies of Ate Vi like “Ang Konduktora” (her first movie in 1972), “Now and Forever” and “Dyesebel”. She then went sexy in the controversial “Mga Uhaw na Bulaklak” in 1974 that revamped the censors then and was launched to stardom by Jesse Ejercito in “Sa Kagubatan ng Lungsod” in 1975.

She has since worked with the country’s best directors, including Lino Brocka in “Inay” and “Mananayaw”, Ishmael Bernal in “Asawa Ko Silang Lahat” and “Working Girls”, Laurice Guillen in “Kasal?”, Eddie Romero in “Aguila” and “Banta ng Kahapon”, Marilou Diaz Abaya in “Baby Tsina”, Gil Portes in “Sa Piling ng mga Sugapa”, Chito Rono in “Olongapo”, Maryo de los Reyes in “Bagets”. She won acting awards, the URIAN for “Boy Pana” by Romy Suzara and the FAMAS for “Karma” by Danny Zialcita with whom she did many memorable films like “Ikaw at ang Gabi”, “Ang Biyuda ay Misteryosa”, “Kapag Tumabang ang Asin”,  “Lalakwe” and “Bakit Manipis ang Ulap”.

And we’re glad that a competent actress like her continues to be active as a working actor up to now, doing teleseryes mainly for GMA-7. She was just last seen as the evil matriarch in the afternoon soap, “Contessa”, and now she’s back on primetime in the big-budgeted GMA drama series, “Cain at Abel”.

“I play the wife of Eddie Gutierrez and the mother of Dingdong Dantes and Dennis Trillo,” she says. “When we were younger, inagaw sa’kin si Eddie ni Dina Bonnevie at naghiwalay kami. Napunta sa kanya si Dingdong at sa akin si Dennis. Dingdong grew up rich with his dad at si Dennis grew up in a fishing village and became a petty thief because of poverty. Ako naman, nabaliw, malalayo ako kay Dennis at mawawala ako nang matagal. But later on, I will come back, magkakaroon ako ng big transformation.”

Chanda came to the presscon with her husband, Jose Alejandrino. How did they meet? “We met through Maricel Soriano. She called me up saying she’s shooting a movie in a house in Mandaluyong at magugustuhan ko raw ‘yung owner. Pareho raw kami ng type ng music and he’s a very good conversationalist. At first, di ko pinansin. Sa second week ng pagtawag niya, she said, ipapasundo kita sa driver ko dahil magaling mag-mix ng cocktails itong ipapakilala ko, so I went. We hit it off well right away at ‘yun, we’ve been married for 12 years now.”

She’s now also active with Dang Cecilio in doing charity work. They’ve helped ErMa (for Ermita Malate), an organization for streetchildren and abused kids and Missionaries for the Poor that houses kids with disabilities and serves as a home for the aged. “It’s our way of sharing. You don’t just give them donations, but what they need is your company, lalo na ‘yung mga bata, they’re hungry for love and attention. Nakakatuwa kasi they recognize me because of ‘Contessa’ where I played a villain role. Sabi nila, di ba salbahe ka? And I said, sa TV lang ‘yun. Wala talagang makakapalit sa feeling na nakakatulong kang magpasaya sa mga tao.”