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Simula nang umalis ang aktres na si Bela Padilla at lumipad papuntang Europe last July 5, ay hindi pa malinaw sa kanyang mga tagasubaybay kung ano ang tunay na dahilan ng madamdamin nilang paalaman ng BFF niyang si Dani Barretto.

For the first time ay binasag na ni Bela ang kanyang pananahimik at nagpa-interview siya sa writer na si G3 San Diego sa pamamagitan ng Instagram Live noong July 26. 

Sa interview ay tahasang sinabi ni Bela na pakiramdam daw niya, nakilala na niya ang halos karamihan sa mga ka-trabaho niya o mga tao sa industriya ng showbiz. At sa tingin daw niya, dumating na siya sa puntong iba na ang hinahanap niya.

Habang masa introspection mode daw siya noon ay nakilala niya ang boyfriend na niya ngayong si Norman Ben Bay.

“When we are in the industry that we worked in, parang you’re introduced mostly to the people you worked with. I guess, that’s fun to a certain extent and then, you’ll gonna start looking for something else,” panimulang pahayag ni Bela.

“I don’t know if it’s isolated case for me, but I wanted meatier conversation. I wanted to learn more about the world. I don’t want to be stuck in my own little bubble in Manila.”

At si Norman daw ang nagpuno sa mga hinahanap niya.

“And when I met Norman, I learned so much,” aniya. “Our conversation was just flowing endlessly and also his friends. He introduced me to a lot of his friends when I was in Switzerland. I just felt like every day I got to spend with them and every conversation I had with them, I felt like I’m learning something new which I really enjoyed.

“I like it. I feel like he’s my little pond of information,” paglalarawan pa ni Bela kay Norman.

Nakilala ni Bela si Norman nang mag-shooting siya ng pelikula niyang Meet Me in St. Gallen sa Switzerland in 2017. Nag-aaral daw si Norman noon sa isang university doon.

Contrary sa akala ng iba na may naging involvement si Norman sa paggawa ng pelikula, klinaro na ni Bela sa naging interview niya sa na wala raw at all.

Four years ago pa nang magkakilala sila, pero one year and a half pa lang daw nang magsimula silang mag-date.

Inamin ni Bela na sa umpisa pa lang daw ay nagkaroon na siya ng attraction dito.

“Obviously, well for me, he’s very handsome,” sey ni Bela.

“None of my exes necessarily looks alike. So ’yun, I enjoyed looking at him as I was talking to him.”

Si Norman lang din daw ang una niyang naging foreigner boyfriend. At tatlong taon daw siyang single bago nakipag-date rito.

Alam na raw ni Norman noon pa man na isa siyang actress sa Pilipinas. Pero natawa ito nang ilarawan ni G3 kung gaano siya kalaking artista sa bansa at kung hindi ba na-intimidate si Norman.

“Honestly, in most days, I don’t feel like I’m massive. If it’s true that I am, I don’t know how massive I am,” saad niya.

“He knows that I’m an actress and he knows that during the pandemic, I have work based solely on social media for the first few months. Like, lahat tayo, we we’re depending on posting. He saw me adjust as well. 

“I guess, he gets the job but I don’t know. Hindi ko rin kasi alam ang culture here in Europe. ’Yung mga artista ba dito, kapag nagpupunta ba ng mall? Nagpapa-picture rin ang mga tao? Hindi ko alam how to explain it to him or I don’t feel the need honestly to explain it to him.”

Hindi raw naging madali ang LDR o long distance relationship nila ni Norman na naka-base sa Switzerland.

“Oh my gosh, ang hirap,” natawang sabi niya.

“I guess it was easy when I was shooting film. Kasi, late tayong napa-pack-up and we have seven-hours difference. So, ’yung 3:00 PM natin, 8:00 AM niya pa lang. So, kapag nagsu-shoot ako, good for him kasi, I sleep late.

“Pero kapag walang shooting and I wanna sleep normal hours, wala. Tulog na ’ko 5:00 PM pa lang sa kanila. So, the windows of communication are very tight and very small.

“But he is super understanding of my job and super supportive. When I did 366, he accompanied me sa ocular. He helped me look for the hotel.”

(366 is her film directorial debut, which she also co-wrote and starred in. It also stars Zanjoe Marudo and JC Santos).

Nag-react din si Bela sa mga nababasa raw niyang comments sa social media na sana raw, si Norman naman ang magpunta ng Pilipinas.

“I see a lot of people’s comment na sana next time, ikaw naman ang puntahan niya. That’s just a Filipino thing. 

“And also, it’s such a sad way to think about people. Because I go to Turkey, it doesn’t mean na pinuntahan ko siya. Actually, I was there to work. Siya nga ang pumunta sa akin.

“Minsan ang daming sinasabi. Like yesterday, I posted my sister’s feast. Tapos may nag-comment, ‘Iba talaga kapag Pinoy, mas maraming drinks saka pagkain.’ Parang saan nanggagaling? Unang-una hindi n’yo naman nakita ang buong kusina. 

“Nakakatawa lang but ’yun nga, minsan you really have to be super understanding.”

Bukod din daw sa ocular sa Turkey kunsaan sinamahan siya ng boyfriend, nagpunta rin daw ito nang mag-shooting na sila doon.  

At nakasama rin daw ito sa dinirek niyang movie. Natatawang kuwento ni Bela, hindi raw lumabas agad ang passport ni JC Santos kaya parang nag-double si Norman para sa actor at makikita raw ang likod nito sa movie.

Malayong-malayo raw ang acting attempt nito sa totoong trabaho nito sa isang Innovation Lab na konektado sa banko.

“Noong sinabi ko na, ‘Sorry ha, kasi wala si JC, pwede bang ikaw ang tumayo?’ Parang naloka siya. Hindi ko alam kung natuwa siya or parang na-stress siya. Kapag nasa set na, talagang dini-direk ko siya,” natatawa pa rin niyang pagre-recall.

Sinagot na rin ni Bela kung ano talaga ang totoong dahilan ng pag-alis niya. At aniya, wala raw katotohanang engaged, magpapakasal, o hihinto na siya sa pag-aartista.

“First of all, I think I should address what I’m doing here kasi, I got so many questions like they asked if I’ll get married or if I got engaged. And I saw so many articles that I left showbiz for Norman and that’s all not true.

“First of all, I’m not engaged. The ring you see me wearing on Instagram is my own ring. I bought it myself. I’m not engaged and I’m not also gonna get married anytime soon. 

“I’m not leaving the showbiz industry. I have a movie coming out next year. No, I’m not leaving.”

Aniya, gusto raw kasi niyang mas makilala pa ang mga kapatid at pamilya niya sa kanyang father’s side. Ang daddy ni Bela ay isang British na si Cornelio Sullivan kunsaan, may mga kapatid si Bela na mas matatanda sa kanya.

“I just wanna live in London for a while. I feel like my whole life, I live in the Philippines. I know my mom’s heritage. I know my mom’s side of the family. I know my roots. I know what it’s likes to live in the Philippines but I don’t know my father’s side.

“He lives in Thailand right now but I never got the chance to really meet his side of the family. So, that’s what I want to do now. I wanna see that other half of myself.”

Sabi pa niya: “I want to see also how tough I am. I already know that I can survive in the Philippines but I want to know if I can survive here.

“I guess I’m just testing the water” 

“ABS-CBN is still kinda closed and we’re aren’t back to what we used to be. So, while I’m waiting and while I’m excited for the return of ABS-CBN, I wanna see first what I can do as individual.”

Ibinalita rin ni Bela na nakausap niya ang mga bosses niya sa VIVA Films at pina-plano na raw ng mga ito ang pagpapalabas ng kanyang film directorial debut na 366.   

“I’m excited and actually,” ani bela. “I just had a conversation with my bosses at VIVA the other day and we we’re trying to figure out when to air 366 and it feels like we will have a cinematic release early next year.”

Tinuldukan na rin ni Bela ang mga naging ispekulasyon noon na nagkaroon sila ng relasyon ni Zanjoe, na artista at co-star niya sa 366.

“Okay, so let’s just put it to rest already. Z and I we’re never really a couple like boyfriend-girlfriend but we did date a few times.  But we really didn’t date-date like naging kami. So that’s it.

“And I’m so happy that we we’re able to be friends and worked again. And I feel like Zanjoe is really a good friend. Before we tried to date, we we’re friends first.  Para siyang barkada. So, it’s nice to have friends that you can rely on the industry. I’m happy that we we’re able to bring that back and start a friendship again.”

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