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Back on track

Career-wise, Heart is back on television with a featured role in Pangarap na Bituin as Cassie, the ex-girlfriend of Terrence — played, incidentally, by her real-life boyfriend Jericho Rosales.

But that’s not all. At the press conference tendered for her by ABS-CBN to announce her joining Pangarap na Bituin, Heart shared more happy news: aside from finally returning to television and to the ABS-CBN fold, Heart has also reconciled with her parents. Heart and her father, restauranteur Rod Ongpauco, whose family owns the famed Barrio Fiesta chain, were not on speaking terms for three years. This happened shortly after Heart chose to move out of the family home. However, Heart clarified that it was not her relationship with Jericho that caused the rift between her and her parents.

“No, Echo had nothing to do with it,” said Heart. “My parents have just always been very protective of me, especially my father, who was even against my going into showbiz from the very beginning. He’s always been like that, and I guess I just rebelled. Growing up, becoming a teenager especially, you want to assert your independence, and I was never really allowed to do that. Ever since I was a child, I wasn’t allowed to just go and do what I pleased. In a way, I think that’s where the problem started.”

How did the reconciliation happen? “Actually,” begins Heart, “I’ve long wanted to visit my parents, but I kept backing out, I was so nervous.” Finally, one day, she just showed up at their home, and her dad saw her and invited her in. They sat down and talked, and not once was Jericho’s name even mentioned. But Heart says that Jericho was very happy finding out that she and her parents have reconciled. So is a reconciliation between them and her boyfriend in the offing?

“We’ll see,” said Heart. “I don’t want to rush things. He [Jericho] also said that it’s best to take things slowly. Of course, he’s also now thinking of how best to approach my parents and talk to them. But that will come in time. He’s just happy for me that we’re finally reconciled.”

Even if Jericho can’t tag along with her yet on her visits to her parents, they’ve been spending a lot of time together because of their work on Pangarap na Bituin. This is Heart’s first time to act opposite her real-life boyfriend after the action series Panday, where they first met and fell in love. Heart played Eden, the lady love of Tristan (Jericho). Prior to this, her first appearance on ABS-CBN after leaving Star Magic was in another primetime drama, Hiram na Mukha. The role as Cassie in Pangarap na Bituin was presented to her, and Heart decided to accept because, as she puts it, “it’s a beautiful role”.

So what’s it like acting opposite someone you’re in a relationship with, we asked Heart. Is it easy or difficult? “Not at all,” she replies with a laugh. “I find it funny though sometimes because I tend to forget that we're actors.”

According to Heart, her management, Manila Genesis (which also manages Jericho and Gary Valenciano, among others) is in discussions with ABS-CBN executives as to future projects with the network. Although some have labelled her current work a ‘homecoming’, Heart doesn’t want to issue a final statement on the matter.

“We'll see how it goes,” she says. “Things are being fixed right now. I'd love to do more stuff with ABS-CBN, but at the end of it all, though, ultimately, I'll go wherever my work takes me.”