MANILA – Ian Veneracion has been part of showbiz most of his life having joined the entertainment industry at the young age of five.
From being a child star, Veneracion transitioned into a matinee idol and later on an action star that made him a household name.
And just when he thought he’s done with acting, Veneracion got an offer to be part of the remake of “Pangako Sa ‘Yo” that ultimately marked his comeback.
On the show, Veneracion was paired with Jodi Sta. Maria and their team-up was such a huge hit that they were given two more big-screen projects together.
Currently, televiewers can watch Veneracion every night as Anton Noble on the series “A Love to Last,” which marks his first time to work with Bea Alonzo, who plays his love interest.
But despite constantly being in the limelight, Veneracion is unlike other celebrities. He values his private life so much that he rarely talks about his family in his interviews.
This isn’t the case when he sat down with StarStudio magazine for its June issue, where he shared his love story, and how he is as a father to his three children.
According to Veneracion, he met his wife Pam Gallardo when he was only 18 years old.
“Sa bahay ng friend ko, may mga calling cards, ang dami. Eh bilang showbiz ako, minsan nakaka-tempt maging douchebag: kuha ka lang ng number, and then you just call, and then papakilala ka lang, and usually they would be accommodating just because you’re an actor, just because they see you on TV,” he shared.
“So sabi ko sa friend ko (while holding a calling card I randomly picked), ‘Sino ito?’ Sabi niya, ‘Best friend ng girlfriend ko. Tapos sabi niya, ‘Masungit iyan.’ Ako naman, challenge accepted!”
Veneracion dialed the number but he didn’t get the response he expected.
“Sabi ko, ‘Hi Pam please.’ Sabi niya, ‘Sino ito?’ Sabi ko, with a pa-charm tone of voice, ‘Si Ian. Ian Veneracion.’ Sabi niya, ‘May ginagawa ako.’ And then binaba ang phone,” he said.
Veneracion felt challenged, which kicked off their love story. The two decided to get married when Veneracion was only 22.
Looking back, the actor believes marrying Gallardo remains to be the best decision of his life.
“I’m 42 now. She’s literally like a part of me. So mas kilala ko ang sarili ko na nandoon siya as part of my life, kaysa sa wala siya,” he said.
Settling down early also proved advantageous to Veneracion as he is now able to spend a lot of quality time with his kids as if they are just in a “barkada.”
“Best decision of my life talaga, hanggang ngayon. Especially with Draco and Deirdre now, I can do so many things with them na. We play basketball, we ride motorcycles, we go paragliding, we do all these things na kung late pa, hindi ko na siguro ma-enjoy masyado,” he said.
More than his job as an actor, Veneracion is more focused on his main roles in life as a father and a husband.