MANILA -- August 11 may be just an ordinary day for most people, but for veteran actors Robert Arevalo and Barbara Perez, that is certainly an important day when they sealed their marriage vows at the altar 58 years ago, back in 1962 -- an admirable feat for a pair to stay together that long, especially in showbiz.

Yet, Arevalo (Ylagan in real life) and Perez have managed to stay together in love.

“That’s pretty rare,” insists the couple’s eldest daughter, Anna Ylagan in an e-mail interview with ABS-CBN News. “There are just too many temptations in showbiz.”

Arevalo and Perez tied the knot at the St. Joseph Church the Worker Parish Church in Pacdal Circle in romantic Baguio City, their favorite place. “They both love Baguio,” attests Ylagan. To this day, the couple still visits the city with their close friends, whenever possible.

For Arevalo and Perez, it was their “commitment” that allowed them to last this long. “They’re just like ordinary couples,” maintains Ylagan. “They have their fights and arguments. But according to my dad, the fact that they’d still exert time and energy to fight means they haven’t given up on each other.”

“It’s when you don’t bother to make your point understood that puts your marriage on the red, don’t you think?,” Ylagan asks. “They fight and yet, they can’t live without the other.

Yes, there were petty quarrels inside the house, as witnessed by their girls – Ylagan and her younger sister, Gina. Their parents would argue only about little things.

“They’re very much opposites,” insists Ylagan. “My mom is extremely OC [obsessive compulsive] and very particular about how in perfect order she wants things done. That’s the Spanish upbringing in her. Her side of the family is exactly like that.

“My dad is on the extreme. He’s pretty spontaneous about things. He’s not neat. It’s my mom who makes him look that way. [Laughs] He just doesn’t sweat the small stuff.”

The daughters also often witnessed how their parents lovingly kissed and made up after a misunderstanding. There were hardly any verbal apologies. “Most of the time, like nothing happened,” Ylagan attests. “Out of nowhere, they just suddenly picked up from where they were before the fight. For major fights, it’s always my dad who will make the first move.’

CONTROVERSY-FREE

The married life of Arevalo and Perez has never become a minefield for gossip in showbiz circles. They never got embroiled in anything controversial. Suffice it to say, they are one of the entertainment industry’s most endearing couples, on and off camera.

Known as the Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines, Perez, at some point in her acting career, turned her back away from entertainment to prioritize her family. “That was entirely her choice,” reveals Ylagan. “I guess she also got tired of the industry, in a way. She felt that her time would be more worthwhile prioritizing raising her children.”

Ylagan fondly reminisces and looks back at how she was raised by parents who are both in the limelight. Surprisingly, being the daughter of popular movie personalities was not a big deal for her. She grew up not only with actor-parents, but the entire illustrious clan in show business.

“That fact never really dramatically ‘dawned’ on me as something extraordinary,” Ylagan now admits. “It was just one of those that has always been my ‘normal.’ I grew up not just with actors as parents, but in an entire compound of relatives in show business.”

Now, for the celebrity roll call. Janno Gibbs is Ylagan’s cousin and his dad, Ronaldo Valdez (Ronald Gibbs), is married to her dad’s cousin, Maria Fe Ilagan-Gibbs, her Tita Baby. National Artist for Film Gerry De Leon is Ylagan’s grand uncle, whie actor-musical director Tito Arevalo is her grandfather (Arevalo’s father). Liberty Ilagan is Ylagan’s aunt.

“Being in the world of film was just my reality,” Ylagan maintains. “It sometimes amused me, though, how people were awed by the presence of my parents, when their behavior at home is pretty much just like everybody else’s.”

Ylagan and her younger sister were often identified as the “daughters” of Arevalo and Perez when the kids were both growing up. Not that they mind.

“More often than not, it became quite an inconvenience always having to explain why our surnames were different. I mean, most people somehow knew who our parents were and when we’d get introduced, people would always ask about the different surnames. Either that or you’d get this puzzled look on their faces which called for an explanation,” she says.

However, when anonymity is more convenient, Ylagan considered using her real surname, instead, as an advantage. “The respect people have for our parents somehow gets people to trust us immediately,” she reasons out.

NORMAL HOUSEHOLD

The sisters grew up in a normal household. “When we were children, oh boy, did we fight like cats and dogs,” Ylagan remembers. “It wasn’t cute how we were always at each other’s throats. [Laughs]

“Maybe it was because there were only the two of us and we were such opposite poles in personality. But I would say we’re closer now that we’ve matured.”

While they were growing up, Ylagan and her sister understandably had their respective preferences. “Maybe because of our personalities and interests, you might see it as that,” Ylagan explains. “I was into sports a lot and was a voracious reader. Those were two, big things I got in common with my dad.”

“Gina, meanwhile, was [and still is] the one who would go shopping or malling with my mom. She is also more of an actress than I am.”

Both daughters graduated from the University of the Philippines. Ylagan finished Broadcast Communication, while her sister, Gina, took up Tourism. The latter is married to Jojo Villaignacio of Unilab (first cousin to the Santiagos -- Randy, Rowell and Raymart) and they have two children, Anton and Erika.

Ylagan nor her sister was lured to follow in their parents’ footsteps, although for a time, Gina did a few guesting stints and occasionally tried acting, too, in a few drama shows, like “Lovingly Yours, Helen,” in an episode with her mom. The youngest daughter also appeared in Emmanuel Borlaza’s fantasy-drama film, “Blusang Itim,” starring Snooky Serna and Perez.

“My sister was more of an actress that I was,” Ylagan says. “But I guess the timing wasn’t ideal to get into acting then, because the ‘sexy’ positioning of young actors were also starting to trend and she wasn’t willing to go that route.”

For her part, Ylagan was more inclined to work behind the scenes. Even before she actually became a professional director in TV advertising, she was already “directing” by default when she was younger.

“I already had my own expectation about how a certain scene should be executed,” she saysa. “One thing I wasn’t keen on doing, though, was compromising too much of the creative aspect just to prioritize commercial and budget concerns.

“Ironically, I got into TV commercials, but somehow, in a way, it gave me more freedom in terms of creativity as they normally had the budget [well, often more than films, at least] to translate one’s ideas.

“I also liked the attention to detail demanded by the advertising industry. It taught me discipline in terms of my craft. It lived up to and even raised my standards of quality in the execution of a particular concept.”

GROWING UP

The Ylagan sisters were raised away from the glare of klieg lights, although there were a few occasions they were allowed to tag along shoots and dubbing sessions of their parents.

“We were raised with the Spanish kind of upbringing,” Ylagan offers. “My mom was a disciplinarian. We grew up with rules and regimen that were strictly to be followed. Defy them and boy, would you get it.”

“We were raised in the old school of getting spanked when a ‘major offense’ was committed,” she continues. “My mom would have no qualms about embarrassing you in front of friends or even in the middle of Unimart if you got her ire. So you would really think twice about getting in the wrong side of things.”

Ylagan remembers there were always consequences to their actions. However, in the long run, they always worked to their advantage as individuals.

“In a way, looking back, I guess that made us more responsible and resilient,” she surmises. “I can even speak for our generation when that kind of discipline was practically the norm. Somehow, I witnessed few occasions of people getting depressed during those days. Come to think of it, I never even knew anybody who was depressed at all at that time. That’s the exact opposite of the generation now.”

Sometime when the sisters were still younger, a boy, who is actually their first cousin (on the Ylagan side), came into the family. Christian became their baby brother when he was only two years old and he was raised as their own.

“He is my brother and my parents’ youngest son,” Ylagan points out. “That is if ‘direct’ biological sibling or offspring is not your only definition of brother or son. Now, he lives in Los Angeles with a beautiful family of his own.

“My parents would sometimes visit him there. But after this pandemic, when it is already safe to travel, it’s his turn to visit us here. We can hardly wait, actually.”

FILMOGRAPHY

Arevalo and Perez boast impressive film credits, individually, although they also appeared together in the memorable and award-winning Gerry De Leon opus, “Ang Daigdig ng mga Api” (1965), for which they both won FAMAS acting awards. The film, adjudged best picture, practically ran away with most of the awards that night.

“I never got to see the film, but since it was directed by National Artist for Film, my grand uncle, the great Gerry De Leon and my parents both won the best actor and best actress for it, it’s a favorite I would give anything for to see,” Ylagan says.

“There is no known print of the film to date. I’m sure there is some lying somewhere in the world, like in France or somewhere.”

Individually, Ylagan cites “No Man Is An Island” (1962) as her favorite film of her mom. Shot entirely in the Philippines that served as the backdrop for a war-torn Guam, “No Man Is An Island” was jointly directed by John Monks, Jr. and Richard Goldstone. It was even promoted by Perez in the US.

That was the film that nearly landed Perez a five-year acting contract in Hollywood. Yet, her heart ruled. She opted to return to Manila and said yes to the proposal of the suave Arevalo, choosing marriage over a more lucrative acting career.

“[For ‘No Man Is An Island] She was handpicked for the role opposite the late Jeffrey Hunter of ‘King of Kings’ fame by Universal International over so many other beautiful actresses,” Ylagan says. “To this day, the film is still being sold in Amazon.

“Another one would be Tony Cayado’s ‘Kalabog en Bosyo’ (1959), which starred by mom opposite Tito Dolphy. It was just a childhood favorite of mine, as I found the film so hilarious, from story concept to the antics of Tito Dolphy. My mom appeared opposite him in quite a few other films. They had good chemistry.”

As far as the films of her dad are concerned, Ylagan singled out Carlitos Siguion-Reyna’s “Hari ng Tondo” (2014), which, she believes, showcased her dad’s acting prowess.

“He played a lead role in a well-crafted film by Carlitos Siguion-Reyna,” says Ylagan of her father. “He was also in the film musical, Loy Arcenas’ ‘Larawan’ (2017), for a couple of reasons. One is for making quite a mark in his poignantly rendered ‘Hindi Simple ang Buhay,’ a song number that in a few minutes, encapsulated a range of emotions that represented the entire theme of the film

“And two, for going viral, enough to land in the top spot of Spotify for a few weeks. Now, ain’t that something for someone close to 80 years old [at that time]?”

Family bonding for the Ylagans happened usually on Sundays, before the COVID-19 pandemic started. They still managed to travel out of the country. The most memorable was when Perez marked her 80th birthday in January 2017 and the whole family went to Singapore.

In May the following year, Arevalo also celebrated his 80th birthday and they all had a family holiday in Tokyo, Japan.

The marriage of Arevalo and Perez is indeed a rarity, constantly keeping true to the vows they made before the altar 58 years ago.

Arevalo and Perez gave a new and more important meaning to the matrimony words they uttered then – “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” Whatever the small consequences may have been, they both proved that marriage, especially the ones from showbiz, doesn’t always end up as a tragic affair, but instead, an esteemed, loving pact in their lifetime.