MANILA — Screen veteran Carmi Martin now considers a close friend her former boyfriend who came out as gay after their relationship, and has even welcomed with open arms his current boyfriend.

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The topic came up during a recent press conference for her latest film project “The Panti Sisters,” which follows three gay brothers who race to produce a child to inherit a fortune from their ailing father.

The Black Sheep production stars Paolo Ballesteros, Christian Bables, and Martin del Rosario, and will be released as one of the entries in this year’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

Martin, 56, said her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, whom she belatedly found out is gay, lasted eight months.

At the time, she said, “Hindi ko pa siya amoy!”

They eventually formed a close friendship after their separation, and would even go on out-of-town trips with the current boyfriend of her ex. Playfully, she would call her ex “Tatay,” and he would call her “Nanay.”

“Ang parang naging joke nga, naging bading siya kasi hindi na raw kami… Ang kagandahan, ngayon, girl na girl! Ako nga walang boyfriend, siya meron!” she said.

That wasn’t the only instance when she had a potential romance with a man who turned out to be gay, Martin shared. A suitor whom she rejected similarly came out years later, with no less than his participation in a Santacruzan parade as one of the queens.

“I’m a Christian, pero hindi ako mapanghusga,” Martin said, when asked whether she is open to having a relationship with a gay man, similar to the setup of talent manager-actor Ogie Diaz and his wife.

“Kaya lang, ang nangyari lang kasi talaga, ngayon ang pinili ko talaga is not to get married, and to stay single,” she said.