MANILA – Aga Muhlach fondly recalled how he asked his wife Charlene Gonzales to marry him when they were working on the ‘90s ABS-CBN sitcom “Oki Doki Doc.”

Speaking on “Magandang Buhay,” Muhlach revealed that Gonzales never became his girlfriend, and they were not in a relationship when he proposed marriage to her.

“We left for Singapore. We had taping for ‘Oki Doki Doc’ but a week before that, I spoke to my mom. Sabi ko sa mom ko, ‘Mama, mag-aasawa na yata ako.’ Alam mo sabi ng nanay ko? ‘Sino si Charlene?’ 'Yun pala, nakikita pala nila sa taping 'yung alaga ko kay Charlene or kapag napag-uusapan si Charlene, kung paano daw ako magsalita,” he said.

“So we went to Singapore for taping. She was feeling something. Pinaparamdam ko na rin sa kanya na there’s something. And then I just proposed to her, walang singsing. If she said no, then doon ko siya liligawan. Sabi ko, ‘Will you marry me?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ Naiyak ako,” he said.

Muhlach said it also puzzled him that Gonzales agreed to marry him because they were not together at that time. It was only later on after they got married that they were able to talk about it.

“Sinabi ko sa kanya iyan. Sabi niya, ‘I don’t know. Because I know you. I saw something in you.’ Kumbaga kahit babaero daw ako noon, she saw the goodness in me dahil hindi ako nagpapa-impress sa kanya. She’s always seen the real me,” he said.

Muhlach and Gonzales celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary last May.

Asked for the secret to a long-lasting marriage, Muhlach said: “Ibibigay ko lahat ng puri sa babae talaga. Sinasabing kami ang stronger sex, kaming male. But really, nakaangkla kami sa asawa namin. Ako kay Charlene, my wife keeps me sane.”

Muhlach said they also see to it that they have a constant communication no matter how busy their schedule gets.

“Maraming hindi nakakaalam nito. Kaya ako late lumalabas ng bahay parati because when we wake up every day since we got married, we will need three to four hours of talking every day. Not a single day na walang ganun talaga. That’s something that works for us. I am glad that it is like that,” he said.

Muhlach and Gonzales are the parents of twins Atasha and Andres. Muhlach is also the father of Luigi Muhlach.