Ogie on Regine: ‘We’re not hiding anymore’

Singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid said he’s happy that his relationship with fellow singer and actress Regine Velasquez is now out in the open.

Ogie is separated from this wife, Australian Michelle Van Eimeren. Van Eimeren is a former Miss Australia who placed 11th in the 1994 Miss Universe pageant held in the Philippines.

Ogie and Regine were openly affectionate toward one another during their concert tour in the United States, billed as “Love to Laugh”.

“We're not hiding anymore. You're telling the world how you feel. And it doesn't mean you don't care about how people will react to that," he told ABS-CBN.

“It's just that you want to be honest. At this point in our lives we've told the truth, you know, and ah, a lot of people, I think we owe that to our fans that we tell them the truth and we did,” he said.

Regine and Ogie had long been rumored as a couple, even when he and Michelle were still together as husband and wife.

For a number of years, the local showbiz grapevine had also been rife with rumors about Regine’s supposed involvements with other married celebrities, including singer Ariel Rivera (married to actress and TV host Gelli de Belen) and singer Janno Gibbs (married to actress Bing Loyzaga), earning her a reputation for being a “home-wrecker”.

In the case of Ariel and Janno, however, their supposed affairs with Regine, known in the local media as “Asia’s songbird”, never went beyond the realm of gossip.

Both Ogie and Regine are mum about details regarding the exact time when they began their relationship.

Even an exhaustive interview on "YES!" magazine failed to get Ogie to reveal when exactly he and Michelle separated.

In separate statements, Regine and Ogie had explained that keeping certain details secret was important in protecting their loved ones.

In his interview with ABS-CBN, Ogie also revealed that Regine is on more than good terms with his estranged wife and their two daughters.

They’ve even spent two Christmases together.

“Yes. Two Christmases in fact. 2005 and 2006, lingid sa kaalaman ng mga tao (unknown to most peole). I think if you have the best intentions. If you have the purest of intentions, everything will be OK."

“It's very, very good. Kasi mga anak ko mahilig ring kumanta, pag nandun sya nagkakantahan sila (My children also love to sing, so whenever she’s there they sing together). They get along very well,” Ogie said.

Ogie said that marriage is inevitable for him and Regine but they both need to prepare their respective families for that event.

Ogie gave a message to Regine at the conclusion of the interview, thanking her for being patient and promising that everything will be all right.

“Ano lang kasi minsan 'pag naririnig mo 'yung mga kataga na, 'Mahal na mahal na mahal kita,' parang minsan eh redundant (sic) na. Pero 'yun ang totoo and I really love you very much (Sometimes, when you hear the words ‘I love you’ it sounds like a cliché but that’s the truth, I really love you very much)."

“I really had a good time here in the States. In front of everybody it's been, it's the first time we're actually holding hands in front of lots of people so I hope you had fun with me too.”
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