All is well in Marco Gumabao's life: a good career and an incredible love life. But little did people know that the Viva heartthrob had many hurdles to overcome, including a rough childhood following the controversies that his father Dennis Roldan got into.
In an interview with Ogie Diaz, Marco opened up about his life prior to showbiz, including the day his father was arrested due to kidnapping charges.
"Ako lang nakakita sa lahat ng magkakapatid kung paano hinuli 'yung tatay ko. Kung paano siya kinuha from the house. Galing kami sa prom ng second sister ko tapos for some reason natulog ako sa kwarto ng parents ko. 5 a.m., imagine, mga 30 police cars nakapalibot sa bahay. Tapos bina-bang nila 'yung door," Marco narrated.
Dennis Roldan, whose real name is Mitchell Gumabao, was arrested in 2005 for the kidnapping of a three-year-old Filipino-Chinese son of a businessman in Pasig. His arrest took place in his home in Quezon City.
Surprised by the noise and people barging into their room, Marco and his mom hid in the bathroom. And when it was time for them to go out, the actor remembered how he saw his father facing down on the bed being arrested while squads of police flocked their living room.
"So 'nung binuksan na 'yung banyo namin, I saw my dad naka-dapa sa kama. So I went down, 'yung sala namin punong-puno ng mga pulis. 5 a.m., mga pulis nagpapaputok ng baril. Nagwa-warning shot," he recalled.
In 2008, the kidnap victim himself confirmed to the police that Dennis was the "big boss" of his abductors. In 2014, Marco's father was convicted of kidnapping and was sentenced to life in prison.
Marco bared that he was in a continuous fit of rage growing up. "During that time, hindi iyak 'yung nafi-feel ko. Rage eh. Dala-dala ko siya for the longest time. Inaapi-api ako sa school, "ah anak ng kidnapper 'yan." Napapa-away ako dati sa school."
For him, it was something they could never control. "Hindi mo kasalanan pero pinagmumukha nilang kasalanan mo," the actor remarked.
Marco is the fourth among the Gumabao siblings, all singlehandedly raised by their mom, Loli Imperial-Gumabao when their father was sentenced to prison.
"Grabe 'yung love ng mom ko para sa dad ko, at saka grabe 'yung tibay ng mom ko. If you know my mom very soft-spoken, very shy-type, pero sobrang tapang. [...] Siya 'yung kinakapitan ng lahat." Marco told Ogie.
View this post on Instagram
Marco attributes their family's close bond to their mother. "Kung hindi dahil sa kanya, sira-sira 'yung family namin. Kasi it's so easy for her to let go of my dad, na iwanan ang dad ko. [...] Pero hindi niya iniwan 'yung tatay ko," he said.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Over the years, Marco learned that it was never about controlling what happened to their family. "It's more about moving forward. What we can do in the present, what we can do in the future. Let's not let this incident define us," he declared.
Despite this, the actor did not dismiss the fact that their family was not the only one affected because of the issue. "We have to look forward or look past it. But we can't say forget it."
With a flourishing showbiz career and an intact family, Marco has found his peace at present.
He is currently starring in the drama, Minsan Pa Nating Hagkan Ang Nakaraan, alongside his girlfriend, Cristine Reyes, and veteran actor Cesar Montano.
