John Lloyd Cruz, Paolo Contis, and Patrick Garcia: From Boys to Dads

More than two decades after Tabing Ilog, John Lloyd Cruz, Paolo Contis, and Patrick Garcia reunite to reflect on friendship, fatherhood, and the lives they’ve built beyond the spotlight

In March 1999, ABS-CBN launched its teen drama Tabing Ilog — a show that would become a fixture in the Saturday and Sunday routines of an entire generation of millennials and Gen Xers.

Often compared to the American hit show Dawson’s Creek, Tabing Ilog tackles the story of a group of friends who grew up together, navigating the challenges of teen life from love to family issues and how it tested their relationship as a group.

More than two decades later, three of its most recognizable leading men reunite — not as the teenagers audiences once watched, but as fathers reflecting on the lives they’ve built since. And John Lloyd Cruz, Patrick Garcia, and Paolo Contis did not hold anything back.

Moments of nostalgia

Different schedules, demanding shoots, and the unpredictability of fatherhood make reunion shoots like this harder to pull off than they look. Baron Geisler’s taping conflict kept the original four-man lineup out of reach — and Patrick felt it.

“The last time all four of us were together was in 2003,” he admits. “It’s really hard to get everyone in the same room.”

Still, three out of four is no small thing. For Patrick, sharing a cover with two of his Tabing Ilog brothers brought back something he hadn’t felt in a long time — a quiet, uncomplicated nostalgia for who they all used to be.

Their reconnection was somewhat a spur-of-the-moment thing. Paolo and Patrick had been working on a project together called A Journey on Netflix. And with John Lloyd’s number in hand, they both thought, “Hey, why not get John Lloyd to join in?”

Their friendship was the kind that made time feel inconsequential. Their bantering was witty and fast; jokes and jabs came from every direction the moment all three of them gathered in the same room. And for Patrick, that dynamic was what they always had both on and off the set of Tabing Ilog.

Patrick reveals, “We would meet up a lot when we weren’t taping during those days. Working out, going to bars and parties—of course we were young. Time passed, we grew up, grew apart, and now it’s better than before. 

When they were starting out, they all wanted to be excellent actors. They’d compare notes about artists in the United States, who had hit movies and shows, who won the Oscars, and the like. They were, as Patrick describes, “hungry for improving their craft.”

Brotherhood and friendship through the years 

The years — and everything that came with them — never touched what these guys had. Get them in a room together, and it’s immediate: the friendship picks up exactly where it left off.

“The bond we shared during those days, I think, cannot be compared to anything. It is part of who we are,” Patrick reveals. “So like, if one calls and says ‘Pat, I need your help,’ I’d just say, ‘Okay.’ It’s not like pag-iisipan ko pa.”

For Paolo, five years on the show was formative in ways they’re only now able to fully appreciate. The dynamic, he admits, was a healthy blend of competition and friendship — and it made all of them better.

“A year ago, we started to reconnect again. Patrick and I did two movies together and then after a couple of months, we saw John Lloyd. I haven’t seen JL for a long time,” Paolo recalled. “ But when we saw each other, it was as if nothing changed.”

“I think over the years, mapapatunayan mo na may iba’t ibang klaseng friendships. May mga friendships na nirerequire ka physically, seeing each other often. Eto, napapatunayan na kahit hindi kami magkita-kita ng matagal, okay lang. Ganito pa rin,” John Lloyd said of their group’s relationship.

They don’t need to talk every day for it to count. That’s the thing about friendships built early, in the thick of something real — they don’t require maintenance, just the occasional reminder that they’re still there. And for  John Lloyd, Patrick and Paolo, Tabing Ilog was where it all started: not just the friendship, but the real-life learnings: work ethic, the craft, the first real understanding of what it meant to take acting seriously.

Why Tabing Ilog worked

Tabing Ilog worked because it was unusually honest. The setting was deliberately ordinary: a riverbank, a barkada, the kind of neighborhood that felt familiar whether you were from Quezon City or Cebu. That specificity was the point. 

It was about teenagers trying to figure out the ups and downs of adolescence. Characters fought, fell apart, and made terrible decisions – like how real teenagers do. So for many Millennials, who were then somewhere between 10 and 16, spending their weekends in front of the TV, saw themselves in it – not an idealized version of themselves.

While he initially entered showbiz to help his family financially, John Lloyd points out that it was in the show where he saw the dedication and commitment of his co-stars, which he later embraced.

“I feel like that was the turning point at an early stage in my career sa pag-arte, sa showbiz,” he shared. “Nung na-experience ko yung professionalism and work ethics nila Caridad Sanchez, Daria Ramirez, and Pen Medina, right in front of my eyes; I said, ‘This is something that I can really do, something I really want to do.’”

It’s not a coincidence that the show became a launchpad of some of the country’s most prolific actors and actresses like John Lloyd Cruz and Jodi Sta. Maria. They weren’t overnight stars. They were actors who had seasons to develop and storylines that demanded range.

Paolo believes the show worked because it was dealing with what they were all going through at that time.

“It was very realistic; that’s why people were able to feel our characters as well. It wasn’t fantasy or sci-fi; it was real life. It was so natural – the whole story, and it was the same thing happening to other people our age.”

But improvisation was always there, according to Patrick. They began to know their character more than the script had originally written. 

“We knew our characters so well that we’d change the lines just to fit them,” Patrick reveals. “Since the series ran for around five years, we could look at the lines and say, ‘Hey, that’s not what James would say!’ Then, we improvised—luckily, our director was pretty cool about it.”

And for a generation that grew up with them, Tabing Ilog was a shared reference point, the kind that still lands in a conversation 27 years later.

The Fathers They Became

They were boys figuring out first love on screen. Now they’re fathers figuring out real life at home. We watched them grow up — and in a way, they’re still growing up too, just in more mature, calmer, and less visible ways.

John Lloyd, who co-parents a son with Ellen Adarna, has made his peace with fame — it comes with the career, and he’s long accepted that. But he doesn’t extend that expectation to Elias. His son isn’t comfortable with crowds, and John Lloyd doesn’t push it. He lets him watch from the sides, observe rather than perform, until he’s ready — if he ever decides to be.

“Sometimes, we talk about it. But not in words—more on showing how I present myself. How I react to the fame and interact with the people representing it when he’s around.” 

In the case of Paolo, he candidly calls himself a work in progress. After many years of being estranged, he’s now reunited with his daughters Xonia and Xalene. He is thankful that his ex-wife, Lian Paz, and her current husband, John Cabahug, gave him that opportunity.

“I’m very happy for this win – that I see my two kids,” he admits. “Everything has good timing. I talked to Lian and John about it—if we forced the visitation on the kids, it’d be very transactional. It wouldn’t be fun or nice.”

He adds, “There’s no hurry—whether it’s fixing our relationship or other things. I just try to live by example. Showbiz is not my life;  it’s just my work.”

Paolo doesn’t post much about his kids on social media, even when encouraged. He prefers to enjoy it privately. His trips to Cebu to meet his two girls are something he deeply cherishes.

Patrick, on the other hand, is happily married to Nikka Garcia, with whom he has four kids—Michelle, Patrice, Pia and Pablo. He also has a son, Jazz, with ex-girlfriend Jennylyn Mercado. 

Patrick’s three girls—13, 10, and 8 years old—are really daddy’s girls. “I wanted my girls to grow up knowing that their dad is ready to listen, especially now that I have a teenager. She’s thirteen; so, we had this talk about how boys will message her and I tell her how it’s good to have guys as friends so that she learns what they’re like and that I’m just here to listen and guide her through it all.”

He worries a little bit that she’s growing up too fast, so he reminds her to enjoy the moment. “Because when you become an adult, you’re an adult all your life,” he forewarns her.

Their Definition of Parenting Today

The three are definitely no strangers to being scrutinized about their personal lives. Paolo knows this all too well after sharing he was in touch again with his daughters Xonia and Xalene. He’s grateful that Lian’s husband John has helped him establish his definition of parenting.

“Of course, when we talk, we have a different dynamic. Everything I want to say, everything that I want to give [to the girls], I have to respect John and he’s very open about it,” Paolo said.

Paolo is aware about the gap between how he was raised and how he’s choosing to raise his own children. Some things from his childhood simply don’t apply anymore. He believes in being firm — but never at the cost of his children feeling unheard or unseen.

“I get that the kids now want to be more independent; they want to speak their minds, but of course we want to impart respect and responsibility. Freedom of speech is there, but at the same time, may kalakip na malaking responsibilidad and consequences yung mga gusto nila gawin at sabihin.”

Before being a dad, John Lloyd likened his work to that of an online seller – selling and promoting himself to the public. Now, his priorities have changed, and he credits Elias for it.

“Yung unang natutunan ko since having my son, is to be quiet and listen,” he mused. “Yan ang hindi mo puwedeng magawa sa trabahong ito. Kasi, hindi ka puwedeng quiet. You have to be articulate with what you’re selling.”

“Sa ibang bagay, I know what works for my son — and I know what doesn’t,” John Lloyd says. Pointing out that he’s careful with his actions, “From years of observing him, I’ve found that less words work better for him. More on nuances.”

Fatherhood, for Patrick, has become one of his “most favorite” roles. He loves his wife and his children. His only reference, he adds, was how his dad was to him—who he says was a good provider.

“As I got older though, around my twenties, I saw the efforts of my dad to make bawi,” he reveals. “It was a long time, around 10 years, na di siya nagparamdam. But after seeing what he was trying to do, I reached out.”

Clearly, all three are basking in life as fathers now. While he has a lot to catch up on with his daughters, Paolo said that establishing open communication with Xonia and Xalene was the first step.

Although he talks to them now, he knows that he cannot change the past. “All we can do now is start from here, and I have to be the one to adjust.”

When asked about who he becomes when he and Elias are all alone, John Lloyd beams with a smile and imagines himself as a “tree.”

“To be as stable as one. The confidant. The shade. The comfort. So I’ll teach him to always hug trees too.”

He admits he still likes sleeping next to Elias and admits it can be hard when they have to part ways. 

“Being present and reliable is providing something na hindi makukuha kahit saan, kahit kanino man,” he adds. “And maybe what reminds me to be grounded and present is wanting to give him the assurance na andito lang ako para sa kanya.”

Among the four Tabing Ilog boys (Baron included), Patrick is arguably the most private. Nothing drastic influenced the decision. It was simply the most “natural” thing for him to do. 

“Though I have stepped out more since my kids are older and my daughter is on social media,” Patrick admits. “But when they were younger, it was more of a protective mechanism to step away from the limelight.”

Despite the missed opportunities, Patrick enjoys where he is now. “I cannot complain. While money is money, pwede mo naman kitain yan.”

What fatherhood has taught them 

Whatever life has put them through, fatherhood has quietly reframed everything — how they work, how they live, and what they’re working toward.

“Since becoming a dad, I’ve learned to love my work a lot more,” Paolo reflects. “Because, to be honest, a lot of people in the industry don’t have work.”

For Paolo, for as long as he can work, he wants to do everything he can, most especially for his children.

“I want to be able to provide what they want, what they need as well. And I want them to see that their papa is working hard. I have to set a good example now.”

The relationship he built with his kids wasn’t overnight. But Paolo is grateful that his kids have grown to be good people.

More than presence, Elias has taught John Lloyd a lot about life, something he is so proud of. “At an early age, kahit ang liit pa niya, ang dami niyang natulong sa akin,” he shared. 

“There’s undeniable power in listening and in just being present,” he adds. 

For Patrick, it’s the challenge of incorporating things he and his dad enjoyed together with his girls. A trip to the beach. A bit of camping here and there. He jokes, however, that they’re more on “glamping” than experiencing the wilderness.

“Maybe when they’re older,” he snickers. “But for now, it’s okay to prefer that.”

The Boys, Now Dads, of Tabing Ilog

Time has inevitably changed them. The young actors who once spent their days talking about performances, swapping stories, and dreaming about the future have become fathers carrying different responsibilities, challenges, and definitions of success. Yet despite the years, their friendship remains familiar—proof that some bonds are not measured by how often people see each other, but by how easily they find their way back.

Perhaps that is what makes this reunion meaningful. Not because it brings audiences back to a beloved television show, but because it offers a glimpse of what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

The boys by the river grew up. They became men. And somewhere along the way, without a script or a director, they figured out the most important roles of their lives.

Words ALEXA VILLANO and KEVYN GOHU-CATINGUB
Sittings Editor MARGA TUPAZ
Photography MIGGY ABESAMIS
Art Director DENIELLE CARAG
Make-up TWINKLE BERNARDO
Hairstyling ANGELI ALFONSO
Styling BANG PINEDA
Assisted by DANILO DE CASTRO
Shoot Coordination TONI MENDOZA

Shot on location at CASA BELLA HOME AND LIVING

Special thanks to CHAPTER COFFEE

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