Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal: The Chemistry of A Lasting Friendship
90’s onscreen sweethearts Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin kept their friendship alive throughout the years. Two decades later, their love team is still going strong and continues to give us all the feels
One of the famed love teams of the 90’s, Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal – whose ship name is MarJo – started out in the teen-oriented show Gimik. After years of being an onscreen item, they also starred in rom-com hits such as Hey Babe, Flames the Movie, and Labs Kita Okay Ka Lang.
In 2015, the two would reunite in the teleserye Flordeliza. And after a decade since the teleserye, the clamor for their tandem was still strong, sparking a call for another project together. At the Modern Parenting shoot, it was clear their friendship remained solid despite their busy lives. Jolina is married to Rivermaya band member Mark Escueta, and they have two kids – Pele and Vika. Meanwhile, Marvin is a single dad to teenage twin boys Santiago and Sebastian, whom he co-parents with his ex-wife, Tet Dy.
The two sat together to talk about their friendship, their next project together, and of course their favorite job in the world, being parents!
How the celebrity lifestyle affects their parenting
Being in the business for a long time now, Jolina said the value of time is one thing she learned.
“Although bata mga anak ko, I try to teach them things at a young age, values, lessons, ngayon pa lang unti-unting tinuturuan ko na sa kanila iyon.”
The lengthy time Jolina spent in showbiz also taught her the meaning of being assertive — a lesson she passes to her kids. “Pag sinabi mo, gawin mo. Learn to keep your word because that forms your character and integrity. Pag ayaw mo talaga, then don’t. Kaysa sa gagawin mo tapos hindi naman pala maluwag sa loob mo. I don’t want my kids to be people pleasers. It’s okay to say no, sometimes.”
Yet, she admits that there’s one thing she still struggles with and that is explaining to her kids why her career involves fame. “Di ko talaga kaya sagutin pag nagtatanong sila, ‘Mama, are you famous?’ or ‘Mama are you an icon?’” she laughs. “Usually, I reply with, ‘You research’ because they can. I know that someday I have to explain it to them properly, pero hindi pa kasi ako masyadong handa sa follow up questions.”
Especially when maintaining privacy and wanting to bring the kids around, it’s a challenge when you are so well-known. For Marvin, it’s just one of the setbacks of the job that he understands is part and parcel. “Yun lang talaga kasi nga they [people] see us in movies, on TV and now on the internet so there’s a familiarity. So they ask for pictures, ganon, when we are out. Those are things I had to explain to my kids especially when they were younger.”
But both of them are grateful that the times are much different, compared to the 90s when their lives were part of a “circus” as Marvin calls it.
“Baka it’s just me,” Jolina wonders. “But this generation, parang sa akin, kung nag-malling kami ng family, may nagsasabi ng ‘Pasensya na…’ when they ask for pictures with me. Dati kasi hindi ganon.”
Their openness with their kids about the limelight and how it impacts their family’s lifestyle is another parenting win for the two as both reveal that their kids have become adept at handling fans and even stories that have been “magnified.” And as Marvin puts it, it’s part of the life they [Jolina and Marvin] signed up for. His laidback and openness perhaps is what helps the twins simply take the story as it comes.
“I’m pretty open with my kids that sometimes they just don’t care about the intrigues,” Marvin admits. “But sometimes, they’re also entertained by how the entertainment industry and showbiz work. Natutuwa din sila.”
On her part, Jolina uses these incidents as teaching moments. She shows her kids the kind of behavior a proper fan should have towards celebrities and how celebrities should treat their fans and followers.
“May mga tao na bigla na lang mag-hi dahil nakita ka nila sa TV. And I always tell them [Vika and Pele] to be nice. Because that one smile could mean a lot to them.”
Their approaches to parenting
Jolina and Marvin both share the dedication of being deeply involved as parents and are aware of what it’s like to raise two kids. For Jolina, it was when she and Mark made the decision to homeschool her son, Pele and daughter, Vika — just so they could spend more time with them.
“Hands-on kami. Actually si Mark ang pumili [na] kami yung maging teachers and that they should familiarize themselves with books para hindi sila nasasanay sa gadgets.”
But it’s a challenge raising two kids — twins or not. With Marvin, it was all about coming up with a co-parenting system that worked for him, Santiago, Sebastian, and Tet.
“Both of us as parents are very involved in the lives of our sons,” Marvin explains. “We may not be together but we’re very present in raising them.”
He adds, “We manage because we accepted that it’s hard raising kids, whether you have one or more, especially twins. At the end of the day, as they say, there’s no manual or formula for raising kids. If there was, ang dali sana diba, just follow directions. So like every other parent, we just do our best the way we know how and deal with challenges, if any come up.”
And like any set of siblings, Vika and Pele still have their quarrels — something Jolina believed they wouldn’t have for being different. But, she is grateful that Pele and Vika are doing well. “When they’re asleep, I always pray. I tell them to love one another, understand one another, and to be kind to each other.”
And if there’s another thing both celebrity parents agree on when raising two kids, it’s that parenting is a team effort. When those moments of confusion, doubt, and challenges hit, the communication — both Marvin and Jolina reveal — is the secret to ensuring that they work as a team with their respective partners as one parenting unit.
“Pareho kami ni Mark na disciplinarian. May isang time na mejo hindi kami nagkakasundo sa mga strategies namin, so nag-usap kami ng masinsinan. At hindi ko pinaglagpas iyon kasi, nag-promise kami sa isa’t isa na we will always be united as one unit para malito ang mga bata,” Jolina intimates.
“For me and Tet, we always talk about what’s best for our boys, that no matter what happens, we will always support each other so the kids don’t get conflicted,” Marvin explains.
Marvin and Jolina on their friendship
Throughout the journeys they have traveled as a teenage onscreen couple to finding their partners, having kids, and dabbling in numerous projects, their friendship has aged like fine wine. They still call each other “labtim” (love team) and banter with each other like kids.
Marvin has nothing but praises for Jolina since she became a wife and mom.
“Natutuwa ako pag naririnig ko siya magkuwento about her family life, about Mark and the kids,” Marvin smiled. “Ramdam na ramdam mo yung pagiging proud wife and mother niya. As a parent, you’ll always be faced with challenges. But she handles them well. She is a very good wife and a great mom so I’m happy for her.”
He really treasures his friendship with Jolina and adds, “Kahit hindi kami magkita ng matagal, pag nagkita kami parang ramdam mo na meron kang kaibigan at ang dami mong gusto i-share palagi.”
Jolina shares his sentiments, finding comfort in their friendship — one that was built even before she became a mother, sharing how she could talk to him about anything. “Hindi ko ma-explain pero iba yung level of comfort pag siya na yung nakakausap ko. Sobra yung trust na meron ako for him. Napaka proud ko sa mga achievements niya. Oo madami siyang successful na businesses, pero pagkasama mo siya, he’s still the same Marvin that I know.”
It’s all about the nostalgia
It seems a new generation of fans is getting to know the MarJo tandem. Clips from their movies have surfaced on social media, with some even putting music and stories together, becoming viral on its nostalgic value.
It was surprising news but in a good way for both Marvin and Jolina.
“Iba yung level of happiness lalo na napapansin ng mga anak ko. Kasi parang alam mo na may legacy ka.”
Marvin echoes her sentiments. “Nakakatuwa kasi itong younger generation, may time, effort and focus na gumawa ng mga ganito.”
“We’re thankful. We’re happy. Pati ako kinikilig sa mga pinaggagawa nila using our old clips from our movies and making them into a reel or edited content.”
Will this moment lead to a future project?
“Siyempre any project na involved kami ni Marvin, game ako kasi ganun yung trust ko sa kanya. Alam ko na hindi siya magpapabaya sa project at alam ko na yung project na mag-yes ako, deep inside my heart, dream project namin iyon,” Jolina muses.
“We’d really like to do romantic comedy. If there’s any particular genre we’d like to dabble in, it’s that. And we would like the audience to be yung mga kinalakihan ng tandem namin and of course, the young audience who will get to know us for the first time. Sinabi namin na if we will do a comeback project, it should have that vibe. So that’s the script we’re working on,” Marvin quips.
Marvin and Jolina forever!
While their on-screen and off-screen chemistry is something they’ve maintained over the years, Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal have grown magnificently with the times, as individuals, as parents and as friends.
Jolina wholeheartedly embraces the emotions that come with both her age and her children’s. “Nasesenti pa ako sa mga anak ko,” Jolina shares. “Para ko silang mga kryptonite. They’re both my strength and my weakness.” And we know, modern parents will understand exactly what she means.
Although Jolina is a working mom, her relaxed approach to balancing parenting and her career shows how eager she is to learn more about today’s generation of kids. “Gusto ko na habang paglaki ng mga anak ko, masabayan ko pa din sila.”
As for Marvin, the feeling of having his sons grow into young adults before his eyes is bittersweet. While he misses the little boys they once were, he is enjoying learning more about each of them as individuals and as friends. With different personalities and interests, he admits that parenting them is a never-ending learning process that keeps him on his toes.
“I’m still genuinely figuring out how to be just for them, and how to be when I am with them. It’s always about right timing and being in the moment,” Marvin shares.
“It’s a delicate balance babying them because they will always be my babies. But at the same time, teaching them how to find their purpose, how to be independent in life, so that sooner rather than later, they will both be ready to take on the world.”
Aside from their parenting game being so strong, Marvin and Jolina can take comfort in the relationship they have nurtured with one another through the years. Although they were never romantic in real life, what they’ve always had is a friendship that is real, constant and consistent that both of them could always count on.
Words ALEXA VILLANO AND KEVYN GOHU-CATINGUB
Photography KIERAN PUNAY OF KLIQ, INC.
Art Direction DENIELLE CARAG
Styling SIYA DARYANI OF THE CLOSET CULTURE
Makeup Artist JONATHAN VELASCO (Jolina) and LEVENY DAMIAN (Marvin)
Hairstyling RITA ELA (Jolina) and LEVENY DAMIAN (Marvin)
Sittings Editor MARGA MEDRANO TUPAZ
Shot on Location at EDSA SHANGRI-LA HOTEL
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