Despite the inevitable fame, JC De Vera managed to keep his relationship and family life private. In this interview together with his wife, Rikkah, he said keeping their romance low-key is a conscious effort.
“Baka maging magulo. Baka ma-shock siya,” thought JC when asked why he kept Rikkah out of the public eye as much as possible. The couple used to be schoolmates but he was seven batches higher. They met through a common barkada at a birthday party.
On first impressions, Rikkah admitted she thought of JC as a playboy. She noticed that he’s quiet and he showed no traces of being an ‘artista.’ But she was not impressed with the mysterious vibes, which reminded her of the age-old Filipino phrase “nasa loob ang kulo.”
To her surprise, JC added her on Facebook the next day. Unlike most girls who’d go crazy over the heartthrob, Rikkah was careful and unassuming. It took a while before she finally let him into her world, “My walls were very, very high when it comes to him. As in, ‘No, hindi mo ako masyadong makikilala. Hanggang dito lang tayo.” But, then again, JC kept his moves slow and consistent until Rikkah was convinced that he’s a nice guy. She knew he has good intentions.
JC, on the other hand, knew that Rikkah is the one when he felt that they work well together. “Maganda ‘yung flow namin. Maganda ‘yung pakikitungo namin sa isa’t isa. Nagge-gel lang talaga kami. Alam namin kung paano susuyuin kung may mga circumstances na hindi namin kaya.”
One thing that makes the relationship work is their give-and-take attitude, which they had since the boyfriend-girlfriend stage. They are the best of friends, just wishing to be beside each other every moment. “Hindi namin kaya na hindi makita ang isa’t isa,” he said.
Rikkah praises JC for being a hands-on father to their unica hija Lana Athena. She said the Kapamilya actor loves to spend time with their daughter, “He’d take the task na magbantay kay Lana, even samahan siya sa school. Nararamdaman mo talaga sa kanya na family is his number one priority.”
Lana changed the couple’s dynamics in a way that they now keep everything scheduled. They keep their attention on Lana while not neglecting couple time. JC and Rikkah wish to have two more kids in the future.
As they grow together, JC and Rikkah discover the true meaning of love. For her, it’s a never-ending sacrifice and compromise. He added that love is about being giving not just in material things but more importantly spiritually and emotionally. Above all, communication is always the antidote to misunderstandings.