Kapamilya heartthrobs Robi Domingo and Edward Barber brought us Valentine feels in the January 27 episode of “Truth or Dare.”
Spearheading the “Truth or Dare'' fund-raising drive and making it entertaining, the guest artists would take on truth-or-dare questions for every ‘milestone’ or target amount of diamonds donated to live streaming app Kumu.
Even before Robi and Edward opened the night dancing to “Chambe,” Kapamilyas already started donating to Kumu. Thus, it didn’t take long to reach the first ‘milestone’ that would equate to a challenge.
The guys pretend they’re on Mellow MYX giving advice to a girl who feels ‘unpretty’ after a breakup. Robi turned the tragic love story into a source of empowerment, telling those experiencing heartaches to embrace the pain. Acknowledge the big emotions as part of your healing process. And while mending the heart, prioritize self-love as well, so when the perfect time comes, you’d know what kind of love you deserve. Most of all, he doesn’t believe anybody can be called ‘unpretty.’ “Let me be one of the millions who would say you’re beautiful,” he said.
For Edward, the most painful goodbyes happen when you’re not yet ready to end the story. “Goodbyes hurt the most when you feel hindi pa tapos ang story mo but the book is closed already. They also say the lips with tears, they taste the best. You believe your story is finished but your story is not done.”
He added, “It’s a good thing that you’re not the one writing that. Kasi if you were, pangit talaga ‘yung ending. But it takes two people to write your story so don’t keep trying to write it by yourself.”
Speaking of writing a love story, Robi asked Edward the qualities he’s looking for in a “co-author” or a partner. The answer had so much depth that everyone was surprised. Edward said he prays for someone who’d stay whatever challenges showbiz life throws at the both of them. And if the girl stays no matter what, he’d be also willing to leave showbiz for her.
“Kahit anong accusations, allegations, court cases, scandals, bashing, comments, na hindi naman directed sa akin pero sa kanya, she has to be willing to stand with me. Kasi ako, ang sasabihin ko, at fully honest ‘to, if she’s willing to do that, I am willing to exit the industry for her. That’s the level I would go for her. Mahirap din pumasok sa world na ‘to but for her, I have to be willing to go out if she’s willing to come in,” expressed Edward.
He added, “SIyempre, anong gagawin ko ‘pag 90 years old na ako at nasa stage pa rin ako at may hawak na mic? I’d rather be older and look back at my life na proud ako sa ginawa ko, proud ako sa sacrifices ko para sa kanya, para sa family ko, para sa future ko.”
At the moment, though, Edward is not yet ready to go that far. He remains devoted to self-love and he allows himself to flourish. But he hopes to settle down before turning 30.
On the qualities of his ideal girl, she has to have big faith and heart for service. Edward is very vocal about his relationship with the Lord and the things he does for the church, so it’s important that the girl he’d fall in love with has the same vigor for service. Bonus if she has a big family. On the physical attributes, he prefers morena skin.
With all the ‘hugots’ he brings on the table, you probably wonder if Edward has ever been in love. “Safe to say, yes,” he answered. There was even a time he ran to Robi to ask for love advice.
Although he didn’t go into details, Edward said it was one of his lowest moments. He was 19 and didn’t know who to turn to. “First time sa buong buhay ko na tumingin ako sa mga tao sa paligid ko at hindi ko alam kung sino ‘yung kakausapin ko. I don’t know who I can trust, who I can go to. Kahit ‘yung sarili kong Nanay, ayaw kong lumapit sa kanya kasi I don’t know if she’ll get angry at me or if she will step back at me.”
So he, together with other guy friends dealing with different dilemmas, went to Robi’s house. At that time, Robi encouraged Edward to feel his emotions deeply. “Sabi ko sa kanya, okay lang maging vulnerable. Kasi si Edward ‘yung tipo ng tao na, before, mataas ang walls at guarded ‘yan. Pero you have to feel the emotions dahil ‘pag naramdaman mo na ‘yun, after humupa n’un, mabibigyan mo na siya ng pagkakataon para pag-isipan ‘yung mga nangyari. At kapag na-realize mo na ‘yung mga bagay na nagawa mo o hindi mo nagawa, alam mo na ‘yung gagawin mo in the future.”
Edward didn’t listen, though, that’s why the breakthrough took longer. “Kasi minsan kahit may mas wise o knowledgeable sa’yo, parang ayaw mong tanggapin na mali ‘yung way mo. Gusto mo, ‘I believe this is my way. I believe I’m correct.’ Hindi ko tinanggap ‘yung advice ni Kuya Robi agad-agad.”
Although the process was longer and painful, it was worth it. Besides his Kuya Robi, Edward has experience to thank for the lessons.
Now, how do you know if you’ve met ‘the one’? For Robi, the conversations and priorities could be signs. “I think ‘pag dumating ka na sa punto na naghahanap ka na ng mga Ninong at Ninang.” From there, host Alora Sasam asked ABS-CBN boss Cory Vidanes, who was watching the livestream, if Robi already asked her to be a ‘Ninang’ at his wedding. She replied via group chat, “Yes.”
Robi said when you no longer plan for dates but talk about bigger things like where to settle down and when conversations about yourselves and the past become unfiltered – that’s probably it.
Apart from the meaty love talks, Edward and Robi also entertained Kapamilyas and KUMUnizens with fun activities such as TikTok dance challenges. We also got to listen to Edward’s live performance of his single No One Else.
After the pick-up line battle that turned extra hilarious, the tandem took on the most requested “Jojowain o Totropahin” Challenge. Robi was teased for being tamed since girlfriend Maiqui Pineda was watching.
The first actress in the list was Ivana Alawi, whom they still have to get to know more, so it’s “totropahin” for him. They also answered “totropahin” for Lovi Poe, Jane de Leon, and Chie Filomeno. Meanwhile, Sue Ramirez got a “jojowain” response from Robi.
On Alexa Ilacad, Robi said she’s a “jowa” material if only they’re in the same age range. Edward appreciates Alexa’s love for animals and food but he’d rather be friends with her, “Dahil may respeto ako to the other guys I know.” Robi butted in, “Itago natin sa pangalang KD.”
On Alyssa Valdez, Edward answered “jojowain because she’s an amazing person, heart on her sleeve,” while Robi went for totropahin because “takot ako.” Lol.
Edward revealed he and Darren Espanto got so ‘kilig’ meeting Janine Gutierrez on ASAP Natin ‘To. He went for “jojowain.” Meanwhile, Robi shared that Janine and Maiqui are on the same squad.
The heartthrobs ended the show with “Never Have I Ever” Challenge where they had interesting revelations as well. Both said they fell in love with a co-star before. Host Melai Cantiveros revealed it was Kim Chiu for Robi, which the latter casually admitted to.
They once thought of leaving showbiz – when Robi was about to transition from college to medical school, and when Edward was swamped with acting projects.
“Truth or Dare” benefit interactive show series is the second fund-raising activity of ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN Foundation’s “Tulong-Tulong sa Pag-ahon: Isang Daan Sa Pagtutulungan” for the benefit of typhoon Odette survivors.
Aside from donating cash, in-kind donations, or virtual gifts through the event platforms, people can also help by purchasing P100 or P400 Tulong Bag donation vouchers on Lazada and Shopee. These donation vouchers provide rice and canned goods to individuals and families that were affected by the typhoon.
For information and other ways to donate, visit the official pages of ABS-CBN Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or go to https://foundation.abs-cbn.com.