Bea-utiful Life

At a birthday dinner hosted by Star Magic for her last week, Bea said she had not yet received the prize, which was the biggest ever won by a celebrity player on the show. Bea is sharing half her winnings with her assistant of eight years, Rose Dagpin, who recently got married and will be starting her own family. It's a substantial amount of money—because even after the 20 percent tax is subtracted, that will still leave over P700,000 which Bea intends to split, 50-50, with Rose.

And what will Bea be spending her P360,000 on? Not a car, certainly, because she just bought a brand-new Toyota Fortuna. Actually, the gift Bea wants is not material. “No matter how corny it might sound, my birthday wish is peace of mind,” said the young actress, who adds that her way of dealing with family and work-related problems is to leave them all to God.

Bea says there's nothing more she can ask for herself, especially career-wise. Since she was launched in 2001, she has risen to become one of the brightest young stars in showbiz. Her breakout role as Katrina Argos in Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay gave birth to her team-up with John Lloyd Cruz, which paved the way for teleseryes like It Might Be You and Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin. They also starred in box-office hits like My First Romance, Now That I Have You, Close To You and All About Love. Their latest project is ABS-CBN's new primetime drama series, Maging Sino Ka Man.

Their team-up has that “Midas touch” such that any project starring them is almost guaranteed to be a winner. They were even recognised as the Most Popular Love Team of RP Movies by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Foundation two years ago.

Bea has also received a number of awards. She was named Best Movie Actress by the PMPC Star Awards for Movies in 2004 and Princess of RP Movies by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Foundation, also in 2004.

But what about her personal life? After John Lloyd admitted that he was seeing stylist Liz Uy, many people expected Bea to come out and admit something about her own lovelife.

Yet Bea says there's nothing to report. She is so focused on her career, being the breadwinner of her family. “Having a boyfriend means having commitments and responsibilities I'm not yet ready to have,” she says.

But what to make of the rumours about her and Mico Palanca? Bea says that yes, they do go out, and they talk to each other regularly, but that's about it. “Right now, that's all I have time for,” she concludes.