Allyzza Kay Trinidad

Chanda looks back on the most unforgettable moments of her decades-long career

Article (news)

Chanda Romero shares untold stories from her long-running showbiz career, experience working with Coco Martin

Mary Ann Bardinas

<p>With a prolific and enduring career expanding five decades, Chanda Romero is undoubtedly one of the most esteemed screen legends in the local entertainment scene. While we may have seen her plenty of times in various movies and TV shows—Kapamilya primetime series &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u><em>Coco Martin&#x27;s Sigabo</em></u></strong></a>&quot; being her latest project—not much is really known about her, especially her life before fame and during her early years in showbiz.  </p><p>Thus, many have been surely delighted to catch her in the latest episode of the ABS-CBN Studios&#x27; Bisaya online talk show &quot;Kuan On One,&quot; where she didn&#x27;t just proudly flexed her Bisdak roots and fun personality that&#x27;s far from her kontrabida persona onscreen, but also allowed us to get to know her more and deeper as she recounted some of her most unforgettable moments of her life over the past 72 years.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="916" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2DeqgcRm0x8" title="CHANDA ROMERO: “Ang akong story dili pa na tapos” | KUAN ON ONE S5 EP6 w/ Subs" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Her life before fame and the early years of her career </strong></div><p>Like many of the viewers, perhaps, gregarious host Melai Cantiveros-Francisco was amazed to find out that Chanda is a certified Bisaya, as her mom hailed from Cebu, while her dad came from Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. As the eldest among seven siblings, she went through a lot of tough times and witnessed more of their parents&#x27; marital woes. It eventually took a toll on her and triggered her desire to leave Cebu, particularly when their family became the talk of the town and she was already painted a &quot;bad influence&quot; by people around them for being a product of broken family. </p><p>Aside from feeling stifled by life in her hometown, being given the chance to meet and date a famous singer-actor and heartthrob at the time—whom she used to admire since she was in second grade and watch on the cinema— further fueled Chanda&#x27;s desire to go to Manila. Thus, upon earning P50, which is probably equivalent to P5,000 today, she accompanied a friend on a trip to Manila—and that&#x27;s when her showbiz career began.  </p><p>With no definite plans and unwilling to depend on her well-off relatives in Manila or conform to the roles society then prescribed for women, Chanda embraced a &quot;come what may&quot;—or bahala na—outlook on life. Remembering that she still had the telephone number of a promoter she met in Cebu, she decided to contact him. </p><p>The next thing she knew, she was already face-to-face with Atty. Espridion Laxa—lawyer, film producer, and founder of the Tagalog Ilang Ilang Productions, the studio that once managed the career of the &quot;Star For All Seasons&quot; Vilma Santos. Despite having no acting experience, no aspirations of becoming an actress, and without even going through an audition, she was immediately cast as the third party in the love triangle involving Vilma Santos and Jay Ilagan in the 1972 film &quot;Ang Kundoktora.&quot; </p><p>Asked whether she found her first acting job intimidating, especially since she was working alongside the already-established Vilma Santos, Chanda said she didn&#x27;t. According to her, she simply stayed confident, followed the instructions given to her diligently, avoided overthinking or taking herself too seriously, and embraced the opportunity by choosing to take risks. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>The entertainment industry showbiz then and now  </strong></div><p>Kuantie Melai then steered the conversation toward the differences between the entertainment industry then and now, with Chanda sharing that she and one of her best friends, National Artist of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, actually talked about it just recently. According to her, they&#x27;ve observed how today&#x27;s filmmakers and production crews are much more fortunate, as they now have access to better tools, equipment, and technology that make their work easier and more efficient.  </p><p>She also noted that artists today are seemingly given more comfort and convenience, as productions now provide tents where they can rest while waiting for their scenes, unlike during her time when they had to make do with shady trees or whatever spots were available. </p><p>Because of this, Chanda expressed nothing but admiration and pride for the artists, filmmakers, writers, and stunt performers of her generation. Despite having limited resources and equipment, they displayed remarkable resilience, resourcefulness, and creativity—qualities that helped make the 1970s through the early 1990s widely regarded as the so-called &quot;Golden Years of Philippine Cinema.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Working with younger generations of actors and filmmakers, &quot;Sigabo&quot; star Coco Martin </strong></div><p>Having been in the entertainment industry for decades, Chanda has worked alongside several generations of actors, giving her a unique perspective on how the profession has evolved over the years. She observed that younger artists have a remarkably different working style, though she doesn&#x27;t fault them because she knew that they now have many responsibilities to attend to. </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="916" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJnR1SnDdfo" title="Chanda Romero talks about &quot;Sigabo&quot; and working with Coco Martin | Kuan On One Episode 60 Highlights" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>She fondly recalled how actors of her generation would spend their downtime on set talking with one another while waiting for their scenes. Those conversations, she said, often became opportunities to exchange ideas, analyze each other&#x27;s performances, and reflect on ways to improve their craft. Today, however, such moments have become rare, as many artists are occupied with creating content and fulfilling social media commitments between takes—something she understands has become an important part of sustaining a career in the industry. </p><p>With Chanda currently portraying the formidable Deborah Zafra, the matriarch of a notorious gold-smuggling syndicate in &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>Sigabo</u></strong></a>,&quot; Kuantie Melai asked what it has been like working with the series&#x27; lead actor, director, and producer, Coco Martin. </p><p>Although Coco is considerably younger than she is, Chanda described him as an &quot;old soul&quot; because of his values and outlook on life. She spoke highly of his strong devotion to his family, saying he deeply loves and cares for his mother, grandmother, and siblings. She also praised his generosity, noting that he quietly extends help to the elderly, the underprivileged, and patients who struggle to pay their hospital bills. However, not a lot of people are aware of his benevolent deeds since he opts not to publicize them and prefers to keep them private. </p><p>She also admires how respectful he is to the veterans, as he always gives credit where it is due, acknowledging the sacrifices, dedication, and invaluable contributions of those who have devoted decades of their lives to the entertainment industry. </p><p>&quot;Kaya si Coco ay naging si Coco, I think, because sa naririnig ko, nagsimula kasi siya from scratch. Nadaanan niya &#x27;yong hirap na walang kumukuha sa kanya. Dumaan siya sa hirap ng pag-angat,&quot; the veteran actress stated.  </p><p>Chanda cited him as an example of perseverance, as he worked his way up through persistence, putting in hard work not only as an actor but also in jobs such as being a waiter and doing whatever work he could find. Thus, she finds it admirable that, despite everything he had to endure, he never gave up and remained determined to pursue his dreams. </p><p>&quot;Marespeto talaga siya, lalo na sa aming mga may edad. Respetado niya, most of all, ang kanyang trabaho. Respetado niya ang industriya,&quot; she said, praising Coco’s respect for his craft, the industry, and everyone on set—from utility personnel and production staff to fellow artists. Thus, she feels honored to have worked with him. </p><p>The conversation then shifted to Chanda&#x27;s current role in &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u><em>Sigabo</em></u></strong></a>,&quot; with the actress teasing that the audiences would once again see her portray a fierce antagonist, describing the role as even more challenging than her previous ones. Having played numerous kontrabida characters throughout her career, she confessed that she actually prefers portraying villains because such roles allow her to explore a much wider range of emotions and showcase more of her acting abilities. </p><p>Catch more fun confessions and inspiring stories in “Kuan On One” Season 5, streaming fresh episodes every Tuesday, 8AM, on the ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube channel and on <a href="https://app.iwanttfc.com/dFR6MWHAcVb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>iWant</u></strong></a>.    </p><div> </div><div><strong>More on this story: </strong></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/17/chanda-showcases-playful-side-acting-brilliance-as-melai-dares-her-acting-challenge-in-kuan-on-one-0029" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>Chanda showcases playful side, acting brilliance as Melai dares her to a fun acting challenge in “Kuan on One” </u></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/12/chanda-romero-efren-reyes-jr-talk-about-working-with-coco-martin-anew-in-sigabo-0035" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>Chanda Romero, Efren Reyes Jr talk about working with Coco Martin anew in “Sigabo”</u></strong></a> </div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/3/coco-grateful-for-filipinos-love-for-sigabo-series-introduces-new-characters-1619" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>Coco grateful for Filipinos’ love for &#x27;Sigabo,&#x27; series introduces new characters </u></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/2/sigabo-kilalanin-si-victor-at-ang-pamilya-zafra-episode-9-2233" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>Sigabo: Kilalanin si Victor at ang Pamilya Zafra | Episode 9</u></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2025/9/22/chanda-romero-gets-emotional-as-she-thanks-coco-martin-for-her-fpj-s-batang-quiapo-stint-0956" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>Chanda Romero gets emotional as she thanks Coco Martin for her “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” stint</u></strong></a></div>

<p>Veteran actress Chanda Romero fondly reminisces on some of her unforgettable experiences in showbiz, as well as opens up about working with Coco Martin during her guesting in "Kuan On One."</p>

Veteran actress Chanda Romero fondly reminisces on some of her unforgettable experiences in showbiz, as well as opens up about working with Coco Martin during her guesting in "Kuan On One."