Editor’s note: Until last week, the internet world was sizzling with comments regarding Lolit Solis’ decision to blurt out to the public how her former ward Mark Herras borrowed P30,000 from her. The Butcher waited for the dust to settle before making any commentary with regard to the matter. Here it is below:
The concept of StarStruck was supposedly inspired by a talent show that was very popular in Mexico early in the millennium. The GMA think-tank group eventually modified it and added new touches here and there to suit to the Pinoy taste. That was easy to do – given the similarities between Filipino and Mexican cultures.
StarStruck was so successful as a talent search that it altered the lives of so many young people who dreamt of becoming famous stars in the movies and television. They didn’t necessarily have to win to become successful. Cristine Reyes, for instance, was only in the Top 20 and, yet, with the exposure she got as part of StarStruck, she still became a major talent in show business.
Jennylyn Mercado, of course, is the most successful of the lot. But so many others also did well enough to change their financial station in life. They were able to build their dream homes and indulge in luxuries made affordable through their income from showbiz.
Not everyone was after financial gains, however. Enzo Pineda and CJ Muere, for instance, both come from affluent families. A fraction of the StarStruck aspirants tried their luck in the contest simply to experience how it was to be in the limelight.
In the case of Mark Herras, it is said that he only joined the contest “to meet girls.” If that were the case, he got more than what he had wished for: A chance at even bettering his life. Everything about him changed after being hailed as the Ultimate StarStruck Male Survivor in 2004.
His female counterpart, Jennylyn Mercado, was actually the one who needed to win the contest badly. Abandoned by her biological mother as a baby, she was sadistically abused by a foster parent. Her situation was so bad she made it to the headlines as a battered child.
She was eventually put in the care of another relative, a wonderful woman named Lydia who was beloved by Jennylyn’s co-workers. But since Mommy Lydia also proved to be wanting in life, Jennylyn had to work as a singer early in her teens just to be able to help her adoptive family.
Mark’s early circumstances in life were also challenging. He and an older brother started out with a complete set of parents: Claudio and Jasmin Herras. His childhood could have been normal, except that his father was sent to jail. Since his mother could no longer afford to raise him, he was turned over to his maternal uncle, Daddy Hermie.
Daddy Hermie was gay and had a partner, Daddy Jun, an affable man, also well-liked in showbiz circles. Under their care, Mark grew up not wanting in parental love.
Hermie and Jun weren’t exactly rich. But they were able to provide for Mark, especially since Jun worked as an accountant. They obviously raised Mark well because he turned out to be a very good and respectful person.
The truth is, the members of the original StarStruck batch are the nicest. They are a solid group who genuinely love each other – to this day.
The secret of their closeness may be rooted in the fact that there is no jealousy among themselves. One is always happy for the success of the other. Mark is one to exemplify that. “Walang inggit sa katawan” is how Lolit Solis describes him.
The absence of competitiveness in his spirit, however, also became one of his major flaws as part of an industry where people viciously step on each other to get ahead in the game. To Lolit’s frustration, Mark was too complacent.
Early in his career, the bets weren’t really on Mark. Sure, he was a shoo-in for one of StarStruck’s top prizes because his fans adored him and it was their text votes that made it easier for him to claim victory.
But after his win – what? Showbiz analysts were aware that his shelf life was short. He looked cute and that easily made him a teen idol. And despite his slight eye defect (kirat in the vernacular), no one could ever have said that he was bad-looking. He wasn’t, however, movie star handsome in the mold of Richard Gomez, Aga Muhlach, and Gabby Concepcion.
Thankfully, he moved well and could dance up a storm. Wasn’t he the Bad Boy of the Dance Floor? But then, even the world’s greatest dancers have to deal with the issue of gravity as they get older.
Early on, Mark should have honed his acting skills – the way a lot of other Starstruck alumni did. Jennylyn won the Metro Filmfest best actress award two years in a row. Paulo Avelino and LJ Reyes both have Urian trophies.
It’s not yet too late for him to take his acting craft seriously. This dark passage he is going through in his life at the moment should eventually give him depth in his performances.
Aside from improving as an actor, Lolit had also wished for Mark to bulk up by hitting the gym, which was what the other Kapuso hunks did. If only he had a good body, other avenues could have opened up for him – like endorsements, for instance. Both Paulo Avelino and Aljur Abrenica were paid hefty sums as endorsers of healthy food products.
Most of all, Lolit wanted Mark to revert to his former undemanding ways – “when he didn’t ask for a cut-off in his shoots.” Lolit believes that Mark’s recently-developed diva-like attitude was the influence of a previous relationship “because he used to be a very cooperative talent who was never choosy with his projects.”
Fortunately for Mark, he still has all the opportunities to rebuild his career. GMA will see to it that he is given assignments – especially since the actor had already made cash advances. And if we are to believe stories, he supposedly also owes the GMA cooperative P600,000.
But what did he do with all his earnings?
No, Mark was never into drugs – mercifully enough – because that could have totally ruined him. And to be fair to Lolit, she still defended him against such accusations even at the height of her anger. At most, he’d drink out with friends or his current date. But never drugs, she insists.
According to Lolit, Mark’s generosity was actually what did him in. To this day, an odd assortment of relatives still live with him in a Quezon City house that – thankfully – is already paid for.
Once he came upon a sudden windfall of P1.5-M. He turned over the whole amount to a cousin being treated for breast cancer and left nothing for himself.
Is he being too generous to a fault? Perhaps he is. But we have to understand that Mark came from a broken home. No matter how much his foster parents loved him – and they did – he surely still craves for a sense of belonging. He needs them now more than ever, especially after his mother and two adoptive fathers died in close succession not many years ago.
Should we then find fault in his relatives who still rely on him for financial support? It’s easy to put the blame on them. But then, how do we judge fairly a woman stricken with cancer? Even she didn’t want to be in that position.
There is still a solution, however, to Mark’s current financial woes. At this point of his life, he really has to focus on his career. Of course, this is easier said than done – given the fact that every other actor today is out of work, no thanks to the pandemic.
But if there is anything good that came out of Lolit’s going public about his state of finances, it is the fact that there is interest in him again. But this time, he has to work like he has never worked in his life before.
This is the only way he can provide for his two children (by two different women) and the relatives who are there to help him maintain his equilibrium. He has to help himself first before he can help others.
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