Jeric Raval scores first acting win, considers wife his greatest award

Veteran action star Jeric Raval was still overwhelmed the day after he received his Best Supporting Actor statuette from the 73rd FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences) Awards for "Mamay: A Journey to Greatness."

- By LEAH C. SALTERIO

At 63 and born in February 1961, Jeric received an acting trophy only now and it was only the first time after being in showbiz for more than three decades. He even bragged about his senior card.

"Salamat, naka-tsamba (Thanks, that was great luck)," said Jeric. "I was so shocked when my name was announced as the winner. While I was walking, I felt I was not deserving of the Best Supporting Actor award."

"I believed there were other actors more deserving than me," he added. "But I'm really so thankful to the FAMAS for recognizing what I did. Imagine, after 35 years, it is only now that I received an acting award."

Jeric was about to leave before his name was announced as the Best Supporting Actor winner. "I was not expecting anything that night," he said. "But our producer (Mayor Marcos Mamay) told me to wait a little more, so I did."

Previously, Jeric merely settled for the Star of the Night award. "I was not used to receiving an acting award," Jeric said. "I didn't even think I would be nominated. I was so happy that they noticed my acting in 'Mamay.'"

Jeric bested Ruru Madrid for "Green Bones," Joel Torre for "Under a Piaya Moon," Sid Lucero for "Topakk," Jhong Hilario for "And the Breadwinner Is" and Will Ashley for "Balota."

Even after his rumored 18 children sired with different women, Jeric refused to talk about his love life. He has still been with the same woman (Holiday) since 1990.

"At my age, love life pa?" he smilingly insisted. "I'm still married to the same woman. She is really a good partner. She understood all the troubles I got into. All the headaches."

"If it's another woman, she would have left me already a long time ago. I consider her as my real trophy. We have been married for 35 years. She never left my side. I started making movies when I was already 27," he continued.