What more can Robin Padilla prove? He’s got a Famas and an Urian for La Visa Loca. He’s got a beautiful family who’s very supportive of his endeavors. And he’s got, you know, the smirk that goes well with his famous walk which makes every girl (and a couple of guys) swoon.

          But Robin wants to do more. Recently, he lent his service pro bono to the malaria control program and a number of social and cause-oriented groups. Now he is promoting the wider use of mosquito nets.

          “People can avoid malaria simply by sleeping under mosquito nets. Unfortunately, people do not,” says the action star who was recently seen in Asian Treasures on GMA 7 which ended early July. “I hope that we will be able to educate them that sleeping under mosquito nets remains the most effective way to avoid contracting malaria and prevent it from spreading.”

Robin Hood

          The action star has agreed to lend Movement Against Malaria (MAM) his image for posters promoting the wider use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN) which last for five to seven years. Proper and widespread use of bed nets have been proven to effectively bring down malaria incidence by 70 percent in Africa, which MAM hopes to replicate.

          Malaria is endemic in 63 of the Philippines’ 79 provinces, and is the eighth leading cause of morbidity in the country. Among the primary factors hindering malaria prevention and cure are widespread misconception about the disease. Last July 4, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM), the Department of Health, and the World Health Organization organized a Media Orientation and Engagement on Malaria at the Manila Golf Club, Forbes Park, Makati City to solicit media support in raising public awareness on malaria.

          “I am willing to lend my hand for a good cause, especially for our brothers who are in need. This is not the first time I am doing this,” says Robin who jokingly said that his talent fee for doing so is two pieces of mosquito net. “I hope that with my help, as well as the support of the media, we will be able to bring the right information to our brothers out there on how they can avoid being stricken by malaria.”

          Robin also thanks ace photographer Jun de Leon, who took his photos for the campaign. He also plans to seek the help of the network executives. 
 
Reunited with Ate Shawie

          On a lighter note, Robin says he wants to take a rest first before getting back to work. He attended the story conference of the movie he will do with Sharon Cuneta for GMA Films. The project will be directed by Jose Javier Reyes and will reunite Robin with the Megastar. He left for Turkey last July 10 to attend a seminar in relation to the school that he put up for his Muslim brothers.

          As for embarking on another TV project, he says he’s not ready to do another teleserye since he was rather piqued with the lack of planning the staff of GMA 7 did for the much-awaited ending of Asian Treasures. If you were able to watch the final episode and the replay that was aired the following Sunday, you’d understand where Robin was coming from. He says the ending could have been better had things not been done in a rush.
 
Defending Angel

          We asked Robin if his unpleasant experience on the set of Asian Treasures had something to do with the alleged attitude problem exhibited by his co-star Angel Locsin, who reportedly became difficult to deal and work with. Angel reportedly became a swellhead that led to her crossing horns with two makeup artists and a wardrobe person (who all resigned) and veteran fight instructor Val Iglesias who also experienced Angel’s not- so-angelic side.

          “I didn’t have any unpleasant experience with Angel,” says Robin in defense of his co-star. Being the gentleman that he is, we’re sure that had there been any unpleasant incident, Robin would surely come to Angel’s rescue. “If there had been rough times on the set, those were understandable. We’re doing an action series and in such scenario, ang sigawan, yung buntalan at balibagan are common situations.

          “And if we were going to count the number of times anybody became suplado or mainit ang ulo sa set, that would have been me. I get irritated if my co-stars don’t follow instructions. I am not just an actor there. I am also the fight choreographer so if ever a co-star seems inattentive, I really get suplado,” says the action star.

          According to Robin, there never was a time that she and Angel had a shouting match or an argument about a scene “Did she shout at me? We do have scenes where we had to shout at each other. If there was indeed an instance that she shouted at me because of extreme exhaustion, I didn’t notice it at all. That is, if she really did something like that. But I don’t remember, honestly,” he explains.

          Robin is not saying that Angel was exactly an angel. Maybe there were instances that something or situations forced her to be less than sweet. “But she probably didn’t mean it at all, if ever may nasigawan siya. I would have understood her if she did. But I don’t really remember if Angel became difficult to deal with,” says Robin.

          “If such an incident happened, I was probably not on the set. I don’t think it’s in her character to get mad or throw her weight around.”Dabbling in Indie Robin’s performance in the digital film Blackout directed by Ato Bautista drew praise from the critics. His performance as an alcoholic who suffers blackouts may merit him another award.

          He has also met with Unitel Producer Tony Gloria for another digital film that he might do for the company.

          “I love working with indie filmmakers kasi kakaiba ang approach nila sa paggawa ng pelikula. These indie filmmakers exert a lot of effort to come up with something different, a new story that is given a certain twist. The indie film movement is the future of our film industry and I’d like to be a part of this undertaking,” says Robin in parting.