Valentine's day

Carlo and Enid Muñoz: 17 years after their Valentine’s Day wedding

Jannelle So Productions

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Carlo and Enid Muñoz: 17 years after their Valentine’s Day wedding

Screenshot from So Jannelle TV

'If you're willing to work through the rocky road with that same person, then it shouldn’t be a problem,' says Carlo Muñoz

This story is published in partnership with So Janelle TV, a magazine show about Filipinos in North America.

In the PLDT commercial he was famous for, he calls home from abroad as Billy, announcing his marriage to his best friend. In real life, Carlo Muñoz married his girlfriend, Enid Reyes, in California in 2004 after being together for two years.

It all happened so fast. They met in 2002, when she was 22.

“We met, we did a show together on [ABS-CBN] for Star Studio Presents,” recalls Enid in an interview with Filipino-American media pioneer Jannelle So Perkins for the latter’s So Jannelle TV show.

“It was a love triangle but there’s a twist to it.” The twist was that Enid’s character was blind, while Carlo’s character was a hunchback. She was courted through love letters sent by a character played by Carlo’s real life brother, Leandro, but the letters were really written by Carlo.

Their love story was more than just a made for TV drama. One day, Carlo, the man, not the character, offered to drop her off home. Soon, their off-screen love was just as intense as it was on TV.

“We started working and I guess that’s where we hit it off,” said Enid.

After only 4 months together, in November 2002, Carlo asked Enid to move in with him. A year later they immigrated together to the United States. Just months after that, on February 14, 2004, Valentine’s Day, they were husband and wife.

Today is their 17th year anniversary.

Carlo and Enid Muñoz: 17 years after their Valentine’s Day wedding

It was the height of his career. The “Supportahan Taka” commercials that promotional National and International Direct Dial Rates were such a hit. But Carlo’s personal life took a hit when their father, Louie Muñoz, died, in 2003.

Muñoz and his brother Leandro decided to take a break and stay away from the industry for a bit and have time for themselves. “When we came here we saw that the lifestyle was completely different. Your private life was your private life,” he remembers. They met with producers who floated the idea of continuing their television career abroad, and the brothers decided to give life in America a try.

Enid had a decision to make. She chose love.

“That’s when she also decided that she wanted to go with me, and doon ako nalaglag (that’s when I fell deep),” said Carlo.

Working through the rocky road

But even sweet couples fight. Now parents to 3 young boys, the tension can be magnified by parental responsibilities, especially in the pandemic.

“When I get home and I hear that they’re (Enid and the kids) are fighting, I wonder if I should even go in,” he jokes.

“But our fights have actually improved, used to be that our fights last for days. Now we argue about something, and then 10 minutes later, we’ll be all right.”

“It’s so hard to stay mad because he’s the only person that I always talk to anyways,” says Enid.

“I wouldn’t change anything because that’s what made our relationship stronger. We went through a lot of things together. Everything that we went through, we’re here together, what more can we want?”

“If you’re willing to work through the rocky road with that same person, then it shouldn’t be a problem,” Carlo added.

The Muñozes said their move to the States helped solidify their relationship. “When we moved here, we didn’t have any family so it’s really just us. It kinda helped, it wasn’t an easy relationship. But I think knowing that she’s there for you. We’re there for each other. I think that’s what it is.”

Carlo Muñoz says that, contrary what other transplants might expect, the challenge of relocating lasts for more than just a year or two. “It’s the first 4 or 5 years,” he says. “There’s the stage of getting to know what you want to do, what you can do, what you’re able to do, eh. And also as a relationship, you’re in a foreign country, and the idea that you’re gonna be in that country for the rest of your life, ‘How am I gonna do this, is this gonna be my life? Does it get better than this?’”

“The transition from being in the Philippines, a totally different lifestyle, to here, you’re all alone, that was the toughest. We had to do everything on our own.”

Enid says that Carlo’s “hands-on” approach to parenting made the transition much easier.

“The chores and the boys are also another stressor on the relationship,” said Enid. “I’m hands on but he’s also very hands on. We do things together. Like, he doesn’t just let me do everything on my own. He helps me change diapers, he helps me feed the boys.”

Carlo learned his lessons after 17 years of marriage. He imparts 3 of them below.

“Number 1 is, no matter how right you think you are, you’re always wrong. She’s always right. The sooner you accept that, then the more peace you’ll have.

“Number 2, ask yourself if, at the end of the day, if you’re able to live without her. If your answer is no, then why bother going the distance with the fight or argument?

“Finally, make an effort to know her friends and her interests. Keep that circle alive and make that effort.”

Above all, Carlo understands that love is more than just what you feel in your stomach. It’s about being the best partner you can be.

“Love is a big responsibility. When you’re younger, love is defined with how you feel. As you grow older it’s not just what you feel, it’s what you can do to survive,” said Carlo.

“It’s a lot of work, it’s a big responsibility. But it’s true, that love conquers all.” – Jannelle So Productions | Rappler.com

Check out So Jannelle TV  daily for stories that make you pause, reflect, and appreciate who we are and what we are as a people. 

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