Rica Reveals Her Most Painful Experience From A Past Relationship: 'Womanizing' Boyfriend

Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio gets candid about her past relationships in her video feature as the first-ever editor-at-large of SmartParenting.com.ph. This leads up to the launch of the vlog she's hosting, Poprica: Popular Parenting Spiced by Rica Peralejo, on February 14, 2022 on Smart Parenting's YouTube channel.

The actress-turned-writer/digital content creator says before she settled down with Every Nation Church pastor and youth leader Joseph Bonifacio in 2010, her past relationships were "full of lessons and learnings."

She explains, "I would say it that way kasi a bunch of things over the different stages of my life and in some of them, I wasn't mature enough. I doubt I was ever mature, haha! And it teaches you about who you were in those seasons, and probably what baggage you bring into a relationship. So they're very informative about me."

Rica gamely answers when asked to describe her relationship with her celebrity ex-boyfriends:

Red Sternberg, her costar in the teen series T.G.I.S., which ran from 1995 to 1999: "I would describe it as puppy love. Parang bata pa ako and I really didn't know what I wanted in life."

Bernard Palanca, her costar in drama series Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay, which ran in 2002 to 2003: "Hmmmm...Stupid love. hindi joke lang! (Laughs) There's a whole lot of growth in that relationship. You will realize sooner or later na hindi pala kayo really meant for each other but still growth for me because I learned so much about myself and about the nature of relationships through that relationship."

Piolo Pascual, her longtime Star Magic labelmate: "Unclear. (Laughs) Malabo lang talaga."

She goes on saying how she knows when to end the relationship, "For me personally, in the past, one characteristic about me is that I always give it my all before ending something. So that when it ends, I can say na I've done everything possible and it still didn't work, so maybe it's really not supposed to work."

Then again, Rica doesn't agree that love should not hurt, and expounds, "Because, then should love always be happy? (Laughs) I mean, is that all love is? Parang ang babaw naman ng love pag sinabi nating it's just for happiness or the absence of any pain.

"I think love is most felt when you are being unlovable and the person chooses to love you still. I think that is when we most feel love anyway. But what I learn from my fitness thingy in my life , noh? Na meron kasing magkakaibang klase ng pain. May pain na galing sa pressure, may pain na galing sa pain talaga na there's something wrong.

"You need to distinguish what kind of hurt it is. Na there is a good amount of hurt and a right kind of hurt that should exist between two people who love each other and there is a kind of hurt that, hey, that should not have any place in your relationships.

"So I guess it's really up to you to figure out what kind of hurt that is and tell yourself this is the kind of hurt that is okay to exist within the bounds of love and this is the kind of hurt that shouldn't be present when you truly love each other."

Rica then opens up on the most painful experience she's had from a past relationship. She says, "I guess it was when I found out that my boyfriend was womanizing. I think the most painful thing about that is I saw him in a certain way.

"And then I found out that there are many things you don't know about this person na may mga bagay pala siyang tinatago and I think, what hurt there the most... Trust. The Trust was broken. A person that you are in love with or in a relationship with is supposed to cover you, protect you It's supposed to be a safe place, di ba?

"Why would you have a relationship with someone you're not safe with, di ba? And so when you find out that this person is really deliberately trying to keep things from you, to hide his secrets from you, then the trust is broken and the safe space is shattered. And that's really so painful, di ba?

"Gano'n din 'yung feeling natin I guess when you discover so many things about your parents that you never knew existed? And then all of a sudden, 'Ah, ito pala 'yung mga magulang ko, na in my eyes they were the best.' Di ba your safe space is shattered."

For more of Rica's revelations and lessons, watch the full video here: