Rodjun Cruz: Love & Loss
Rodjun Cruz tells the story of a deep love that was tested, of a young love that waited, and of a divine love that pulled him through the lowest point in his life.
Text by Aaron Brennt Eusebio
Photos by Jayme Vista
Newlywed couple Rodjun Cruz and Dianne Medina welcome GMANetwork.com into their new house in Quezon City.
It’s a multi-story modern home that captures their new life as husband and wife: bright, cozy, and youthful.
Sitting comfortably in their plush curving sectional sofa, Rodjun and Dianne talk candidly about their past struggles as a young couple, how they supported each other during the difficult moments in their life, and how they let God take over their relationship.
Deep love
A quick browse through Rodjun’s Instagram account can give anyone an idea what kind of a man Rodjun Cruz is. He would often post pictures of his family—his late mom Beth, his brothers Omar and Rayver, and wife Dianne—along with Bible verses—a clear proof that he is a man devoted to his family and to his Christian faith.
“Bata pa lang ako, blessed na ako na pinanganak ako sa mundong ito,” the son of Beth and Rodolfo Ilustre explains.
“Lagi kong nararamdaman ’yung presence ni Lord since day 1. Naramdaman ko ’yung presence niya sa pamilya ko kasi sobrang blessed ako sa family ko: sa Mama ko, sa Papa ko, sa mga kapatid ko, ang sarap sa feeling.”
Asked what made him trust God amid all the hurdles that came his way, Rodjun recalls the time he bought a car all because he wanted to show off.
“Minsan, kasi ’yung time na kumuha ako ng sasakyan nun e, mayabang ako nung bata kasi naging busy ako, tuluy-tuloy ’yung work ko,” he shares, grinning.
“Tapos biglang may month na hindi ko alam kung paano ko babayaran. Biglang bago dumating 'yung due date, bibigyan ako ni Lord ng trabaho.”
Rodjun knows whom to lean on when challenges would come along his way. But nothing prepared him for the one that would put his resolve and his faith to the ultimate test: the death of his mom due to pancreatic cancer.
- Rodjun when he learned about his mom’s cancer.
In January 2019, after their trip to Singapore, Rodjun’s mother, Beth, cried when she felt a sharp pain in her body. It turned out to be pancreatic cancer, which was already in its fourth stage.
“Nung nalaman namin na may sakit si Mama, sobrang heartbreaking talaga,” Rodjun recalls.
“Hindi namin napigilan nung sinabi nga sa amin nung doctor, sobrang iyak kaming mag-u-utol.
“Nung nalaman ko ’yun, talagang parang ramdam mo na gumuho ’yung mundo mo e, parang bagsak talaga.
“’Yung hindi mo alam kung paano mo itutuloy ’yung buhay mo na kailangan mo harapin.”
On February 2, Rodjun’s greatest fear happened. His mother lost her battle to cancer.
A few days shy of his mom’s first death anniversary, Rodjun recalls their last moment while clearly holding back his tears from falling through his cheeks.
“Nung mga huling araw niya rito sa mundo, siyempre medyo mahina na siya, ang ginawa niya sa akin no'n, bigla na lang niya akong inakap nang mahigpit,” he shares while extending his arms to show how his mom hugged him for the last time.
“Hindi siya nagsalita. Kinuha niya ako, tapos inakap ako nang sobrang higpit,” he adds before briefly pausing for five seconds.
“Ang hirap.
“Pero ’yung kinuha niya ako nang sobrang higpit, hindi niya kailangan magsalita e, parang 'yun 'yung sinasabi niya sa akin na, ‘Anak, maraming salamat. Mahal na mahal ko kayo.’
“Alam [ko] sa higpit ng yakap niya, ’yung ramdam na ramdam mo na mahal na mahal niya kami.”
The pain, to say the least, was unbearable. Not only did Rodjun lose a mother, he also lost a best friend.
“’Yung Mama ko kasi best friend ko ’yun, tapos ’yun ’yung tao na sobrang mahal ko. Alam mo ’yun? Kahit ano ’yung ugali ko, siya ’yung nagpalaki sa akin,” Rodjun says.
Admittedly, among the three Ilustre boys, Rodjun was the "mama’s boy." His wife Dianne can attest to that.
“Kung meron kang sasabihin na definition ng ‘mama’s boy,’ si Rodjun ’yun sa mommy niya,” Dianne explains.
As he had done in the past in the midst of trying times, Rodjun turned to his faith in God.
“Nung time na ’yun masakit e,” he recalls. “Pero ino-offer ko sa lahat sa kanya e kasi lahat naman ng nangyayari sa mundo, desisyon niya e.”
In fact, his faith was so strong that not once did he question God’s decision to take his mother.
“Pinag-pray namin kay Lord, kasi alam ko naman na ’pag ginusto ni Lord, kahit ano pa ’yung sakit mo, gagaling ’yan e,” Rodjun says.
“So ’yun ’yung prayer ko kay Lord, and hanggang dulo talaga never ako nag-doubt kasi alam kong kahit gaano ka-imposible, ’pag ginusto ng Diyos, gagaling ’yung Mama ko e, mawawala ’yung sakit niya.
“Pero siyempre sinurrender ko lahat kay Lord. Sabi ko kay Lord nung time na ’yun, ‘Pero siyempre Lord, siyempre kung ano ’yung will n’yo, siyempre tao ako Lord, sobrang mahal ko si Mama pero kung ’yung will n’yo na pagalingin si Mama, alam ko na gagaling siya.
“Pero kung gusto niyo na siyang kunin, wag niyo nang pahirapan si Mama.”
Rodjun did not carry the pain alone. Dianne Medina, his fiancée then, stood by his side.
- Rodjun recalls the last hug he got from his mom.
Young love
It was in 2006 when Rodjun, who was already a celebrity, met Dianne. At the time, Dianne was still an intern in ABS-CBN, Rodjun’s former TV network.
Rodjun reveals that prior to their meeting, he already saw Dianne in a TV show. The moment he saw her in person, he was immediately smitten.
“No'ng nakita ko siya in person, mas na-attract ako sa kanya kasi mas maganda pa pala siya in person,” Rodjun admits.
“No'ng una ganun lang, parang masaya lang. Tapos eventually nagkasama rin kami sa work so naging mag-friends muna kami hanggang di ko na napigilan ang akin emosyon at niligawan ko na siya.”
The feeling was mutual.
Dianne admits that when she saw Rodjun for the first time, she instantly had a crush on him.
“When I first saw him, instantly I had a crush on him kasi gwapung-gwapo na talaga ako sa physical features niya,” she admits.
“Tapos nabaitan ako sa kanya because he was the one who approached me. E, noong time na ’yun, I was just, you know, a newbie artista parang wala pa akong kilala doon.
“Eh si Rodjun, matagal na rin kasi siya doon sa network na ’yun so winelcome niya ako. Naging very friendly siya, very warm ’yung welcome niya sa akin.
“So ’yung first impression ko, was he’s very kind, he’s very approachable, and very friendly.”
- Dianne upon meeting Rodjun for the first time.
Fast forward 14 years later, Rodjun married Dianne in Manila Cathedral, the same church where Dianne’s parents tied the knot years earlier.
That marriage was the perfect finale to a chapter in their love story that took years to develop.
But like any other couple, Rodjun and Dianne’s relationship is imperfect.
Rodjun remembers the time they broke up for a month, a decision that stemmed from a petty quarrel.
Looking back on their “cool-off” period, both Rodjun and Dianne agree that it was during that time they realized how important they were in each other’s life.
Rodjun recalls, “Sa one month na ’yun na-realize ko talaga na sobrang mahal ko talaga ’tong tao na ’to and kailangan ko talaga siya sa buhay ko.
“Gusto kong ayusin din agad kung ano rin ’yung problema kasi naniniwala naman ako na bakit niyo pa papatagalin kung kaya niyong pag-usapan.
“Kung kaya niyong ayusin together, ayusin na agad.”
For her part, Dianne admits that she already had plans of moving on from the breakup. But when Rodjun reached out and started courting her again, she didn’t hesitate to give him another chance.
“Siguro, ’yung one month na ’yun, ang nasa isip ko lang, I just wanna enjoy,” Dianne says candidly.
“I was really trying to move on with my life because siguro nasa stage rin kami na ang aga rin namin masyadong natali.
“I was 19 and he was 18 when we got together. Parang feeling ko ang bata, hindi kami masyadong nabigyan ng chance to really explore.
“And maramdaman ’yung pakiramdam na may nanliligaw, ’yung maraming suitors, na nag-e-explore ka, and nag-ta-try ka, you know, dating or going out with, you know, different guys.
“Pero hindi ko naman siya tinuloy ’cause talagang si Rodjun talaga ’yung mahal ko.
“Si Rodjun talaga ’yung gusto ko.”
And the only reason Dianne decided to give their relationship another try was love.
“Whatever his mistakes are, I love him more than his mistakes,” Dianne proudly admits.
“My love for him would always be greater. So kung ano man ’yung nagawa niya, greater pa rin ’yung pagmamahalan namin.
“Kasi parang if you’re gonna sum up our whole relationship, mas marami pa rin ’yung happy moments kaysa doon sa malulungkot.
“So wala namang dalawang-isip parang mag-say 'no.’”
The happy times went on for several more years. But on their 10th anniversary as a couple, Dianne found herself at a crossroads. She felt that an important decision about their relationship had to be made.
“It was year 2017, I prayed to God kasi it was our 10th year already,” Dianne recalls.
“Parang sabi ko, our relationship was so stagnant, parang nothing’s happening.
“Sabi ko, kailangan dito, we really need to level up our relationship. So I prayed to God, sabi ko, ‘Lord, kapag kinakausap ko ’tong taong ’to, he has no concrete plans.
“Sabi ko, ‘Lord, ’pag wala pa ’to, I need to talk to him and, you know, I might move on with my life and baka may ibang plano kayo para sa akin.'”
Dianne admits that she was scared to talk to Rodjun about the idea of getting married because of a story her friend had previously shared with her.
“’Yung friend ko, natuto ako sa kanya e. Matagal na rin sila nung boyfriend niya, nung brining-up niya ’yung kasal, parang natakot sa committment, nag-break sila,” Dianne recalls.
“Eh long term ’yun, so parang may fear din ako na baka matakot ’to lalo na’t bata pa. So hinayaan ko lang sa own pace niya kung kailan siya ready.
“Nag-antay ako sa kanya kasi prior to that, ready naman talaga ako. I was just waiting.
“People were asking me, I would always tell them that the ball was not in my court kasi babae ako e. Hindi ko naman hawak, controlled ’yun e.
“Si Rodjun pa rin naman talaga ’yung magko-control kung kailan siya magpo-propose.”
Unknown to Dianne, Rodjun was already working on a plan to pop the question.
He says, “Kami ni Dianne nag-start kami nang bata, so nung umpisa ang dami naming priorities, so wala pa talaga sa isip namin ’yung magpakasal.
“Pero nung nag-propose ako sa kanya, nung 10th year namin together, naisip ko na ready na ako e. Ready na ako pakasalan siya.
“Siyempre aminin natin ’yung mga babae talaga, sila ’yung naiisip agad nila ’yung future, kung may plano ka ba sa kanila.
“Pero hindi ako ’yung tao na sinasabi ko ’yung plano ko kasi gusto ko ’yung nasu-surprise ko pa rin ’yung tao na ’yun e.”
Divine Love
Rodjun and Dianne waited for two years before getting married. Aside from that they were waiting for the construction of their conjugal home to finish, they were also waiting for the availability of the Manila Cathedral.
But in the two years of waiting and preparing for the big day, Rodjun’s mom suddenly died.
This tragedy made Rodjun realize that Dianne was, indeed, the one for him.
Dianne stayed by his side. “Imagine, noong nangyari ’yun sa kanila, I was absorbing everything, all of his negativity in life.
“Lahat ng galit niya sa mundo, I was absorbing it.
“Nung time na ’yun, we were also planning the wedding already and we were building this house.
“So nung time na ’yun, imagine-in mo ’yung stress na inaabot ko kasi talagang challenging kasi I had also to support him, at the same time, I have to be strong for him, too.
“Buti na lang, na-overcome naman niya ’yun and finally he accepted na it’s really his mother’s time na rin talaga and ni-let go na niya kay Lord.”
When the wedding day came, Rodjun and Dianne thanked their parents and prepared a tribute solely for them: Rodjun’s dad, who died in 2009, his mom, who died in 2019, and Dianne’s mom, who passed away in 2011.
“Nung wedding, talagang emotional ’yung mga guest, ’yung mga family and friends kasi we also had this tribute segment for Rodjun’s parents and my mom,” Dianne recalls.
“Very emotional kasi wala na sila and the theme of our wedding was heaven on earth, celebrating love, and celebrating also our special union with our loved ones who were already in heaven.
“Talagang very dreamy ’yung theme nung wedding kasi gusto namin ma-feel na nadun pa rin ’yung presence nung parents niya and, at the same time, ’yung Mommy ko.”
Now they are planning to create a family of their own, Rodjun promises to raise their children the way his parents had raised him.
“Ipagpapatuloy lang namin lahat ng tinuro mo sa amin, kumbaga ito ’yung new chapter na ng buhay ko,” Rodjun remembers his promise to his mom. “‘Mama, gusto ko maging katulad mo. Gusto ko maging the best na magulang sa magiging future apo mo, siyempre sa future kids ko.
“Lahat ng turo mo, hindi mawawala ’yon. Gusto ko lang sabihin na mag-enjoy ka lang dyan sa heaven, Ma.
“Siyempre bata pa ako ngayon, itutuloy ko lang ’yung buhay dito sa mundo, pero ’pag kinuha na rin ako ni Lord, magkekuwentuhan tayo diyan.
“Maaakap ulit kita at maki-kiss kita.”
- Dianne on her relationship with Rodjun.
