MARK HERRAS

The Fire Still Burns

With all the challenges that he’s experienced and the life lessons learned, Mark Herras has definitely lived up to his title, the “Ultimate Survivor.”

Text by: Jimboy Napoles
Photo by: Artikulo 247

“What’s the bravest thing you did for your family?”

For Mark Herras, it was getting out of his comfort zone at the age of 16.

Growing up, Mark never dreamed of becoming an actor or entering the showbiz industry. He just wanted an average life for himself together with his foster parents.

“Well, sa totoo lang hindi ko pangarap mag-showbiz o pasukin ’yung buhay artista,” he said in an exclusive interview with GMANetwork.com.

But one day, everything in his life changed when his father disclosed to him that their family got scammed, which dealt a huge blow to their finances. At that time, Mark, though very young, felt the urge to find ways to help his family recoup what had been lost.

“The reason was na-scam kami nagkaroon kami ng problema sa family. So, ’yun ’yung choice ko sabi ko sa kanila puwede naman akong mag-working student, pero sabi ni erpat ko [my father] hindi mo kaya ’yun.”

Surprisingly, the opportunity to enter showbiz suddenly came.

“And then sabi niya [my father] nung gabi, ‘Mark, anak, may audition sa GMA-7, StarStruck. Sabi ko, ‘Pa, ano ’yun? Parang ‘Mr. Pogi’ po ba ‘yan?’” he recalled.

With a heart filled with fire and hope, Mark traveled all the way from Laguna to Quezon City to try his luck and auditioned for the first season of the reality artista search of GMA in 2003.

“Ang nasa utak ko noon siyempre kailangan kong kumita ng pera kasi nga kailangan kong matulungan ’yung magulang ko dahil sa nangyari sa amin. So doon po nag-start ’yan and then the rest is history,” he shared.

Despite being on the last day of the auditions, Mark passed the screening and got in. As fate would have it, even though he went out of his comfort zone, the 16-year-old young man from Laguna emerged as the first Ultimate Male Survivor of StarStruck.

“Ang nasa utak ko noon siyempre kailangan kong kumita ng pera kasi nga kailangan kong matulungan ’yung magulang ko dahil sa nangyari sa amin. So doon po nag-start ’yan and then the rest is history."

Showbiz Career

Mark admitted that after being hailed as the grand winner of the reality show, his life turned 180 degrees in just a snap and he was overwhelmed by all the sudden attention he received.

“S’yempre hindi naman ako galing sa mundo ng showbiz di ba? Wala akong idea, wala akong alam, kahit natapos namin ’yung first StarStruck na competition. Kunwari lalabas ako bibili lang ako sa 7/11 [convenience store], nakapambahay lang ako, sando, shorts, normal get-up so napagsabihan ako na hindi raw dapat ganoon. S’yempre hindi pa siya agad na nag-si-sink-in sa akin,” he recalled.

Not used to fame, Mark learned how to adjust with all the sudden changes in his life and deliberately worked on several TV projects he eventually became one of the most in-demand actors of GMA during his time.

“After our ‘Judgement Day,’ kung tama ako dumiretso agad kami ni Jen [Jennylyn Mercado] ng taping kay Direk Mark Reyes I think out of town ata ’yung location namin, tapos ’yun tuloy-tuloy ang trabaho as in parang literal na Monday to Sunday ’yung nabigay sa akin na projects ng GMA na trabaho but I’m really grateful for it,” he recalled.

Prior to show business, Mark also had quite a career as a performer. Back when he was still a student, his passion for dancing made him one of the school’s go-to dancers whenever they needed students to perform for school programs. Mark was also a member of a dance troupe in Laguna.

“Mahilig ako sumayaw sa mga school programs, kahit anong program yata ng school kahit hindi kailangan sumayaw ay sumasayaw kami. I think doon ko siya nakuha, and before, naging parte din ako ng isang dance troupe,” Mark proudly shared.

Mark also believes that his dancing skills helped him to stand out in StarStruck.

“I think ’yun talaga, ito ’yung parang during StarStruck competition, dumaan ’yung acting week, singing week, hosting week, talagang alam ko sa sarili ko na wala akong ibubuga diyan sa mga ’yan. Nung pagdating ng dancing week, parang ito na, dito na parang naisip ko kaya ko nang ipakita sa kanila kung anong kaya ko parang ganun. Pero I’m not saying na magaling na magaling akong sumayaw. Siguro sa tagal ng panahon na sumasayaw ako ay nahasa na lang talaga,” he recalled.

Because of his admirable talent in dancing, Mark quickly rose to fame as a dancer and he was dubbed as the “Bad Boy Of The Dance Floor.” During the peak of his career, he created several dance crazes that became a nationwide hit, including “Average Joe,” “Gasolina,” “Caramba,” and “Chocolate.”

"Never naman na pumasok sa isip ko na mag-quit or tumigil, pero ang nasa isip ko lang palagi, inaalagaan ako ng GMA, ng Sparkle GMA Artist Center, hanggat may kontrata ako sa kanila, hanggat gusto nila akong bigyan ng project at ng trabaho, siyempre tatanggapin ko ‘yun.”

Talking about his acting career, Mark shared that one of his memorable TV projects was his titular series Fantastic Man. Originally, it was a movie of comedian and host Vic Sotto that they remade and turned into a series in the year 2007.

Mark said, “Actually marami [akong memorable na series] pero I think pinaka-memorable ’yung Fantastic Man, it's a movie of Bossing [Vic Sotto] na ginawa naming teleserye sa GMA directed by Zoren Legaspi. Naka-two seasons kami ng Fantastic Man.”

Aside from feeling proud to be chosen as the lead actor of the show, Mark also felt honored when Bossing Vic, the original Fantastic Man, gave him his blessings and wished him to give the iconic Pinoy fictional character justice.

“I think kaya hindi ko siya makakalimutan kasi bukod sa ito ’yung show na sobrang dami kong ginawang stunts, lagi akong naka-harness, naka-costume at nakuha namin ’yung blessing ni Bossing, kasi ’yun ’yung intro ng show namin na parang bine-bless ako ni Bossing to be the next Fantastic Man on TV. I think isa ’yun sa mga highlights ng career ko.”

Since then, Mark has been active in his showbiz career and remains thankful to the people who have been supportive of him since Day One.

“Unang-unang diyan syempre ang GMA, sunod sina Atty. Felipe Gozon, Sir Jimmy Duavit, GMA Artist Center, sina Daryl [Zamora], sina Rap Alvarez, sina Jelai [Jel Capistrano], and siyempre ang manager ko before si Manay Lolit [Solis], nagpapasalamat ako sa kanya sa mga nagawa niya para sa akin, siyempre sina Tita Lilybeth Rasonable at siyempre sa lahat ng mga boss na until now e, binibigyan pa rin ako ng trabaho,” he stated.

Despite the growing number of new artists making their own names in the industry, Mark was able to maintain his career by having good working relationships with all the people around him. He never left showbiz and he still humbly accepted the projects that were being offered to him.

“Na-experience ko na ’yung mawawalan kami ng project, tapos marami na rin ang artista ng GMA na parang umiikot-ikot lang ’yan e. Never naman na pumasok sa isip ko na mag-quit or tumigil, pero ang nasa isip ko lang palagi, inaalagaan ako ng GMA, ng Sparkle GMA Artist Center, hanggat may kontrata ako sa kanila, hanggat gusto nila akong bigyan ng project at ng trabaho, siyempre tatanggapin ko ’yun.”

Mark admits that he’s long accepted that he already reached the peak of his career and that at this point in his life, he just wants a stable, active career.

“Na-experience ko na ’yung peak ng career ko before so I’m thankful for that. Parang ang gusto ko lang talaga ay magtagal sa showbiz na may ganitong estado,” he said.

"Na-experience ko na ’yung peak ng career ko before so I’m thankful for that. Parang ang gusto ko lang talaga ay magtagal sa showbiz ng may ganitong estado."

Being in the industry for over a decade has taught Mark a lot of lessons. One of these lessons is to respect and be thankful to the people who help and support him since the very beginning of his showbiz journey.

“Madalas kong sinasabi ito e, ’yung marunong kang lumingon sa pinanggalingan mo, marunong kang tumanaw ng utang na loob sa mga taong kasama mo from day one.”

Mark emphasized that it is also important to build a relationship with the production staff, the people behind the camera, and not just with fellow artists.

“Ako alam ng mga tao ’yan na talagang wala akong arte sa mga nakakasama ko, sobrang nakikipag-usap ako, hindi ’yung parang pinipilit ko lang kasi ano ’yun e, after everything na mangyayari sa atin nandyan pa rin sila para maniwala sa ’yo, para sumuporta sa ’yo,” he said.

“For example, sa mga staff lang sa taping, mga crew, kapag ikaw nawalan ng taping sila meron pa rin di ba, so be grateful to everyone na nakakasama mo sa trabaho. Siyempre kung wala sila, wala ka rin sa show,” he added.

He has gone through playing a lot of TV characters, but there is still one role that Mark wanted to portray and that is to be a full-time and hard-hearted kontrabida.

He said, “Kontrabida na malala siguro, talagang kontrabida talaga na legit kasi ’yun ’yung isa sa masarap na gawin at the same time ’yung mga action-comedy. Siyempre pag-TV kasi bihira tayong gumawa ng ganun, but if given a chance why not?”

Major Life Changes

It is a little known story that Mark grew up with his gay foster parents. He was raised by his late gay uncle Herminigildo “Pim” Santos and his late life-partner Claudio Herras whom he called “Daddy Jun.”

Even before, Mark never felt ashamed about having two gay fathers as his parents. In fact, Mark’s biggest dream was to be able to give back to his parents to honor all their sacrifices for him. But life had other plans for Mark.

In 2014, his Daddy Jun died because of severe diabetes and then two years later, his uncle Pim died due to cardiac arrest.

Mark admitted that he never really got to mourn the death of his parents at that time because it happened so fast and the twofold setbacks left him completely devastated.

“Hindi ko talaga masabi kung nag-move forward na ako pero mahirap e, like what happened to my parents di ba after my lola died, my dad died, then after two years my mom died, after six months my tito died, so parang sabi ko nga hindi ako nakapag-mourn nang maayos. Hindi ako nakapagluksa talaga kasi tuloy-tuloy lang ang pangyayari sa buhay ko. Gulat nga ako nabuhay pa ako e,” he narrated.

“Siyempre masakit, mahirap, ang tagal kong tinatanong sa sarili ko at kay God, ‘Bakit? Anong reason? Tama po ba na sunod-sunod niyo silang kinuha sa akin?’ Hindi ko ma-explain pero every day I miss them. Iba ’yung iniwan nila sa akin,” Mark lamented.

Mark remembered the time he suddenly broke down because of the heaviness he felt on his chest when his parents died.

“When I was driving one time, matagal na, bigla akong nag-breakdown I don’t know why. Kinausap ko sila [foster parents] sabi ko, ‘Maraming, maraming salamat pa rin sa lahat. Thank you for everything. Alam ko hindi ko nasasabi lagi agad sa inyo na mag-thank you. Alam niyo naman kung gaano kalaki ang pasasalamat ko sa inyo at ’tinuring niyo talaga ako na sarili niyong anak.’”

After all the challenges he has gone through, Mark still pushes himself to be brave just like what his late parents taught him to be.

“’Yung utak na meron ako because of them na kahit mahirap tanggapin, may something sa loob ko na nagsasabi na mag-move forward hindi para kalimutan sila, kung ’di to move forward sa buhay dahil marami pang puwedeng mangyaring maganda sa buhay ko.”

"Dahil maganda ’yung inspirasyon mo sa buhay, my wife and kay Corky, iba ’yung ligaya, iba ’yung saya na ibinibigay nila sa akin."

Family Man

Mark found his happiness again when he met his wife Nicole Donesa, with whom he now has a son named Mark Fernando or Baby Corky.

“Dahil maganda ’yung inspirasyon mo sa buhay, my wife and kay Corky, iba ’yung ligaya, iba ’yung saya na ibinibigay nila sa akin.”

One of the things that changed when he became a husband and a father was his drive to work.

“Siguro ’yung pinaka-change na ginawa nila sa akin is literal talaga na maging focused sa trabaho. Kasi nung dumating si Corky wala pa akong trabaho ulit dahil sa pandemic. So nung nagkaroon ako ng trabaho parang iba ’yung drive ko na magtrabaho, iba ’yung drive ko na gawin ’yung role ko, parang seryoso ako sa ginagawa ko, parang seryoso naman ako before, mas seryoso lang ako ngayon nang solid, kaya talagang ’yung bawat galaw ko, ’yung bawat kilos ko, iniisip ko ’yung magiging epekto sa kanila,” he said.

Being a family man brings out the best in him, indeed.

“‘Yung pagiging inspirasyon nila for me sobrang malaking bagay, mas focused ako na ayusin lahat ng ginagawa ko.”

Mark also accepted that he is done with his teenage years, the late-night parties, and such. Being a responsible family man and a good provider, that’s his main goal now.

“Pinagsawaan ko na ’yung kabataan ko. Napagsawaan ko na ’yung gimik dito, gimik doon, pero ngayon it’s time to be really responsible, talagang responsable kasi may baby ka na, may asawa ka na, may binubuhay ka na na pamilya na hindi mo naman puwedeng paasahin lang. This time talagang it’s all for them,” Mark shared.

What is important for him today is the happiness and security of his family.

“Well siyempre gusto ko lang na maging maayos at walang problema at lagi lang masaya ang pamilya ko. Siyempre ang asawa ko, may kasabihan nga na ‘happy wife, happy life’ totoo naman ’yun, at pag nagkaroon ka na ng asawa, doon pala papasok ’yung sasabihan ka na ng mga kaibigan mo na ‘ander’ ka na ng asawa mo. Okey lang na tawagin kang ‘ander’ kasi may misis na e. For my son, gusto ko lang siyempre na makuha niya lahat ’yung bagay na gusto niya. Gusto kong makapagtapos siya ng pag-aaral kasi ’yun ’yung hindi ko natapos.”

“Pinagsawaan ko na ’yung kabataan ko. Napagsawaan ko na ’yung gimik dito, gimik doon, pero ngayon it’s time to be really responsible, talagang responsable kasi may baby ka na, may asawa ka na, may binubuhay ka na na pamilya..."

At this writing, Mark’s latest project was the role of Elijah Borromeo, a good son, and a successful businessman in the GMA Afternoon Prime series titled Artikulo 247.

From a young dreamer to a hardworking believer, and now an ultimate survivor. Mark knows how to drive his path with all the lessons he learned from weathering all the storms that came into his life.

“Lagi ko itong sinasabi, sobrang maiksi lang ang buhay ng tao. Based on my experience, hindi mo alam puwedeng bukas wala na ’yung taong mahal mo, o magulang mo, o sinuman. So every day, every minute, i-enjoy mo ’yung buhay mo with them, with your friends, with your family. Kung may trabaho ka, gawin mo nang maayos para maging masaya rin ’yung mga katrabaho mo, ’yung mga boss mo, kasi you’ll never know na kinabukasan puwedeng ikaw na ’yung mawala, o ’yung mahal mo, o ’yung ka-trabaho mo.

“Life is too short para hindi mag-enjoy, mag-enjoy in a right way. Hindi mo na kasi puwedeng ibalik ’yung mga nasayang na panahon na hindi mo kasama ’yung mga magulang mo, ’yung asawa mo.

“Para sa akin life is too short kaya gumawa ka ng mas maraming tama, at I’m sure magiging masaya ang mga tao sa paligid mo.”

"Kung may trabaho ka, gawin mo nang maayos para maging masaya rin ’yung mga katrabaho mo, ’yung mga boss mo, kasi you’ll never know na kinabukasan puwedeng ikaw na ’yung mawala, o ’yung mahal mo, o ’yung ka-trabaho mo.”