Dina Bonnevie on forgiving Coney Reyes, Vic Sotto
Dina Bonnevie recalls growing in love with ex-husband Vic Sotto.
Dina Bonnevie looked back at the beginning and end of her relationship with ex-husband Vic Sotto.

The actress also shared her forgiveness of Coney Reyes, which was the reason for her and Vic’s separation.

DINA BONNEVIE-vic sotto SEPARATION
During Fast Talk With Boy Abunda on Friday, May 10, 2024, one of the topics of conversation between her and host Boy Abunda was the end of her relationship with Vic.

This happened when Dina and Vic already had two children—Danica and Oyo.

Although her problems with Vic were serious, Dina said that they did not show in front of their children that they were fighting.

Vic Sotto with her children with Dina, Danica and Oyo

“We never fought in front of the kids and I never badmouthed their dad. Never!

“I never scolded him in front of his children and I would always say, ‘You only have one dad… and you have to respect him. Whatever it is.’

“Sometimes they would say, ‘There’s another boy in the house. Who’s that?’

“‘You ask your dad about it but, you know, you have to respect him ‘coz you’d only have one dad and no other.’

“That’s when Oyo got confused, ‘How come there’s another boy. Who’s that? And the boy, why is he riding on Papa’s back?’” Dina recounted.

“Who’s the boy?” Boy asked.

“Vico,” Dina replied, referring to Vic and Coney’s son, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto.

Dina continued, “And for me, it’s also hard to explain, because I was a kid! Hello, how old was I when we broke up? I was only 23.”

Coney Reyes and Vic Sotto with the young Vico Sotto

DINA BONNEVIE ON VIC SOTTO-CONEY REYES AFFAIR
Coney, who was Vic’s former co-host on Eat Bulaga!, was the catalyst for Dina and Vic’s breakup.

Tito, Vic & Joey with former Eat Bulaga! co-hosts Coney Reyes and Aiza Seguerra

Boy asked Dina, “Did you have a conversation with Vic about Coney Reyes?”

Dina replied: “Yeah, but it wasn’t even a spirited fight or what, just quiet. We talked.

“It was like, ‘Why?’ [Vic said]. Because I was inexperienced.

“Then I said, ‘What can you do, I’m a virgin, huh? I mean, what, you want me to read all the books? I mean, you wanna play games? Show me how.’

“I was a kid. I didn’t know much.

“That’s what he said to me in response, ‘You’re so inexperienced.’”

Perhaps because of her immaturity, Dina compared her and Coney’s physical characteristics, which is why Vic liked them.

She said, “For a while, it was like, you know, college girl. ‘My God, my feet are only a size 6, size 5. What about the other one?’ That’s what it was like.

“Of course I was a fool. What was I thinking.

“‘Bakeet? She’s ten years older! I can’t believe it that I’m this beautiful girl and she [Vic], her chin is long, why is that?’”

But Dina later realized that it wasn’t just the physical aspect that attracted the two people.

“And then eventually, you mellowed down and say, ‘How dumb of me. It’s not in the physical world, girl. It has nothing to do with physical. It’s probably the meeting of the minds.’

“Because at that time, Vic also wanted to start producing and, of course, I couldn’t contribute anything to that because I was young. I don’t know about producing?

“I wasn’t even in the corporate world yet.

“Maybe at the time, there was a meeting of the minds because they were both learning the ropes of production. And, I think, she [Coney] was already producing then,” said Dina.

Vic founded his own TV and film production, M-ZET Productions, which produced sitcoms like Okay Ka, Fairy Ko and blockbuster movies like the Enteng Kabisote franchise.

Coney founded CAN Television and Productions, which co-produced actress Coney Reyes’s former drama anthology On Camera. CAN is the initials of Coney’s real name, Constancia Angeline Nubla.

Dina added, “It’s really different, maybe they’re on AM, I’m on FM. And I don’t really know.

“But what I know is what [Vic] said was, ‘You seem so inexperienced.’”

Dina got pregnant at age 19, and became a mother at age 20

DINA BONNEVIE ON FORGIVING CONEY REYES
Dina confessed that it took a long time before she could forgive. But when it did, she sent Vic and Coney flowers.

Dina said, “It took a lot of time until the point that Danica was telling her, ‘You know, Mommy, you’re so bitter. I wish you’d really let go because you’re so bitter.’

“It’s like, every waking moment, if there’s a little opportunity, like when I felt sad, I’m alone and I was having a hard time with the kids, like when we’re transferring house and all these things, I would rant.

“Because, I’m so young, I should have a man with me. Like I’m so pretty and then why? Like I’m up there. Like, ‘Whaaaat, are you serious?’

“I wasn’t a child anymore, but 23 is young. You don’t understand a lot of things.

“When Danica said that, and then, of course, I studied Taoism, Hinduism, all religions.

“And then I said, ‘Why are you doing this to me God? I’m a good daughter. I’m a good mother. I am a good wife. I am a good daughter-in-law. Why? Why do You do this to me?

“‘I didn’t steal from anyone. I didn’t do any evil thing to anyone. But why do you repay me with this? I asked for bread and then You gave me a snake?’”

What hurt Dina’s heart even more was that she and Coney used to be “best friends”.

She said, “And of course, we’re best friends, so it hurts even more.

“But I guess through times, I said, there’s no point in going to this unless I really let go and just accept that it’s like this.”

Eventually, religion became a way for Coney and I to finally reconcile and forgive each other.

Dina said, “And so, eventually, I became a Christian after studying all the many religions. And then I bumped into her.

“She asked me, ‘Do you want to go to our church?’ I was surprised, ‘Go to your church? Really?’

“But then Danica said, ‘You don’t go to church for people, do you? You’re going there for God.’

“Then I realized, I saw… I mean, she [Coney] changed in leaps and bounds. Bringing people to God, bringing people to Jesus, telling the people about salvation.

“So I asked myself, ‘Is this the person I’d like to hate? I can’t hate this person. I can’t!’

“So I let it go and I gave her a bunch of white roses and then I said, ‘I forgive you.’

“Actually, there was one time she tried to talk to me and what I was then, because it was in public.

“But then, I forgave her, I forgave Vic.

“I also sent him flowers and I said, ‘I forgive you but most of all, I forgive me.’”DINA BONNEVIE ON GROWING IN LOVE WITH VIC SOTTO
As expected, Dina also revealed in an interview with Boy Abunda that her love affair with Vic began in 1981.

Dina was only nineteen years old at the time and was just starting to become famous as an actress in the Regal Films camp.

This led to their marriage, even though the actress’s father, Honesto Bonnevie, was against it.

Dina Bonnevie and Vic Sotto on their wedding day

Dina said, “We were supposed to be married, but the marriage wasn’t real. The man who married us was a clerk of court, which we didn’t know.

“And then, we ran away, because we’re doing a show together, the Lucky Stars.

“He [Vic] just said to me, ‘Do you want to come home with me? Come home with me.’

“And, right, we always have suitcases of clothes when you’re an artist? Well, I didn’t say that, okay. So, we hid from my dad.”

According to Dina, she didn’t fall in love with Vic right away but learned to love him when they were together as a couple.

“And then eventually, that’s why I always say, I didn’t fall in love with Vic. I grew in love.

“There’s a difference. Because when you fall in love, you fall in love, then ‘I’m so in love. He’s so pogi and all these…’

“That’s not the case with Vic.

“It wasn’t about being pogi, but he was Mr. 1-2-3, and I’m like, ‘Duh! Mr. 1-2-3?’” Dina referred to the title of Vic’s 1980 movie with Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon.

Dina also said, “It’s like my boyfriend used to be like that, Alfie Anido, right?”

Alfie Anido is the actor who passed away at the age of 22 on December 30, 1981.

Dina also said that Vic eventually started to like her.

She said, “But then, it’s different when you grow in love, because you’re beginning to see his good points.

“He’s okay. He’s kind, he’s respectful, he loves his mother a lot, he respects his kuyas.

“That’s where you build your personality. One doesn’t judge because of one’s inability to speak social English.

“But then I saw that he really had a good heart. Eventually, that’s when you saw that he was a good person. How could I have judged him, and that’s when I really really grew in love with him.

“And then when I grew in love with him, I became possessive. ‘You have to bring me to taping, you have to bring me to shooting. You have to pick me up.’

“It’s the other way around. Whereas the first one was, ‘Haaa, God, nooo!’

“I remember, I used to say, ‘Why do you have a lot of toilet jokes? Really? I am so sick of hearing them, do you mind?’ I’m still like that!’”