Veteran actress Chanda Romero has expressed her eagerness to work with Coco Martin, the director and lead star of ‘FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,’ after hearing that he had expressed interest in collaborating with her.

Chanda, who is known for her award-winning performances, revealed that she has longed for an opportunity to work with Coco but has not yet been given that chance—until now.

In a recent interview with ABS-CBN, Chanda shared her excitement after learning that Coco wanted to feature her in a future project.

“Ang tagal naman. Bakit hanggang ngayon wala pa rin, Coco?”she joked, playfully addressing the delay in their collaboration.

Chanda then revealed that she had reached out to Coco’s manager to express her interest in the project, saying, “I talked to the manager and said, ‘That is so flattering and hey, why not? I’d like to work with him too.’”

Coco Martin, in previous interviews, has mentioned that he has always wanted to work with veteran stars such as Chanda, Gina Alajar, and Rio Locsin. The Teleserye King expressed admiration for these talented actresses and actors, adding that it’s a dream to direct them in ‘FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.’ “Marami. Sabi ko nga gusto kong makatrabaho sila Chanda Romero. Actually, yung mga mahuhusay nating actresses, actors. Gina Alajar, sina Tita Rio Locsin,” Coco shared.

In a separate interview, Coco also revealed plans to cast Gina Pareño, another respected veteran actress, in ‘FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.’ However, he emphasized that the roles given to these iconic stars should be meaningful and significant to the storyline. “Gusto ko, binigyan ko ng trabaho kasi may dahilan, may rason at may importansya ‘yung role niya,” he explained.

Coco also shared his personal admiration for Gina Pareño, who he credits for helping him develop his discipline as an actor. “Tsaka lola ko ‘yan. Sobrang mahal na mahal ko yan,” Coco said, reflecting on the impact Gina has had on his career.