Kapuso star Bianca Umali revealed the real reason why she joined Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), saying it was a personal choice and not because of her boyfriend Ruru Madrid.
On February 17, on Nelson Canlas’s podcast, Umali revealed that joining INC was a personal choice and not a choice made out of love.
Umali declared, “First of all, yes, isa na po akong ganap na Iglesia ni Cristo. But I don’t think I would have it fall under the category of things you do for love or these things that I do for love.”
As she explained, it was a personal choice; she wanted something for herself that would last; not something materialistic. It was on her 20th birthday that she realized she had been looking for “faith” all along.
The actress shared that she felt God’s presence guiding her despite her shortcomings.
“I knew that God had always been in my life. He has always guided me. He has always been with me—holding my hand. Hindi niya ako pinabayaan, even though I wasn’t this close to Him and alam kong marami rin akong pagkakamali noon sa Kaniya,” Umali revealed.
In September 2022, Ruru Madrid shared that his girlfriend Umali became an INC member following their relationship.
Madrid explained, “Before ka maging INC, eight months. Kailangan mo aralin ‘yung 25 lessons, and then after that kailangan mo pa ‘yung tinatawag naming ‘sinusubok.’ Dun kailangan hindi ka makapag-miss ng kahit isang pagsamba. Kailangan mo makapunta dun sa mga tinawang naming mga pulong, na lahat yun dapat makumpleto mo.”
“For her [Bianca] po kasi, inaral niya po muna and the same with me. Kaya somehow ‘di ko masasabi na it’s because of me kaya niya ginawa ‘yun,” he added.
Madrid admitted that he and Umali hid their relationship before to protect their respective love teams. Their sweet photos together posted online sparked their rumored relationship.
They confirmed their relationship as a ‘couple’ in August 2022.
Umali and Madrid will lead the upcoming Kapuso project titled The Write One.
