MANILA, Philippines - Despite a protracted annulment of his marriage to former actress Bianca Lapuz, comedian Vhong Navarro says he is happy and ?content? now.

?Sobrang saya. My mom and dad are okay, my kids are healthy, my career is doing well,? the comedian said. ?There?ll always be problems. I accept them as things that make me grow.?

Because the annulment is ?such a sensitive issue,? Vhong could not talk openly about his current romance with actress Desiree del Valle.

The annulment case was filed four years ago. Vhong has an 8-year-old son with Bianca named Isaiah; the mother of his eldest, Frederick, 11, is not a show biz personality.

?Desiree knows everything that?s going on in my life. She?s always behind me. She cares for my family and my kids. She?s ready to accept whatever happens with the annulment case,? Vhong said.

During lunch with entertainment writers on Wednesday, Vhong ?set the record straight,? and denied courting ?Supah Papalicious? costar Valerie Concepcion.

?She?s still going through a lot; a new relationship is the farthest from her mind,? he said of Valerie, who transferred from the Kapuso to the Kapamilya network late last year.

Vhong added that he got to ?talk serious stuff? with Valerie while working on ?Supah?: ?She told me she was focusing on work, and that her daughter (Fionna, 3) is her priority.?

How far would you go for love?
Dati halos ipagpalit ko ang mga magulang ko. An ex-girlfriend virtually made me choose between her and my family. Nasunod ang puso ko. Even my job got affected when we quarreled. It went on that way for a year and a half. It was tough. I guess that?s why the relationship ended.

Paano mapapaiyak ang isang Vhong Navarro?
Mababaw ang luha ko. I don?t think I could tolerate a girlfriend who would leave me for my best friend. ?Yun ang magpapaiyak sa akin. And that has happened.

Did that make you picky?
If a girl really loves me, she should love my kids, too; package deal kaming tatlo. She also has to love my family. Ganun din ako magmahal. Pinapakisamahan ko ang pamilya.

Have you ever beendumped?
It happened a lot in high school. That series of pambabasted forced me to ask myself, ?What?s wrong with me? Why don?t girls like me??

How do you react when people say you?re now the top young comedian in ABS-CBN?
I tell them I?m just thankful that ABS-CBN is taking good care of my career.

Don?t you find the film?s title too gay?
We had trouble thinking of a good title. We even had a contest?we gave P5,000 to the person who finally thought it up. My character is described as a ?super papa? who will do anything for his beloved. I don?t know about me being ?delicious.?

?Supah Papalicious,? produced by Star Cinema and directed by Gilbert Perez, will be shown nationwide starting March 22.

(Email mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)