Lorna Tolentino and Lito Lapid. Photo from the actress' Instagram page 

MANILA -- Veteran actress Lorna Tolentino was free from any taping schedule that was why she was able to accommodate gracing the 35th anniversary of Wacoal at the Okada Manila Grand Ballroom recently.

Tolentino, who is regularly seen on ABS-CBN’s top-rating primetime series, “Batang Quiapo,” has been a Wacoal icon for three years now.

The multi-awarded actress cannot be thankful enough that the viewing public has patronized her partnership with actor-politician Lito Lapid, who has been paired with her in “Batang Quiapo.”

“Maraming salamat,” Tolentino said. “Talagang ‘yun naman ang gusto namin para mas panoorin ang ‘Batang Quiapo.’ May sari-sariling plot ang mga characters.

“If it won’t work, the story will not be okay. They also follow the plot. Thankfully, kinagat naman ‘yung sa amin ngayon.”

Although there’s nothing seriously romantic between her and Lapid, Tolentino is simply game with the TV tandem that started in “Batang Quiapo.” Her talent manager, Lolit Solis, is reportedly not amenable to the romantic partnership with Lapid, but Tolentino simply shrugged it off.

Tolentino also recently ventured into bringing in foreign films to the Philippines and she joined fellow actress Sylvia Sanchez in Cannes, France, where they got the films.

“We left last May 12 for Cannes and we stayed there until May 26,” Tolentino said. “We were able to buy films. I am just fixing our corporation and SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) papers, para kaming dalawa na talaga ni Sylvia ang mag-partners.

They were able to buy six animation films which will all be released locally. “One is ‘Tooth Fairy,’ then ‘Panda Bear in Africa.’ We have two Japanese films that are animation also," she said. “In Netflix, the strongest are the Japanese animation that are really good. We still have two that are being fixed for exhibition.”

The two weeks that Tolentino and Sanchez were in Cannes, it was not just watching trailers for them. “Mahirap,” Tolentino said. “You have to gauge what are the films Filipino viewers will like. You really have to choose.

“Gusto namin Korean films, but they are now pre-selling, parang condominium. At ang mahal. Parang ka-level na nila ang Hollywood films. Parang mas come-on na for children ang nabili namin. The kids will bring their parents.”

So far, Tolentino’s outfit purchased “Monster,” a drama-thriller art film, as well as “Silent Night,” an action flick by John Woo.