Baron Geisler promised his family, friends and fans that he is going to "shape up" just before checking into a rehabilitation facility south of Manila.
Geisler says he is aware of how deeply he has become engulfed by alcohol abuse, but admits he has never found the courage to confront his addiction.
Saying "it started with my break-up with Jodi several years back," Baron relates how he started drinking after being ditched by former girlfriend and Tabing Ilog co-star Jodi Sta. Maria in 2002.
"It wasn't uncontrollable," says the actor. "I just felt it was a good escape, but I was always in control of what I was doing."
Despite his growing alcohol abuse, Geisler took his craft seriously and in fact showed flashes of acting brilliance in some of his indie film projects. He won two Best Actor awards from Cinemalaya, the indie film festival in Manila, for Jay (2008), where he played a television reporter, and in Donor (2010), where he portrayed a misogynistic young man who drives his wife to make untold sacrifices.
He has been accused of committing lewd acts against three women, two against fellow stars Yasmin Kurdi and Julia Clarete, and the other against the daughter of former teen star Yayo Aguila. His most recent debacle was when he was accused by award-winning actress Cherry Pie Picache of molesting her during a shoot for Noah, the prime time show in which they both appeared. The powerful association of talent managers, PAMI, stepped in to uphold the protest filed by Picache.
The organisation issued a ban against Geisler. None of their artists would accept a project if the actor was in the cast. "My back was against the wall. I was full of hatred. I didn't molest Cherry Pie. I actually apologised on the set several times, if she felt she had been violated. My pleadings fell on deaf ears," the actor says.
"Actually, hindi naman dahil nagkaroon ng kaso with PAMI. [Actually, it wasn't because PAMI practically banned me]," he says. "Even before this thing happened I was already undergoing treatment for detoxification for 10 days, but it had to be stopped because I was needed in Noah."
In several interviews after PAMI's announcement, Geisler revealed he will finally go for a three-month rehab. "I realize this is my responsibility. I've let my family and supporters down, and I've let myself down. I'm going to shape up and hopefully get better," he adds.
It took a while before Geisler actually got into a facility. In fact, there was a rumor that Baron took the public for a ride — that he wasn't going into rehab after all.
His handler, Arnold Vegafria, denied the accusations. "He has checked into rehab, that's for sure. It just took a while because he had to do lots of tests. Those who do not know should realize there's a whole process to this, so they should stop the rumor-mongering and give the guy a break," he said.
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