Rio Locsin’s current husband is Padim Israel, a former professional basketball player who later became an Evangelical Christian pastor. The two have been together since the mid-1980s, making theirs one of the longest marriages in Philippine entertainment history.
Before Padim Israel, Locsin was briefly married to actor and comedian Al Tantay. That union ended around 1985, and by 1986 she had remarried and started a new chapter with Israel.
Who Is Rio Locsin’s Husband?
Padim Israel is Rio Locsin’s husband, best known for two distinct phases of his life: a career in professional basketball in the Philippines, and a later calling as an Evangelical Christian pastor. He and Locsin have been married since approximately 1986, with their union now spanning more than 40 years. They have one daughter together named Joses.
Very little about Israel has circulated in mainstream media, which fits the family’s consistent preference for keeping personal life away from public scrutiny. What is known about him comes primarily from biographical sources tied to Locsin’s career and public records of her family.
Rio Locsin’s full legal name, Maria Theresa Rosario Garcia Nayve-Israel, reflects both of her marriages. The surname “Israel” dates to her second and current marriage to Padim.
Padim Israel: From Basketball Courts to the Pulpit
Padim Israel spent his early career as a professional basketball player in the Philippines before making a complete pivot to Evangelical Christian ministry. Multiple biographical sources, including Wikipedia’s entry on Rio Locsin and genealogy databases, consistently describe him as a “former basketball player turned Evangelical Christian pastor.” He remains an active pastor, though the specifics of his congregation are not publicly on record.
The combination of athletic and pastoral identity makes Israel genuinely unusual in the orbit of Philippine entertainment figures.

His Basketball Career
Israel played professionally during a period when Philippine basketball drew strong national interest. The Philippine Basketball Association, established in 1975, was the dominant professional league throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, the era when Israel was active as a player.
Specific team affiliations, position, or career statistics for Israel are not available in public biographical databases. His playing career is consistently mentioned in brief terms across sources focused primarily on his wife’s public life.
The Transition to Pastoral Work
At some point after his playing days, Padim Israel converted to Evangelical Christianity and became a pastor. Multiple sources confirm this career trajectory, though the timeline of his conversion and the name of the church he leads remain undisclosed.
The shift from competitive sports to pastoral leadership represents one of the more striking private stories in Rio Locsin’s biography. A professional athlete reinventing himself as a spiritual figure is a meaningful life change, and by available accounts Israel has embraced that role fully since the mid-1980s. The two worlds, hardwood floors and church pews, could not be further apart in daily rhythm.
Rio Locsin and Padim Israel: A 40-Year Marriage
Rio Locsin and Padim Israel married around 1986, following her separation from first husband Al Tantay. According to dating history databases, their relationship began in 1986 and has continued uninterrupted, placing their current marriage duration at approximately 40 years as of 2026.
Locsin has never made her marriage to Israel the centerpiece of her public persona. She continued working throughout the 1990s and 2000s in films and television dramas, but consistently kept the domestic side of her life private.
According to her Wikipedia biography, Locsin “remarried to a former basketball player turned Evangelical Christian pastor, Padim Israel” after separating from Al Tantay. The entry lists Israel as her current spouse and notes three daughters total.
The couple had one daughter together, Joses. Rio also raised two daughters from her first marriage, Jabba and Paula, within the household she built with Israel. Four decades of that domestic stability, maintained quietly while she remained a public figure, is the defining feature of this marriage.
Rio Locsin’s Two Marriages: Al Tantay vs. Padim Israel
Rio Locsin has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Filipino actor, comedian, and director Al Tantay; her second and current marriage is to Padim Israel. The two relationships differ substantially in duration, public visibility, and the nature of the men involved.
| Detail | First Marriage (Al Tantay) | Second Marriage (Padim Israel) |
|---|---|---|
| Partner’s Profession | Actor, comedian, director | Former basketball player, now pastor |
| Marriage Start (approx.) | 1981 | 1986 |
| End / Current Status | Separated, approx. 1985 | Ongoing (as of 2026) |
| Duration | Approximately 4 years | Approximately 40 years |
| Children | Jabba and Paula | Joses |
| Public Profile of Marriage | Moderate (both were entertainment figures) | Low (Israel stayed out of public view) |
Al Tantay was a recognizable figure in Philippine entertainment during the early 1980s. Both he and Locsin operated in the same industry, which gave their union a degree of media attention that her second marriage to Israel never had.
The reasons for the separation from Tantay have not been publicly disclosed by either party. Locsin moved on within a year, and the longevity of her second marriage has, by any measure, far outpaced the first.
Rio Locsin’s Children and Family Life
Rio Locsin has three daughters across her two marriages. Jabba and Paula were born from her marriage to Al Tantay; Joses came from her union with Padim Israel. All three daughters have been raised largely outside of public view, consistent with how Locsin has managed the private side of her life throughout her career.
None of the three have pursued entertainment careers with the same public profile as their mother. Biographical sources confirm their names but provide little additional detail about their lives or current activities.
According to Famousbirthdays.com’s profile of Rio Locsin, she has three daughters: two with Al Tantay and one with Padim Israel, identified by name as Jabba, Paula, and Joses respectively.
Rio Locsin maintained an active television and film career well into the 2010s while raising these three daughters, a parallel track that is easy to overlook given how completely she separated professional work from personal life in the public record.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rio Locsin’s Husband
Who is Rio Locsin’s husband?
Rio Locsin’s husband is Padim Israel, a former professional basketball player in the Philippines who later became an Evangelical Christian pastor. They married around 1986 and have remained together for approximately 40 years.
Is Rio Locsin still married to Padim Israel?
Based on available biographical sources as of 2026, Rio Locsin and Padim Israel are still married. Their union, which began around 1986, has lasted more than four decades with no public reports of separation or divorce.
What does Padim Israel do for a living?
Padim Israel is an Evangelical Christian pastor. He spent his earlier years as a professional basketball player before making a significant career change into ministry. The specific church or congregation he leads has not been publicly disclosed.
Does Rio Locsin have children with Padim Israel?
Yes, Rio Locsin and Padim Israel have one daughter together named Joses. Locsin also has two daughters, Jabba and Paula, from her first marriage to actor Al Tantay, bringing her total to three daughters.
Who was Rio Locsin’s first husband?
Rio Locsin’s first husband was Al Tantay, a Filipino film actor, comedian, and director. They married around 1981 and separated by approximately 1985. The marriage produced two daughters, Jabba and Paula.
How long have Rio Locsin and Padim Israel been married?
Rio Locsin and Padim Israel have been married for approximately 40 years, having wed around 1986. That makes theirs one of the most enduring marriages in Philippine entertainment.
Was Padim Israel a professional basketball player?
Yes. Padim Israel played professional basketball in the Philippines before transitioning to a career in ministry. He is consistently described across biographical sources as a “former basketball player turned Evangelical Christian pastor,” though specific team affiliations and career statistics are not publicly documented.
Who is Rio Locsin?
Rio Locsin, born Maria Theresa Rosario Garcia on October 3, 1961, in Candelaria, Quezon, is a Filipino actress. She began her career in 1978 and became prominent through roles in socially conscious films directed by Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal. She was inducted into the Eastwood City Walk of Fame in 2012 and won Best Supporting Actress at the Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival in 2009.

