Kris walks a mile for Mother Earth

Yes, as Kris Aquino has been posting on her Instagram, we were together in Singapore over the weekend to interview the cast of Sony Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx, with director Marc Webb) and to witness the Lion City’s celebration of Earth Hour (spearheaded by World Wide Fund) together with several countries including the Philippines which has been participating in the observation since 2009 as one of the movement’s staunchest supporters, topping other participants in the town-and-city levels to earn the title of Earth Hour Hero Country.

I arrived on Thursday, March 27, to cover the general press conference that same day and the screening of a 30-minute footage in the morning of the next day, followed by the round-table interviews later in the afternoon. Kris was scheduled to do only the TV interviews and she flew in Saturday morning, March 29, just in time for her five-minute slot before noon.

With her were her sons Joshua (who has lost 140 lbs. and looks visibly slimmer) and Bimby who is such a diehard fan of Spider-Man that, according to Mom Kris, when the boy celebrated his birthday last year, his wish for a Spider-Man-themed party was promptly granted. He’s turning seven on April 19 and meeting Garfield in the flesh was an advance birthday gift to him — and he got to sit on the lap of Garfield, huh! Thanks to Doris Torres, senior marketing director of Columbia Pictures (which is releasing the movie in the Philippines starting on April 30), for making it possible for Bimby to realize his big dream.

After the break, I bumped into Kris again at the holding room for the media at the ground floor of Marina Bay Sands Hotel (where the invited journalists were billeted, except for Kris who opted to check in at Four Seasons). Aside from Joshua and Bimby, in Kris’ entourage were her pamangkins Miguel and Nina Abellada (children of Kris’ Ate Pinky), and Jiggy and Jonty Cruz (children of Kris’ Ate Ballsy). While waiting for “call time” for the Earth Hour event at 7:30 p.m., some journalists had their faces made up like Spider-Man. Kris and I begged off (although I agreed to have three Philippine Flag stickers placed on my forehead and my cheeks).

Did we kill time with me “grilling” Kris about her currently controversial (again!!!) love life — you know, about the persistent rumor linking her to an actor-politician? Hmmm, I guess we did, but  everything was off the record even if the talkative Bimby was spilling more beans than expected (making Kris hush him and remind him several times to stop talking already!).

Suffice it to say that, according to Kris, referring to ex-husband James Yap who’s happy with his new love Michela Cazzola, “We are co-parenting and not fighting anymore.” As you must know by now, James can now enjoy time with Bimby.

The Earth Hour event was held at an open-air venue on the other side, so we had to walk up and down across the kilometric corridors of the Marina Bay Sands Complex, across the street under the summer sun, up the long bridge and down into the stage of the celebration, with Kris gladly posing for pictures with the Filipinos (working there and on a holiday) who made up the big crowd marching with the rest of us.

I never thought Kris could walk that distance (a mile, I estimated) on three-inch leather boots, hardly complaining even if, just like everybody else, she was soaked in sweat. A small sacrifice for Mother Earth threatened by global warming, wasn’t it?

According to Doris, WWF’s Earth Hour broke all records of participation on its eighth year, no doubt boosted by Spider-Man who joined millions of everyday superheroes from across the world in the world’s largest celebration for the planet.

The event that has evolved into the world’s largest movement for the planet began its journey across more than 154 countries and territories from New Zealand. This year’s Earth Hour swept across Asia, sending a message to the world that anyone can be a superhero for the planet from the global flagship Earth Hour event from WWF-Singapore.

WWF’s Earth Hour event in Singapore saw lights switched off across the famous Marina Bay skyline, joining the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, Taipei 101, The Wat Arun Buddhist Temple in Bangkok, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and more that have already taken part in the global celebration for the planet.

In the Philippines, official Earth Hour representatives, celebrities and Spider-Man fans gathered at the Eastwood Mall Open Park and SM Mall of Asia’s By the Bay to lead the switch-off across the country.

I bade Kris goodbye and good night as she and company took advantage of the free time to enjoy a bit more of Singapore before they were to fly back home the next day. I forgot to ask her if she developed blisters from making probably the longest walk of her life. 

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