The real story behind the Raffy-Claudine reconciliation

The photo posted by Claudine Barretto on her Instagram, showing her with her lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, Raffy Tulfo and an unidentified lady has generated curious interest among showbiz-watchers since still fresh in the public memory is the airport incident two years ago involving Claudine and estranged husband Raymart Santiago and another man ganging up on Raffy’s Kuya Mon Tulfo who survived with a battered face.

If you recall, Raffy and his younger brother Erwin, with whom they and other brother Ben host a TV5 show, came to Mon’s defense and got suspended for challenging Raymart to a fight. I think the cases filed by the two parties against each other are pending in court.

Funfare texted Raffy for the true story behind the reconciliation. Here’s Raffy’s story:

Atty. Ferdie Topacio is Claudine’s lawyer for her case against Raymart and Ferdie has been a very good friend of mine for years. Ferdie asked me if he could patch things up between Claudine and me for his sake. Claudine is reaching out daw.

Since I also wanted to move on na, I agreed. That encounter was supposed to be a meeting between me and other people arranged by Ferdie who brought Claudine along. After the meeting, Ferdie, Claudine, her friend and I stayed behind for light merienda, after which Claudine asked from me for a group pictorial, and I respectfully granted her request.

That’s all there is to it.

I asked Raffy if the reconciliation would lead to his testifying for or against either Claudine or Raymart in the many cases the un-couple has filed against each other.

Raffy texted back his reply.

“No.”

Why Coney made Joey cry

Not many people know that Joey de Leon is, according to the vernacular, mababaw ang luha.

It was Joey who did a one-on-one with Coney Reyes on last Sunday’s edition of Startalk (which is going back to its original Saturday afternoon timeslot this Saturday, May 31). Coney is marking her 40th showbiz anniversary by returning to GMA (with the soap Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real with Dingdong Dantes and Maricel Soriano, premiering next Monday, June 2). It was on GMA where Coney hosted her long-running drama anthology Coney Reyes On Camera.

As they went down Memory Lane, Joey fondly recalled Coney’s stint as co-host of Eat, Bulaga!, singing part of the show’s opening song, “…sina Tito, Vic at Joey, kasama pati si Coney…”  (with Coney being the only female co-host specially mentioned in that iconic song). Joey choked, fighting back tears as he gave Coney a brotherly embrace.

The tribute (that ate up almost the whole show) chronicled Coney’s career, not sparing the peaks and valleys of her personal life and how she survived them.

Asked if she still love(s) Vic Sotto, father of her son Vico (now a lawyer, if I’m not mistaken), Coney said yes, of course, adding that she would get affected by negative reactions to whoever woman was linked to Vic (now happily with co-host Pauleen Luna who could be the “last woman in Vic’s checkered lovelife”).

“I would feel for Vic because he is the father of our son Vico,” clarified Coney.

Toward the end of the interview, Coney made a revelation, the first time ever that she said it on national television.

“I almost committed suicide twice,” she said, “and that was when I was at the lowest point in my life. But The Lord saved me. He came into my life when I most needed salvation. That’s when I surrendered my life to Him.”

Coney is done with men. Her time is devoted to her grandchildren (from son L.A. Mumar, one of Coney’s two children by late husband Larry Mumar).

Why Ogie is on Cloud 9

If Ogie Diaz is floating on Cloud 9, it’s because after 40 movies, it’s the first time he’s on a full contract with his latest, Star Cinema/Viva Films’ Maybe This Time (showing nationwide starting tomorrow), the second team-up of Sarah Geronimo and Coco Martin (the first was in the Kapamilya TV series Idol).

“Dati, per day lang ako,” said Ogie who’s playing Mama Mae, the all-around boy and nanay-nanayan of Tonio (Coco) when Tonio gets rich. “Ngayon, full-movie contract na ako.”

Sarah is the girlfriend of Matteo Guidicelli who, once upon a time, fought with Coco over…was it Maja Salvador, now the girlfriend of Gerald Anderson?

Asked if Sarah and Coco didn’t feel uncomfortable on the set, Ogie said, “I don’t think they ever talked about their lovelife. On the set, they were in character. Ang alam ko, nagtitinda ng organic vegetables from Sagada ang mommy ni Sarah na si Divine. Bumibisita ba si Matteo sa set? No. Respeto na lang siguro ni Matteo sa team-up nina Sarah at Coco.”

Is it true that one time, Coco almost slapped him?

“It’s true,” admitted Ogie. “He told me that when we were together in (the Kapamilya soap) Walang Hanggan. Tawa ako nang tawa when Coco told me that nagalit siya sa akin n’ung parang hinuhusgahan ko daw siya n’ung time nila ni Katherine Luna. On our first day on the Maybe This Time set, parang ilang siya sa akin so I was the one who approached him first. After that, close na kami.”

Incidentally, Ogie is also in the cast of the Kapamilya series Dyesebel as the maldita (bitchy) friend of Zsa Zsa Padilla whose character “is ayaw na ayaw kay Anne (Curtis, as Dyesebel). Ang saya!”