Pokwang under ‘house arrest’

Just came back from a quickie weekend trip to Tagbilaran to visit my friend Raoul Tidalgo who flew back from Texas after undergoing a radical (read: life-changing) surgery. I was with another friend, Edmund Silvestre, who was Raoul’s colleague at New York-based The Filipino Reporter and has been a STAR correspondent for the longest time. They have retired and resettled back home after more than two decades of chasing after deadlines in The Big Apple.

Sunday morning, Raoul treated Edmund and me to what he described as a “heavenly” breakfast at the Amarela, less than an hour drive from the Bohol Tropics Resort (more on it much later) where we were billeted. There, we met Charito “Chat” Subong and her Swedish husband and their 16-year-old son (sorry, wasn’t able to get their names since they were in a hurry for a tour), with another man who turned out to be Chat’s brother.

“I am Pokwang’s sister,” Chat introduced herself after shyly dilly-dallying in asking for a selfie (and “groupie”) with us. The introduction was, well, not a surprise. Although much smaller (barely five feet) than Pokwang (real name: Marietta Subong), Chat is a carbon copy of Pokwang and easily endeared herself to us with her Pokwang-like mien, very comic as Pokwang. 

Chat and her Swedish partner and their 16-year-old son are visiting from Sweden, staying at Pokwang’s three-storey house in Antipolo City. They were in Bohol for an R&R. She said that she has been living and working for 27 years in Sweden where she met her partner.

“Pero hindi ako natutong mag-salita ng Swedish,” Chat laughed ala-Pokwang. “Hindi rin ako marunong mag-English,” adding as if the joke was on her.

Asked how Pokwang was, Chat answered in Tagalog, “Hayun, nasa bahay parating nakahiga. Lumalabas lang ng kuwarto para kumain. Buntis kasi, eh.” In a sense, Pokwang is, well, under “house arrest.”

“Nakakulong lang siya sa kuwarto,” she added.

Top: A breakfast chance encounter at Amarela in Bohol, from left: Edmund Silvestre, Your Funfarer, Pokwang’s older sister Chat Subong and Raoul Tidalgo. Above: One more shot with Chat and her son, partner and Chat’s brother (rightmost).

It’s understandable because after suffering from a miscarriage two years ago, Pokwang is again expecting her and American boyfriend Lee O’Brian’s second baby. So delicate is her two-month pregnancy that her doctor advised her to take an extended bed rest. Pokwang then took a leave from her Kapamilya shows FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and Banana Sundae. After all, she’s already 42, not 46 as reported. Lee, also 42, has appeared in Hollywood movies including the 2005 romance-drama Happy Endings (starring Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jesse Bradford and Jason Ritter). He and Pokwang met (and matched) during the shoot of Star Cinema’s Edsa Woolworth (Pokwang in the title role) in 2014 in San Francisco Bay Area where Lee comes from.

Pokwang and Lee are engaged and their wedding might have to wait until after they have the baby.

“Ako ang talagang 46,” Chat confirmed, adding still in Tagalog. “Dose kaming magkakapatid. Pokwang was also an OFW in Japan where she was when her little son died. Hindi sya pinayagang umuwi ng amo niya. Mabait si Pokwang. She really helps our family. She’s taking care of our mother who is showing signs of Alzheimer’s.”

Told that, while Pokwang is on maternity leave, she could replace Pokwang in her shows, Chat broke into a Pokwang-reminiscent smile and exclaimed, “Puede bakit hindi!” and then laughed and laughed as her partner and their son looked on clueless.

Ai-Ai joins Sharon in US show

Sharon Cuneta (left) will hold a one-night-only concert at Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College (153-49 Reeves Avenue, Flushing, N.Y.) on Saturday, July 8, at 8 p.m. She will share the stage with Ai-Ai delas Alas (inset), The Voice Philippines Kids’ Antonetthe Tismo, and Hamilton: A New American Musical’s Christine Allado.

Louie Ocampo is the show’s musical director (best known for his collaborations with Sharon, Martin Nievera and Joey Albert).

For the information of Filipinos at the East Coast, tickets to the concert, ranging from $79 to $149, are available online through Ticketmaster.com. For an additional $50, fans will be treated to a VIP Meet & Greet/photo opportunity with the performers. As an added bonus, fans will receive a limited edition “Sharonian Forever” T-shirt with every Ticketmaster.com transaction. Also, call (917) 868-6486 or (917) 502-9887.

This concert is made possible by HaloHalo USA Inc., in cooperation with NY Entourage Productions. Sponsors include Fil-Am Who’s Who, Heart’s Desire Music Studio, Jo’s Flowers, Philippine Airlines, Santos Transport Services (STS) and Tito Rad’s Grill.

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