How Helen does it - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

Curtain-raisers:

* The three network bigwigs – that is, ABS-CBN’s Freddie M. Garcia, GMA’s 7 Manny Pangilinan and GMA Films’ Butch Jimenez – are set to have a dinner together very soon, following their meeting at the wake for FMG’s mother. Everybody (in-the-know) is guessing – again! – what they’d be talking about. Could it be "constructive competition" and/or "peaceful co-existence"?

*Funfare has been star-gazing lately and among the good vibrations is one working in the favor of Charo Santos-Concio who’s up for a big, big surprise sometime in October. This early, Funfare wants to say, "Congrats, Charo! You deserve it!"

* Those invited (275 so far) to the May 28 wedding of Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzalez in Baguio City are "urgently requested" to call (RSVP) Aida at 634-27-11 to 15 or Mary at 893-05-34 so that their table assignments and other amenities may be sent to them pronto. Gatecrashers are forewarned, well, not "to try."

* * *

Almost four decades after she won as Miss Press Photography in year nineteen-forgotten, Helen Gamboa still looks as sexy and as curvaceous and as seductive (ask her husband, Sen. Tito Sotto!) as ever, add or subtract a neglible pound here and there.

If you’ve been watching the ABS-CBN soap Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan where she’s the newest addition to the cast, playing foster mother to Carlos Agassi and wife to Ricky Belmonte, you must have wondered how Helen has stayed trim and fit all these years and it’s definitely not because of konsumisyon (the fastest way to reduce, or so they say) since Helen has absolutely no reason to sulk (not even when she got enmeshed in the controversy early this year about her allegedly having smuggled millions of dollars to the US at the height of the aborted impeachment trial, a story Helen – and Tito – have sufficiently denied and debunked).

So how does Madame Helen (past the "golden" mark) do it?

Exercise and diet, and leading a stress-free life.

In her personal gym (may be converted into a public, commercial venture later) near the Sotto residence in White Plains, Quezon City, Helen alternates between taebo and boxing an hour every day, believing that "you have to surprise your body and your muscles by constantly changing your workout routine" to get maximum results.

She avoids fats (of pork and beef), although she does take meat (in moderation) for her protein needs – "Batangas beef," Helen emphasized when reminded about the dreaded Mad Cow disease. "I’m taking fish, vegetables and fruits. I take lots of water, too."

For supplements, Helen takes Vitamins E and C, Calcium, some acid tablets (to lower cholesterol level) and tea.

At Mario’s Restaurant where Funfare talked to her, Helen ordered a plateful of Caesar’s Salad (with hardly any dressing) and grilled salmon, with iced-tea on the side.

"I have to get seven to eight hours of sleep every day," she said, with or without Tito beside her, "because, especially these days (election season), he’s always out of the house and out of town."

For her skin, Helen has come up with her own moisturizer which she herself mixes (sorry but the "formula" is confidential). No stress tabs for Helen who refrains from harboring negative feelings. "It can cause a lot of diseases," she warned, referring to stored-up sama ng loob (konsumisyon).

Is Helen doing it (keeping herself fit and beautiful – and desirable) to keep Tito’s eyes and attention on her and away from, ehem, other women?

"Siguro," laughed Helen. "But more than for vanity, it’s really for health reasons. You know naman when you get to this age (the exciting side of 50), you start feeling symptoms of diabetes, hyper-tension, etc. I’ve been trying to avoid that, so I want to keep fit."

Good for us televiewers, isn’t it?

OnSa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan, Helen still looks beautiful even if she has been deglamorized (as she has often been, such as in her last film Bagong Bayani: The Flor Contemplacion Story which won for her an Urian Best Actress trophy) for her character reminiscent of that played by Nida Blanca in Miguelito (with Aga as the foster son).

"As you can see," smiled the glamorous Mrs. Tito Sotto, "I’ve been typecast in api-apihan roles."

But only on TV and in films, thankfully.

Answered prayer

Meanwhile, here’s a letter from Manoling Morato:

Dear Ricky,

Thank you for your very nice write-up recently. The fact that it was totally unsolicited made me appreciate it even more.

I am all right, Ricky. I do not forget having fought and lost because I joined the race not for ambition, much less power, but to fight for the less fortunate in our midst.

I went through two major crises in early April when a younger sister suffered from ruptured aneurysm, followed by my mother who suffered from a massive heart attack at age 91. Thus, I begged Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag to whom I’ve been devoted since I was 12 years old to save the lives of my mother and my sister in exchange for my senatorial bid. And so it happened.

I can only thank God and the Blessed Mother for giving in to my request. My mother and sister are both doing well now and fast recovering.

Maybe there is a meaning to it all. My mother kept asking me to stay beside her in the hospital and not to go out on campaign sorties anymore.

This election was one of the most violent we ever had, much to my regret. In a way, maybe I could have suffered an "accident" or something worst had I continued to expose myself to grave danger in the remote places in the country.

Who can tell?

Now I can lead a normal life again. All my life I have lived for others. Maybe it’s time that I think of myself a little too. I have done all I could to help alleviate the lives of our poor suffering people for decades.

No regrets, however! Sometimes God works in very mysterious ways. He punishes those who have done nothing by making them "win" and spares those who He feels have done enough.

– As always,

MANOLING MORATO