Ruffa to give birth 2 weeks ahead of sked

Curtain-raisers:

• Remember the item a few issues ago about MTB’s planned reformatting come September? According to my Bohol Avenue DPA, Ai-Ai delas Alas and Arnell Ignacio might be retained because they make a good tandem while management is looking for somebody who will make a good match (kabatuhan) for Edu Manzano. Could it be true that among those being considered are former MTB hosts John Estrada and Randy Santiago?

• Everybody I know is into the beads business. The newest addition to the list is Tracy Torres who calls hers Tracy’s Treasures. Nice beads. (For inquiries, call 0916-6679777.)

• Until now, Alma Moreno and Gerald Madrid haven’t admitted that they are sweethearts and not just "good friends" as they’ve been claiming. But when they kissed "live" on The Buzz last Sunday, an admission was no longer necessary. As they say, action speaks louder than words. Alma is into her late ’40s while Gerald is in his late ’20s. It’s the fad now, or haven’t you noticed? Older woman, younger man. It works. Look at Demi Moore (older) and Ashton Kutcher (younger).

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FLASH: I got this late-breaking news late last night, direct from Los Angeles.

According to Ruffa Gutierrez, she just had her regular check-up with her obstetrician, Dr. Christina Adberg, and she was told that she might give birth on Sept. 15, two weeks ahead of the original schedule.

"I was shocked," said Ruffa. "Yilmaz was coming end of September in time for my delivery and now he has to change plans drastically. He has to attend his brothers’ Sunet (equivalent to the Jewish Bar Mitzvah, a young man’s entry into manhood). My mom (Annabelle Rama) is rushing (to L.A.) on Sept. 10 instead of Sept. 15 as she originally planned."

The baby, a girl as the ultrasound showed, will be named Venice and another name which Ruffa and husband Yilmaz Bektas are still looking for. Venice is their second child, coming after Gabriella Lorin who marked her first birthday last Aug. 3. Ruffa will deliver Venice again at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by natural means.

"Venice now weighs five pounds inside my tummy," said Ruffa. "After giving birth to her, Yilmaz and I will rest for three years so we can enjoy our two kids. The ‘rest period’ will give me a chance to attend to the Le Petite Lorin baby line of fragrances I’m launching soon. It will also give me time to get back in shape. Right now, I’m regularly working out at the Women’s Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center where I also get my massage. Masakit palagi ang likod ko."

Penis Talks Soon At Music Museum

If a woman’s part can (The Vagina Monologues), why can’t a man’s part?

Taking a cue from the successful run of The Vagina Monologues in different parts of the world (I saw the version starring Monique Wilson in Hong Kong and it was highly entertaining), director Joel Lamangan and scriptwriter Ricky Lee have joined hands – and heads – and come up with their own (male) version called Penis Talks which Manny Valera’s DMV Entertainment and Arnold Vegafria’s ALV Productions are producing on Oct. 1, 2, 15 and 16 (Friday and Saturday nights, 8 p.m.) at the Music Museum.

In The Vagina Monologues, the three characters talk about the pleasures and perils of being a woman in so heart-tugging a manner that you can’t help but be drawn and sympathize with them (especially one character’s story about a violent rape incident). In Penis Talks, it’s the males to tell their own stories.

The play, which marks Joel Lamangan’s return to theater after nine years, stars Christian Vasquez, Luis Alandy, Paolo Paraiso, Carlo Maceda, Jeffrey Hidalgo, Douglas Robinson, Angelu de Leon, Jenine Desiderio, William Thio, Russel Simon, Jason Colis and Ricci Chan.

It’s going to be a sell-out, I’m sure, just like The Vagina Monologues. Tickets are priced at P1,500 and P1,000. For inquiries, call the Music Museum box office at 721-0635 or 721-6726; or the DMV office at 415-0373 or 374-1361.

Mandy Ochoa’s New Business

Mandy Ochoa, last seen as lead villain in the Ronnie Ricketts starrer Mano Mano 3, is into a new kind of business – the Motorist and Vehicle Protection Card or MVP Card, produced by One-Gen Company of which he’s a marketing consultant and endorser.

"My two worst nightmares are accidentally killing someone or being killed while driving," said Mandy. "Those are, I guess, also the worst fears of many people who drive, especially those who drive for a living."

That’s where his MVP Card comes in (membership fee is P500 per year).

"If a driver accidentally kills someone while driving, he’ll be charged with reckless imprudence resulting to homicide, and he goes to jail. If the driver is rich, he can bail himself out but still bears the burden of a law suit. If the driver is poor and can’t afford to pay the bail or hire the services of a lawyer, then he might rot in jail. The MVP Card protects the driver, whether he’s rich or poor.

According to Mandy, here are some of the key features of the MVP Card:

The Bail Bond Assistance. In any vehicular accident resulting to homicide, damage to property and physical injury, One-Gen’s authorized representative will bail out the driver within 24 to 72 hours (in case of holidays) within the Republic of the Philippines. Only MVP Card offers such a service.

The Free Legal Assistance. Should the driver be charged of the above-mentioned cases, the company will provide him free legal assistance.

The Additional Driver’s Liability. In case of accidental death, One-Gen guarantees P50,000 per person to the beneficiary of the aggrieved party and up to P150,000 on top of the CTPL insurance coverage.

The Personal Accident Insurance. In case of accidental death to the driver, the beneficiary of said driver shall be guaranteed P100,000. In case of unprovoked murder and assault, the beneficiary of the driver shall receive P10,000.

The Defensive Driving Seminar. One-Gen will provide your drivers a half-day Defensive Driving Seminar.

And lastly, there is the Compulsory Third Party Liability Registration Assistance. Drivers can avail of a discount on CTPL insurance premiums.

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