A gallery of cute showbiz babies

Of course, you will have to stretch your gullibility from the North Pole to the South to believe that Madame Auring has, as she’s claiming on national television, suffered a miscarriage, matched by her likewise shockingly impossible claim that she’s "only 46," prompting her harshest critics to scream, "Didn’t she have her menopause during the Japanese Occupation!?!"

Ouch, ang sakit n’yo naman mangutya!

My safe guess is that the madame, who obviously enjoys her exclusive reputation as the Philippines’ national laughingstock, couldn’t be younger than, well, simply reverse the age she claims to be. Which reminds me of a line from the Beatles’ song: Will you still love me, will you still need me, when I’m 64? Well, the madame’s very young lover named Archie does, so brave that, I suppose, he can swallow even a whale.

This funny little thought about Madame Auring (who’s threatening to go "bold" in a movie she claims to be shooting; she should beware, though, because the cops might haul her to prison for, what else, indecent exposure) crossed my mind because today’s topic is about pregnant stars who have given or are about to give birth.

The other day, I bumped into Matet at the St. Luke’s Medical Center and she was gloriously pregnant, accompanied by her husband, UE Warriors player Mickey Estrada. No, Matet said, she wasn’t giving birth yet (maybe end of the month); she was just having her regular pre-natal check-up.

Also giving birth soon are Lyn Ching on Nov. 2 (to her and her non-showbiz husband’s first child) and Tintin Bersola (to her and husband Julius Babao’s first child) sometime in February next year.

So far, about half a dozen showbiz preggies have given birth, including Glydel Mercado (to a girl named Aneeza, her first child by husband Tonton Gutierrez), Donita Rose (to a boy named Joshua Paul, her first child by husband Eric Villarama), Kat de Castro (to her and husband Eric Cruz’s first child), Sharon Cuneta (to another girl – the third – named Mariel Daniella Sophia, her and husband Sen. Kiko Pangilinan’s second child) and Sunshine Cruz (to a girl named Angeline Samantha, her and husband Cesar Montano’s second child).

Scheduled to deliver (the natural way, heavily anesthesized) on Sept. 15 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles (not in Beverly Hills, pointed out reader "Edward") is Ruffa Gutierrez to her and husband Yilmaz Bektas’ second child, also a girl to be named Venice.

"Please ask your readers to pray for my safe delivery," Ruffa said in a brief phone chat, adding that their first child, Lorin (who turned a year old last Aug. 3), is already walking. "She’s starting to call me ‘Mom’ and she loves Barney to death!"

I just also got the latest photo of Tina Paner and her daughter Lucien Kristiel, direct from Barcelona, Spain, where Tina and her husband, Luigi Dizon, have been staying these past two years.

According to Kristiel’s doting lola, Daisy Romualdez, Tina is happy leading a simple, quiet life in that Spanish city where she works in the marketing department of the Metrobank which is patronized by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) remitting money to relatives back home.

Tina was introduced to Luigi (half-Spaniard, half-Filipino) by Daisy’s friend three years ago. A whirlwind courtship followed. "Before I knew it," said Daisy, "they had left for Spain. Tina got in touch with me only early last year several weeks after she had given birth to Kristiel."

Now that Sheryl Cruz (who formed Regal Films’ Triplets with Tina and Manilyn Reynes, now married to Aljon Jimenez also a mom) is vacationing here, I asked Daisy if Tina won’t be coming home soon to reunite with her fellow Regal Babies.

"Not so soon," said Daisy. "She might come home in February next year in time for my birthday, but it’s not even sure yet."

In Barcelona, Tina hasn’t forgotten her showbiz side. She performs in affairs organized by Metrobank. Last June 12, she performed at the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day in Barcelona upon the invitation of Conchitina Sevilla-Bernardo, whose husband is the country’s Ambassador in that country.

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