The Asia Connection

She beats Eddie Garcia by 11 — tablets, that is.

While the country’s probably most durable actor (suspected to be into his early 80s) takes as many as 19 vitamins and minerals, Asia Agcaoili downs 30 everyday.

Is that how she maintains her to-die-for figure?

“Besides that, I just don’t eat...Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!” Asia, star of Casa (opening today in Metro Manila), breaks into her signature teasing/seductive laughter. “I eat only when I’m hungry.” (I first heard that comment from the late Vice Pres. Doy Laurel who said he got that piece of health advice from then China’s leader Deng Xiaoping.)

But doesn’t that deprive her body of much-needed nutrients?

“I guess my body has been conditioned since I was in first year high school. But I do take breakfast — you know, bread, chicken, lettuce with mustard. No lunch, please! I let the 30 vitamins, minerals and herbs take care of my nutritional needs. Did I consult a doctor before I started taking them? Oh yes, I did.”

And she doesn’t even have to work out.

“I’m hyper by nature; I’m moving all the time.”

She’s an insomniac and she gets only as much as four to five hours of sleep every night.

“I’m a late-late sleeper. Do I spend nights out? No, I’m actually a homebody,” insists Asia who just came home from a holiday in Amsterdam with friends and not, as some people suspected, with a DOM.

Because she writes a column called Sex Confidential for FHM magazine, people conclude that Asia is promiscuous.

“No, I’m not,” she swears.

Is she faithful?

“I am, I stick to one — when everything is going right. You know...”

In the latest issue of FHM, Asia marks the third anniversary of her column in which she justifies the need not only for the Premiere Condoms Ad Campaign which she’s involved in but also for sex education.

The Philippines’ counterpart of Xaviera Hollander writes: “I’ve always wondered why ‘sex’ as a subject to be discussed was taken as taboo. I didn’t think there was a balanced and clear presentation of sex-related subjects preached out there — of how we should plan families, of the knowhow on sex, of how we could protect ourselves, things like that. Talking about sex is not encouraged, and very few people endorse safe sex and give us the facts.”

Her going bold (as in very, very, very!!!) in Casa, a suspense-thriller directed by Deo Fajardo for Artiste Entertainment Works International (with Tonet Gedang as producer), is dismissed by her detractors as “much too late,” but Asia is unperturbed.

“Casa is my first movie and it’s an indie film,” explains Asia.
     “I’ve done sexy videos, the latest being Bedtime Stories (sponsored by Premiere Condoms; the DVD at P299 per copy and the VCD P199) which I myself wrote, and I’ve always wanted to do an indie film. I’m an artist and an actress, and if a role is challenging enough I will take it.”

Being “an artist and an actress,” Asia goes all out in her scenes, especially the sexy ones.

“My scenes in Casa? Yes, I went all the way; I mean, my sex scenes with Paolo (Paraiso) and Michael (Rivero) were almost for real, Did we cover our sensitive parts with plaster? What for? But I made sure that no, you know, ‘accident’ would happen. Paolo and Michael were careful, too — if you know what I mean.”

She even has love scenes with another woman, newcomer Mikaela Espinosa. 

Asked who among local actresses she would like to go to bed with, if ever, Asia’s face lights up.

“Anne Curtis. Ang pretty-pretty niya. At saka, I like her personality.

Mabait siya. She seems to be a very smart girl.”

In the recent FHM party, Asia as host was said to have deliberately stolen the thunder from the other girls, including Katrina Halili and Cristine Reyes (the latest FHM cover girl) who were among The 100 Sexiest.

Did she do it on purpose, wearing as she did a revealing dress that hardly left anything to the imagination?

“Of course, not!”

She said that it took her several days to finish the dress she herself designed specially for the affair.

“Why,” asked Asia, a Clothing Technology graduate from UP. “Do I have to try hard to steal the scene from anybody? I can just stand there and, that’s it.”

Does Elizabeth ask

for fees from healing?

Elizabeth Oropesa has gone into “healing,” a gift she said she has had from way back but which she made public only lately. Now, does she “charge” anything  for doing it?

Here’s a letter from Elizabeth:

Dear Ricky,

You must be surprised to get an e-mail from me. You know me well. We were together when we were younger. I’m not the noisy type who would answer every negative write-up about me. It’s just that this time I got confused when I read in one of the links something about me. It says that “ they find it diconcerting that a grand-slam Best Actress would do that for a living.” The “that” they were talking about is the healing and exorcising that I do. 

The Showbiz Central staff brought a girl who was very disturbed. She was in pain and could not go to school. They asked me if I was willing to heal her. I said yes because it is my policy never to turn down anyone who needs my help, kahit ang daming nauna sa kanila at may pila sa labas.

I allowed them to take a video footage of my healing even if I don’t usually allow anybody to do so. To make a long story short... natapos at sa awa ng Diyos the girl became normal again and was smiling with the lola when they left. I was glad that they did not say I am a hoax. I told the Showbiz Central staff to give a donation; pampakain ko man lang sa mga taong nag hihintay. I know naman that there is a  budget for that. Taga-showbiz, ako di ba? 

Malaya on-line said it was disconcerting. They did not even bother to check that I do my healing for free. I charge a minimal fee for exorcising so that they won’t owe me any karmic debt. Most of the time I would charge the poor P1 for the candle. Para lang walang utang ang kaluluwa nila. Some of them would come to me one way lang ang pamasahe so I would end up giving them money for transportation pauwi.

What is so disconcerting with that? I’m happy with what I am doing. I get to serve my God by using the gift He gave me to help the poor who are sick, and the hopeless, too. The exorcism is just incidental. I was born to see what normal people cannot see, that’s why it’s easy for me to deal with them. I just never talked about it when I was new in the movies because it had nothing to do with what I wanted to achieve at that time. I do a lot of things that most people don’t know about. This is onother phase of my life, the nicest I think.

God gave me a gift that I could share with anyone who needs it. I get paid in Heaven. Please help me to be able to help others. They should not be disconcerted because I have been promoted, by GOD no less!

Kaya Ricky, you should always pray kasi God really listens as long as you do it kneeling or at least sitting down.

Mabalos po for allowing me to share this with you.

Love,

Elizabeth

The first word from Hollywood OIympics

I just got the following e-mail from Carlo Orosa who is in Hollywood for the 2007 World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), a.k.a. Hollywood Olympics.

Carlo, Philippine director for the Olympics, and Oliver Oliveros, his assistant and publicist, have formally met with WCOPA president Griff O’Neil (also the former executive producer of the Miss Universe pageant) at a reception party WCOPA hosted after the National Directors’ briefing.

Said Carlo, “He had the warmest smile when he saw me, being the first of all the National Directors who arrived at the party. We casually talked about this year’s Philippine Team; the fundraising events we put up at Teatrino; and the support given by PAGCOR through President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He’s really looking forward to seeing our team perform this year. He also revealed to me that for the first time in the 11 years of WCOPA, they are televising the finals night. Nakakanerbyos at the same time exciting.”

Surprisingly, Carlo also found out that the Philippines is not the smallest contingent this year. Ukraine, last year’s junior division champions, has only two participants.

“The biggest delegation, of course, is the host country, U.S.A. Tami Smith, who is also the president of NOVA talents/models/international agency, is U.S.A. and Canada’s National Director. When I asked her how many participants she organized for this year, she replied, ‘Millions, or at least it feels that way... Ha, ha, ha’.”

This year’s Philippine delegation includes Reuben Laurente-former member of The CompanY, Aria Clemente (ABS-CBN’s Little Big Superstar finalist), Reymond Sajor (ABC 5’s Philippine Idol finalist), Raki Vega (ABS-CBN’s Born Diva grand prize winner), The Revelation Band (from Zamboanga), and Iago Raterta (Bench model), Manhunt International/ Mister World finalist.

The Philippine delegation has been getting support from STAGES, Inc., PLDT MyDSL, OUTLAND, and PAGCOR.

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