Tito Sotto & Helen Gamboa: The Tie that Binds

When the cat was away, did the mouse play?

If you believed the rumor-mongers — or, as former Sen. Tito Sotto and his wife Helen Gamboa would rather put it, “character-assassins” and “mud-slingers” — then, yes, the cat did.

So when Helen left for the US with daughter Ciara Sotto at the height of the recent campaign when Tito again ran for senator, gossip-crazy Manila went abuzz with juicy stories, to wit:

• Helen discovered that Tito’s mistress had just given birth;

• Helen discovered that Tito didn’t just have a mistress but another “other woman” as well, identified as Zsa Zsa Padilla;

• Helen spirited Ciara out of the country because Ciara was pregnant; and, therefore,

• Helen and Tito’s marriage was headed if it was not yet on the rocks.

The rumors spread to the tune of ASO (A Angara, S for Sotto and O for Oreta), which was meant to expose the three senatoriables (only Ed Angara made it to the Magic 12) as turncoats and, worse, two-faced — you know, how much is that doggie in the window...

It was election time and you know how it is in this side of the world: It’s open season for, as Helen and Tito put it, “character-assassinating” and “mud-slinging.” Matira ang matibay.

Helen (who came back from Las Vegas three weeks ago) and Tito are talking for the first time about the issues that, they claim, failed miserably to dent their 38-year marriage.

“We plan to renew our vows on our 40th wedding anniversary,” says Helen, her eyes twinkling with unconcealed excitement.

“We will have a grand celebration,” says Tito.

How are you after the elections and the ugly rumors?

Helen: We’re fine, thank you.

Tito: I’m doing well, You know how it is in the Philippines. Election is just one day. After that, win or lose, you have to move on. To put it in the Pinoy lingo, tumaya ako because I thought it was the right thing to do and, hopefully, time might prove me right — you know, na dapat magka-isa tayo para umunlad ang ating bansa.

In 2010?

Tito: Well...You know, not all the right decisions are popular decisions.

(To Helen) When you left in March, you were hounded by all sorts of rumors. One of them that you were hiding Ciara in Las Vegas because she was pregnant.

Helen: Now it can be told. I decided not to mention the real reason why Ciara is there until plantsado na ang lahat. Ciara has been rehearsing for a musical called Fever, a dinner-theater which will be staged in Las Vegas starting in October. It’s a “first” in Las Vegas. She’s one of the three Filipinas (the others are Risa Navales and Karlyn Bay) in the cast which also includes three Americans. I kept that a secret because I didn’t want people to accuse me of bragging; baka sabihin nila, you know, “press release.” But now that we have the poster to prove it, I can talk about it freely.

So Ciara is staying in Las Vegas for a while.

Helen: The producer was offering her a two-year contract but we signed for only one year, with an option to extend it. I told Ciara that she might want to pursue some other things after one year, so...Ciara will do much of the singing in the musical while her co-stars will do much of the dancing.

How did Ciara bag the role?

Tito: We sent a copy of Ciara’s latest CD, Ciara Sotto: The Way of Love (by Sony BMG), to Lou Scottman who sent it to Univision. The Fever producer listened to it and said that Ciara, in his own words, “an excellent singer.” (Note: Ciara can sing in English, Spanish and Tagalog. She graduated from the UST Conservatory of Music. — RFL) 

Helen: One of her professors at UST was Irma Potenciano. Nagagamit ngayon ni Ciara lahat ng itinuro sa kanya. Anyway, before we knew it, the producer, a Filipino, was getting in touch with us. That was late last year. The final negotiation was done early this year and the producer nga wanted Ciara to go to Las Vegas at once.

Tito: She is well provided for. She has her own apartment and a car, paid for by the producer who is also acting as her agent in the US.

Helen: Ciara and her co-stars get paid even for the rehearsals.

(To Helen) You left at the height of the campaign, making people suspect that you were evading, or running away from something, like the rumor that Tito had a mistress who had just given birth and that he had another woman pa.

Helen: I had to leave because pinatawag na si Ciara ng producer for the rehearsal. It just so happened that our departure coincided with the campaign. Ciara was a greenhorn in the US, wala siya masyadong alam doon, so I had to be with her, to guide her. I stayed in Las Vegas for two months and I did nothing but watch the rehearsal day in and day out. The rehearsal was tough. They would start in the morning and finish late at night, and they were doing it every day!

Tito: For Ciara and for us, it was a choice between her chance to grow as an artist and my chances in the elections. I studied the rumors carefully — where and how and who started them — and it all boiled down to dirty politics. I have an idea which group started those rumors.

Name names.

Tito: Never mind. They know who they are.

Helen: Basta, Diyos na ang bahala sa kanila.

(To Tito) There was a rumor linking you to Zsa Zsa Padilla who, together with her beloved Dolphy, only laughed it off. Zsa Zsa said that the last time she saw you was in Dec. 2004 when FPJ was in coma at the St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Tito: She’s right. I haven’t seen her since then.

Helen: You know, it was Tito’s close friend, kaibigan niyang matalik, ang nagkalat ng mga tsismis na ‘yon.

Who’s he? Who’s she?

Helen: Never mind.

Tito: They know who they are.

But why Zsa Zsa?

Tito: Because Dolphy was very close to us, the FPJ group, during the 2004 campaign. If you noticed, the rumors started spreading when I decided to run in the administration ticket. Ask Dolphy and he doesn’t have anything bad to say about me. So the rumor-mongers must have thought na mas maganda kung kami ni Dolphy ay magkasira-sira na rin.

It’s a good thing that Dolphy didn’t believe the rumor.

Tito: He wouldn’t believe it. Kilalang-kilala ako ni Dolphy. And he knows ‘yung mga hinaing sa akin ni FPJ. Kaming dalawa na lang ang nakakaalam kung anu-ano ang mga ‘yon.

Did the rumor(s) affect your family?

Helen: No. Not at all.

Not even the rumor linking Tito to Zsa Zsa, to yet another woman and to a lady senatoriable?

Helen: Not even them. Ciara and I were already in Las Vegas when we heard the rumors and we were laughing at them. We told each other, “Huh, si Zsa Zsa!?!” But as I’ve said, we know who was behind all the muck-raking and the character-assassination. God bless his soul!

Tito: I wasn’t affected at all. Natawa na lang ako.

There’s also the persistent rumor that you’re separated or separating.

Tito: That will never happen. You know, this is guaranteed at isini-sermon ng mga pari ito: Ang paghihiwalay ng mag-asawa ay kung gusto ng lalaki. Kung babae lang ang may gusto, walang mangyayari.

Helen (Smiling): Do we look like we are separated? In 2009, we are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary.

Tito: We are renewing our vows. It will be the fifth time for us to get married. You didn’t know that we got married four times, didn’t you?

(To Helen) Has there ever been any reason for you to be insecure or to be jealous?

Helen: A, wala! None at all.

Tito: When she was in Las Vegas, we kept on sending each other text messages.

Helen: We were in touch, constantly updating each other about what’s happening to us, to Ciara.

How do you cope with ugly rumors?

Tito: As long as your conscience is clear, you shouldn’t be bothered or be affected.

Helen: And you don’t owe anybody any explanation.

(To Tito) What about the result of the elections? Were you affected by it?

Tito: When I made that political move, I knew what the consequences would be. Up to now, I still believe that I made the right decision and I don’t regret it. 

(To Tito) But do you believe that those ugly rumors cost you the election?

Tito: To a certain extent, yes. But I still say that I am proud of my record as a senator. Check the record at the Senate and you will see that of all those who ran (for re-election), ako ang pinaka-maraming naipasang batas na nakabuti sa mga kababayan natin. I did my job and I did my best.

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