The letter that made Daisy cry

After more than a year of estrangement (“hide and seek” was more like it), Daisy Romualdez and daughter Danita Paner finally had a chance to do some honest-to-goodness bonding during a recent two-month vacation in California where they stayed with Daisy’s sister Chona Gomez-Berroya.

“We did nothing but relax and enjoy ourselves,” Daisy told Funfare in an exclusive interview more than a week after they came back, together with son Karl. “We were away from intrigues and tsismis kaya talagang tahimik kaming nag-bakasyon.”

Danita and Karl visited Universal Studios and other “must-see” places in California. The family also watched the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton match in Las Vegas last May.

It wasn’t all play, though. Danita did a show with her cousin Starsky and his band at Mandalay Bay where the Pacquiao-Hatton bout was held. Pacquiao even sang at the concert. Danita also did shows in Cerritos and Long Beach.

However, it remains to be seen if Danita will return full-time to showbiz, preoccupied as she is with finishing her studies which she never neglected even during the time when she and her mom were not in good terms. Danita ran away from home and, for more than one year, she stayed at an apartment which, without Daisy’s knowing it, was being rented by her husband Manny Paner who saw to it that Danita was taken care of.

Mother and daughter reconciled in early December last year when Danita paid Daisy a surprise visit. No harsh words were exchanged. In fact, they didn’t talk at all. They just hugged and cried quietly on each other’s shoulders, and let bygones be bygones. There was no recrimination at all, no sumbatan nor sisihan.

On March 14 before the family (minus Manny) left for the States, Daisy received a letter from Danita, written on a card with an “I’m sorry...” in front and “Please forgive me” on the second page.

“That letter made me cry,” said Daisy.

Here’s that letter:

Dear Mama,

First of all, I want to say sorry for being so abusive. I’ve been gone for one year and a half. I’ve been through a lot and learned so many things along the way. I’m sorry kung kelangan pa mangyari lahat ‘yon. Though I am glad because we are open with each other now compared to before.

I am always out with my friends, and I am verrry sorry if I am always out late. I promise not to go home at 5 in the morning, though I assure you that my friends and I are safe and we’re not doing anything para makasakit sa mga parents namin.

Masyado po kasi kaming nagsasaya, di na po namin namamalayan yung oras. Pag aalis po ako, di na po ako uuwi ng ganung oras. Promise.

I hope I can gain your trust again.

Sa June, when we get back, I will do everything and work hard for us to be successful. We will get rich and I don’t want you to work that much. I just want you to relax and enjoy life, same thing with Papa.

Thank you for all your sacrifices for me and Karl. Basta po sa June, magandang start po iyon for all of us. Sana po huwag na rin lagi mainit ang ulo n’yo pagdating po sa States para makapag-bonding tayo.

I love you, mama! Please forgive me and trust me. Mwah! Kisses and hugs.

Love, your pasaway na anak,

— DANITA

P.S. Thank you for the unconditional love!

Katrina is, indeed, going ‘overboard’

I agree with Tempo’s Ronald Constantino, Inquirer’s Dolly Anne Carvajal and STAR columnist Domini M. Torrevillas that Katrina Halili  is going “overboard” when she petitioned for the closure of The Belo Medical Group (BMG) in her desire to get back at Dr. Vicki Belo  whom Katrina is holding responsible, along with three other suspects, for the dustribution of her and Dr. Hayden Kho’s sex video, citing as reason Hayden’s having done a liposuction procedure on her when she said he wasn’t trained to do so. Why is she complaining now when the lipo happened two years ago?

Although she sympathized with Katrina for having been “humiliated” by the distribution of the sex video and at the same time admired her for her courage to denounce whoever uploaded it, Domini hit the nail right on the head when she questioned Katrina’s motive in accusing Hayden of “malpractice” when, observed Domini, Katrina benefitted from the lipo by looking better and getting more offers for endorsements.

I should also remind Katrina that she was the first to “victimize” Dr. Vicki Belo when she agreed to do “it” with Hayden even when she was well aware that Hayden was still Vicki’s boyfriend. Now, Katrina is insinuating that Vicki is behind the distribution of the sex video when, according to Vicki’s lawyer Adel Tamano, like Katrina and the other girls in the sex video, “Vicki is also a victim.” Vicki and Hayden’s “sex video” was deleted before it could be uploaded in the Internet. Vicki said, “Ako na ang inagawan ng boyfriend, ako pa ang pinagbibintangan.”

Incidentally, Adel wants to clarify reports that he’s resigning “effective immediately” as Vicki’s lawyer (because he’s running for Senator in the 2010 elections). Here’s Adel’s official statement:

Allow me to correct the erroneous reports that I am withdrawing as Dr. Vicki Belo’s counsel. At a media forum, I said that when it gets close to the election period — and especially when I have to start campaigning — I will be unable to personally handle Dr. Belo’s cases. Of course, it is my hope that the cases should be dismissed before that time, particularly because I know that Dr. Belo is innocent. It should be made clear that my decision to not personally handle her cases at that time is solely based on what is best for the client, which is to have a lawyer who can focus on her case. The evidence shows that Dr. Belo is innocent and we are confident that in the end the truth will prevail.

Meanwhile, back to Katrina. In the head of her column, Domini asked: Is Katrina ill-advised?

Domini ended her column on an intriguing note, thus:

Let’s hope that the move to target Belo and her clinics is not on the prodding of those around her (Katrina) who are blinded by peso signs in their eyes. It would be a disservice to Katrina who initially won widespread sympathy but may lose it if she keeps up with mindlessly sniping at those whom her advisers feel are potential sources of funds.

Well said.

What’s up?

• Airforce 1 KTV Bar, the biggest KTV bar in the Philippines, will hold its third annual Bikini Open tomorrow, June 25, as part of its sixth- anniversary celebration. Judges lined up are Joey de Leon, Rico J. Puno, Keempee de Leon and Alyssa Alano, among others.

•  Condolence to the bereaved family and relatives of director Ruben Abalos who died on June 17. Ruben was a very popular figure during the emergence of the so-called sex flicks in the early ’70s. How can anyone ever forget the iconic film Uhaw, starring Merle Fernandez? Ruben will be buried at 8 a.m. tomorrow, according to her niece Cherry.