The truth about Claudine & Raymart

• The irony of it all: At the moment Miss World Limited chairman/CEO Julia Morley was at the Shangri-La Makati presscon last Tuesday, gushing “What a beautiful country the Philippines is,” a bomb was exploding inside a bus, killing five people and wounding13 others. Within the week, the newspapers were packed full with stories about three bodies burned beyond recognition inside their cars; a 19-year-old girl was raped and beheaded; another girl, six years old, was also raped and murdered; a cop was accused by a sidewalk vendor of raping her inside the police station; a pawnshop was robbed; a radio broadcaster was assassinated in Palawan; and, as usual, several cases of celfone snatching were reported. What a beautiful, beautiful country the Philippines is, indeed!!!

• You can go to school or make a name in showbiz or any field for that matter but you can’t buy breeding. Case in point: A pretty actress was traveling Business Class with a friend. One of her co-passengers (who happened to be the Funfare Update VDPA) saw the crew making the actress choose, starting with the cocktail drink, followed by hot and cold appetizers, and then the main course. The actress was so overwhelmed by the wide array of choices that she asked, “Puwede ba take-home na lang?” She stopped, blushing, when her friend nudged her. On the same flight, continued the VDPA, the crew then handed the actress her pouch of amenities. She asked, “May color pink?” The amenities come only in dark blue.  

• Another case of lack of breeding: A sexy actress and her hunk actor-boyfriend were having night swimming at a friend’s house. The guy’s friends don’t like the sexy actress and they preferred the actor’s ex-girlfriend (a showbiz newcomer) who is, as they say, to the manner born. But they agreed that the current girlfriend is just as sexy. Then, the actress emerged from the pool and shouted to her boyfriend, “Hon, saan ang CR? Jingle lang ako!” As the actress proceeded to the CR to “jingle,” the actor’s barkada chorused, “Pare, talo!”, referring to the actress’ street-corner language.

* * *

It started, I guess, as some kind of a gimmick to drum up a little noise about Claudine Barretto’s eponymous soap that marked her debut as a Kapuso last year — I mean, the rumor that she and husband Raymart Santiago were having marital problems.

I don’t know if the gimmick helped but I’m sure that it has boomeranged on the couple. The rumor has grown bigger, taking on subplots in the process, including 1) Claudine is seen with Raymart only in showbiz affairs but not — never!!! — in the Santiago family gatherings; 2) Claudine is having an affair with a businessman and so is Raymart with another woman; and 3) The couple is on the brink of separating and still living under one roof but on separate beds.

Yes, confirmed somebody close to the couple, Claudine and Raymart do have a problem but it has nothing to do with their marriage.

“It’s her weight,” said the couple’s friend. “After giving birth, Claudine has been having a hard time losing weight. She underwent some nip-and-tuck procedure with Dr. Vicki Belo’s clinic but it wasn’t much help. She still looks very ‘healthy’.”

It’s a problem that Sharon Cuneta used to have difficulty solving until two years ago when she sought professional help from Marie France. Sharon claimed that she has lost 20 pounds so far and she proudly shows it in the “before” and “after” Marie France ads that come out in The STAR every day. Will Marie France come to Claudine’s rescue?

But first, added the couple’s friend, Claudine should learn how to control her diet.

“She can’t stop eating, especially rice (and other carbo). Masarap talaga s’ya kumain, just like Sharon.”

That’s the couple’s little problem. When asked if there’s something wrong with their marriage, Claudine and Raymart simply look upward and sigh, “We have denied it before, haven’t we?”

So they’d rather keep mum about that.

“They’re okay,” insisted the couple’s friend.

* * *

Ai-Ai delas Alas tearfully receiving her Best Actress trophy: Hawak ko ng mahigpit na mahigpit! – Photo by VER PAULINO

Almost a month after she won Best Actress (for Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To) at the recent Metro Filmfest, Ai-Ai delas Alas said that the reality of her being a winner has finally sunk in.

“Ngayon ko nararamdaman na talagang panalo ako, na talagang deserving ako,” she told Funfare Update during the thanksgiving dinner she hosted for the movie press Tuesday night at Romulo’s Café. “Wala na silang magagawa. Hawak ko na ang tropeo ng mahigpit na mahigpit,” wishing her detractors and those who didn’t agree with her winning good luck, better luck next time.

Asked if it had crossed her mind, even fleetingly, to return the award at the height of the controversy, Ai-Ai said, “Why should I? They gave it to me without me asking for it. A, basta, ako ang winner at wala nang iba.”

Yes, she heard all the arguments against her and read the entries on the Internet, including the one reportedly from Alfonso, the son of Albert Martinez whose directorial debut, Rosario, didn’t even earn him or the leading lady Jennylyn Mercado a nomination.

“I just shrugged it off,” said Ai-Ai, ‘ipinagkibit ko na lang ng balikat.”

She added that if you join a contest, such as the usually controversial Metro Manila Filmfest, you should hope for the best and expect the worst.

“Once the judges have spoken,” she added, “then, that’s it; ‘yon na ‘yon. I’ve lost before but did you hear me complain? It’s because I respect the judges. Matatalino at marurunong na mga tao sila.”

For sure, even if it was touted to be “Last Na ‘To,” the successful franchise will have one more installment coming up — by insistent public demand. After all, it finished second (to Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote) top-grosser with more than P157M (and more on its extended run nationwide).

Maybe next time, following the example of her BFF Kris Aquino, Ai-Ai will be an industrial partner with Star Cinema. Kris co-produced with the company her starrer-entry Dalaw which ranked No. 3 with a gross of more thanP130M.

Good move. Ai-Ai should use her head this time.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])