KC, nanny in; Loi’s kin out

The stepdaughter and nanny of the baby of Sen. Francis Pangilinan were allowed in the VIP gallery of the Senate during the inaugural session of the 12th Congress last Monday, a privilege denied the immediate family members of Sen. Luisa Ejercito.

Actress Sharon Cuneta, wife of Pangilinan, their baby girl Francesca or Frankie, the baby’s nanny, and KC, Sharon’s daughter by actor Gabby Concepcion, were the lone occupants of the front row of the VIP gallery during the opening session Monday morning.

On the other hand, the children of Senator Estrada — Jude and Jackie and Jackie’s husband Beaver Lopez — were seated at the media gallery.

Former Senators Jose Lina Jr., now interior and local government secretary, Francisco Tatad, Salvador Laurel and Leticia Ramos-Shahani were on the second row of the VIP gallery, with wives or husbands of senators seated in the back rows. Actress Vilma Santos, wife of Sen. Ralph Recto and also Lipa City mayor, was seated near the corner of the back row, seemingly trying to avoid attracting attention.

Pangilinan may not be aware of it, but the presence of his entourage at the VIP gallery has ruffled the feelings of Estrada supporters since only Jude Estrada was allowed to sit at the VIP gallery.

The STAR learned that Jude Estrada had tried to convince the Senate secretariat to allow his sister Jackie and her husband Beaver Lopez to sit at the VIP gallery. The secretariat, however, refused Jude’s request and said that only one family member of a senator may sit there.

When Jude learned that he would be sitting at the VIP all alone without Jackie and Beaver, he decided to sit instead at the media gallery where he would be with the two. They and their supporters reportedly felt bad and discriminated against when even a yaya of Pangilinan’s baby was allowed into the VIP gallery.

The STAR learned from a member of the Senate sergeant-at-arms that the yaya, KC and the baby did not have the red ribbon required for anybody to enter the gallery. During that session, even members of the media were not allowed to enter the session hall, but a yaya and a baby were able to go there without any trouble at all.

"Maybe, somebody in the Senate is really prejudiced against members of the Estrada’s family!" an Estrada supporter who requested anonymity told The STAR.

Another said it was possible that some Senate officers were so star-struck that they allowed Sharon Cuneta and her coterie to enter the VIP gallery effortlessly, even without any red ribbon.