GOV. VI UMAMING PHYSICALLY DRAINED

Mula sa paanyaya ni Jojo Lim, pangulo ng Vilma Santos Solid International, Inc. (VSSI) ay naka-attend ako ng kanilang party na idinaos sa Savory Restaurant sa N. Domingo St., San Juan.

Being the umbrella group, pinagsanib na ang iba’t ibang samahan ng mga Vilmanians here and abroad.

Sa ikalawang palapag ng naturang resto ang venue, kung saan nakalatag sa registration table ang iba’t ibang memorabilia ni Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto tulad ng Ang Pinaka (a QTV 11 program) tribute to Ate Vi as an actress and a collection of Proudly Filipina biographies on CD formats, may kalendaryo nilang mag-anak, a personalized Vilma Santos mug and a magazine in honor of the actress-politician.

We were half a dozen Vilmanian-reporters who were made to occupy the presidential table sandwiching Ate Vi who arrived before 7:00 p.m. Hindi ma-express ni Ate Vi ang kanyang tuwa sa inihandang party ng kanyang mga tagahanga with a program that began with a mini-pageant of participants dressed in Ate Vi’s film characters.

Hindi pa roon nagtapos ang production, isinayaw nila ang isa sa mga earliest recorded songs ni Ate Vi, sabay baling sa akin, ‘‘Diyos ko, boses ko ba ’yan no’ng araw?’’

Of course, the event would not be without a message from the Star For All Seasons, summarizing it into getting her loyal Vilmanians understand the rigors of her gubernatorial work. Hindi nga naman biro ang maging ina ng tatlong siyudad at tatlumpu’t isang munisipalidad ng mga lalawigan ng Batangas.

Agad nagpasintabi na si Ate Vi na aminadong ‘physically drained’ na, but she needed to keep her commitment dahil emotionally, mentally at spiritually ay hindi siya nakakaramdam ng pagkahapo. Blame her physical exhaustion on the seemingly endless flurry of activities in Batangas.

‘‘Eto nga, o,’’ sabay turo sa itaas na bahagi ng kanyang kanang pisngi, ‘‘tinubuan na ’ko ng rashes,’’ pero nakangiti pa niyang sambit.

But if there was one truly admirable thing about Ate Vi, she hasn’t lost her impeccable memory. Kabisado niya ang mga pangalan ng mga Vilmanians, and what was truly touching, hinahanap din niya ang mga wala roon.

Ang dapat sana’y isang oras lang na pananatili ni Gov./Ate Vi sa okasyong ’yon spilled over to the second hour. Nagkaroon pa kasi ng testimonial ang bawat Vilmanian reporter, and as a token of her appreciation ay pinupog kami ng halik ni Ate Vi.

While my fellow Vilmanian press already left, I chose to stay. Masaya kasing kasama ang mga tulad ko ring tagahanga, na dapat sana’y kasama rin nila sa upuan. I take pride in the fact that even before I came to know what entertainment writing was all about, nauna muna akong maging isang Vilmanian.

Mag-aalas-nuwebe na ng gabi no’ng magpaalam na si Ate Vi sa VSSI, but she did not leave without a happy announcement. Tumataginting na P200,000 ang pondong ibinibigay niya sa grupo ni Jojo.

Mind you, VSSI is not a social club. It is, in fact, a cause-oriented organization mostly made up of professionals na may mga inilulunsad ding proyekto to their idol’s credit.

As Ate Vi was descending the stairs, bawat baitang was like stopping at every station of the cross for some last-minute tsika and photo op. It was an evening worth savoring.