Aga Muhlach: makes room for another love

Aga Muhlach the Birdman!

For the first time, Aga toured us to his aviary in Mataas na Kahoy in Batangas. He has a colorful collection of parrots there, from macaws to Ringneck Parakeets to Queen of Bavaria and Golden Conure. Their colors run from blue to and pink, yellow and green.

Before the aviary was built, the birds used to stay in the actor's mansion in Ayala Alabang. Now, whenever their schedules permit, Aga and wife Charlene drive down to Mataas na Kahoy to be with their feathered friends.

The couple had to get a permit to keep the birds. Owners of exotic animals are required to register with the government.

We entered the aviary with Aga. The birds were quite behaved; they seem to have gotten used to the presence of humans. Aga enticed them to approach him by offering them food from a basket carried by his assistant. The food consists of walnuts, vegetables, apples, and whole wheat bread. That's a feast even for humans.

Very few in the Philippines own aviaries. They're just too expensive to maintain. The food alone must be worth a fortune.

Aga had looked after these birds while they were growing, so they know him. He plans to sell some of them once they lay eggs.

The birds' caretaker is Kuya Ernie who lives just beside the aviary. Not all the birds were bought by Aga. Some were given to him as gifts.

The aviary sits in a corner of the sprawling property. On another side is Charlene's nursery. Too bad our group didn't have the time to check out the nursery.

Charlene it seems has developed a green thumb. It doesn't matter if the day is broiling hot; she will spend hours in her nursery.

With the aviary and the nursery, the property is slowly coming to life. The house, conceived by topnotch architect Rolly Mercado, will be finished before the year ends.

Aga didn't want us to photograph the property, which faces Taal Lake, but I tell you, the view is stunning!

The house will also have a spa.

When Aga bought the property in 2001, it was just a vast grassy field dotted with fruit trees. He built a temporary view deck where you can sit back, close your eyes and relax.

The couple takes the twins Atasha and Andres with them whenever they drive to Mataas na Kahoy. The twins are five years old now, and Andres seems to be attracted to the birds in the aviary.

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Robin Padilla is due to make a movie for GMA Films. What kind of film it is, nobody's telling. There is talk, however, that the film will be directed by Eric Quizon.

Robin has signed up with both GMA Films and the GMA Network. So he's now a certified Kapuso guy.

He had quite a long stint with ABS-CBN. What made him switch? Tune in.

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Eric Quizon has left with his talent manager, Dolor Guevarra, for California to visit his mom, Baby Smith, a former actress with the screen name Pamela Ponti. She's an American citizen and has long been separated from Eric's dad, Dolphy. She has remained unmarried and works in a department store in the US.

Baby Smith is turning 60, so Eric felt it was time he visited her. To follow are Eric's brother Epy, who'll bring with him his new baby, nine month-old Misha and the mother, Rowena Escudero.

"My daughter will be my most important gift to my Mom," Epy once told showbiz writers.

His eldest, Sancho, is 12 years old.

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It was a strange ceremony held at Malacañang last Friday. Five new National Artists received accolades from President Gloria

Macapagal-Arroyo. They were Bienvenido Lumbera for literature, Ramon Obusan for dance, Benedicto Cabrera for the visual arts, Ildefonso Santos for architecture and the late Ramon Valera for fashion design.

A sixth National Artist, however, was never mentioned at all. He is Fernando Poe Jr., who was supposed to receive the award posthumously for film. Malacañang explained that since nobody would be accepting the award for Da King, it was best that any reference to him be left out of the program.

A day earlier his widow, Susan Roces, wrote a letter to Nestor Jardin, president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, telling him it would be "a grave dishonor" if she accepted the award from President Arroyo, whom she accused of stealing the presidency from Poe.

"I cannot in all conscience go through the motions of [attending] the awarding ceremonies just for public display," she said.

Roces had asked Eddie Romero, a family friend and a National Artist awardee, to receive the award on behalf of Poe, but Malacañang insisted that it should be accepted by Poe's family member.