Ana Roces is getting married

Curtain-raisers:

• Now I know why among the Hunks, it’s Piolo Pascual who’s a good dancer. A Funfare DPA from L.A. reported that Piolo has a dance instructor, Joe Ortega, who was a finalist at a recent Best Exotic Male Dancer Contest in L.A. Piolo usually stays with Joe when he’s in L.A., presumably for further dancing lessons.

• Wyngard Tracy is now the manager of Freestyle which used to be managed by the father of one of the members (all from Davao). Henceforth, negotiations with the Freestyle must be made through and with Wyngard who’s also managing the Side A band.

• Could it be true that Dingdong Avanzado backed out of the musical Promises, Promises for the simple reason that his wife Jessa Zaragoza didn’t like the idea of Dingdong co-starring with his ex-girlfriend Rachel Alejandro? Sayang. Promises, Promises would have been a good theater break for Dingdong.

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If you can answer this (tricky?) question, you qualify for any or all of the gameshows in TV-town:

How come Ana Roces and First Son Mikey Macapagal-Arroyo will soon be "related" to each other?

Simple: Mikey is marrying Angela Montenegro, his second cousin, whose older brother Gregorio (Greg) is marrying Ana. So, Ana will be the sister-in-law of Angela while Mikey will be the brother-in-law of Greg. Somewhere, somehow (although I’m not sure where or how), Ana and Mikey would be related to each other, as "in-laws," but I don’t know what to call their relationship… brother/sister-in-law, perhaps?

Anyway, while the wedding of Angela and Mikey might happen middle of next year yet (although some of their respective relatives want it on April 5, 2002, which happens to be the birthday of Mikey’s mom, President GMA), that of Ana and Greg will definitely be solemnized on Jan. 20 (a Sunday), 6:45 p.m. at the Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City. The reception will be held at the Mandarin Oriental Manila.

Marinella Adad in real life, Ana (turning 26 on Feb. 2) is the youngest child and only daughter (after two brothers) of Rene Adad, who’s connected with Coca-Cola and is the incumbent president of the Philippine Football Federation, and Carmiña Gutierrez-Adad. Greg is the son of Herman Montenegro and Rosario Arroyo-Montenegro, owners of the HM Group of Companies which includes the Pacific Activated Carbon where Greg is working. (Mikey’s wife-to-be Angela also helps in the family business.)

"Greg and I want to get married in the Year of the Horse, because he’s a Horse (according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar)," said Ana who owns and manages her own Italian fast-food business called Pronto, Pronto!! (at the fourth floor of the Enterprise Building on Ayala Avenue, Makati City; she is an honor graduate from a Hotel and Restaurant school in London). "I’m a Dragon. Year 2001 is the Year of the Snake and by the time we get married, the Year of the Horse shall have started."

It was Angela who acted as "bridge/match-maker" between Ana and Greg last March. The two are not really close friends but they do know each other and they have mutual friends, one of whom was celebrating her birthday at that time at the Star Bar in Makati City. Out of the blue, Angela asked Ana, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Ana said, "No, I don’t have." Angela told Ana, "I’ll introduce you to my brother," and proceeded to call Greg who was then about to go to bed.

"In one hour," recalled Ana, "Greg showed up at Star Bar. And then, we started dating. One month later, he proposed to me. Everything was formalized last June 17, Greg’s 35th."

After the wedding, Ana and Greg will go to Phuket (Thailand) for a "warm-up" honeymoon.

"The main honeymoon will be in Florida sometime in March next year," said Ana. "It’s winter in the States kasi, e. You see, from Florida, we want to fly to New York and to some other States."

Come to think of it, Mikey and Angela’s wedding might not be held next year because of the Filipino pamahiin (superstition) that it’s bad luck for siblings to get married in the same year. That is, of course, if Mikey (and Angela) believe in such superstition.

Rejuvenating stopover

It’s such a stressful time of the year, what with the last-minute shopping and the general Christmas rush.

If you’re in the vicinity of the National Bookstore on Quezon Avenue (Quezon City), drop by at Belle Beau Professional Beauty Specialists (106-D Panay Avenue corner Scout Borromeo, right across the back of National Bookstore) and try any of the services offered: Facial Treatment, Skin Whitening, Massage (all kinds), Permanent Hair Removal, etc.

Belle Beau is owned and managed by Grace Asuncion-Avedillo, herself a walking advertisement of her business. Belle Beau is a cozy "rejuvenating stopover," equipped with only four little rooms for the services offered.

That afternoon we dropped by, we caught Charlie Davao (Ricky’s dad) in one of the rooms, having a massage.

"It’s my first time here," said Charlie, "and I’ll surely make another ‘stopover’ when I’m in the vicinity."

(For inquiries, call 410-07-49. Look for Grace herself, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily.)