Why Alma flew into a rage

After that rude commercial interruption, here now is the latest episode in the continuing real-life telenovela/teleserye involving Parañaque City Mayor Joey Marquez, his estranged wife Alma Moreno and his you-know-what Kris Aquino (now enjoying her shopping spree…oops!… "soul-searching" in Beverly Hills):

Mayor Joey has decided not to avail of the DILG permit for him to travel to the US (from Aug. 13 to 20), probably because, well, mainit ang mata ng media sa kanya these days. But for sure, even if you don’t consult Madame Auring (herself making her own eksena in the romance department), you can be sure that he and Dear Kris are burning the cellphone lines (after all, their units are both "tri-band").

Yes, it’s true, Alma turned "physical" (as The STAR front-page story put it a few days ago) during their encounter at the court hearing. But it happened one week before (and not after) Alma’s clash with Dear Kris at the Asian Hospital where Joey was undergoing a coronary angiogram.

No, Alma didn’t succeed in slapping Joey or pulling his hair. Lack of height prevented her from going to that extent. According to an eyewitness, "What Alma did was pound Joey’s chest with clenched fists." Imagine if Alma was that physical when she saw Kris, accompanied by Zsa Zsa (who herself has had a similar head-on collision with Alma many years ago over Dolphy), at the Asian Hospital!

Because ABS-CBN is protecting Kris, its contract star, and GMA 7 is doing the same thing for Joey, also its a contract star, Alma has nowhere to turn to to air her side, opting for the time being to keep silent and refusing to watch TV and/or read the papers. You know, where ignorance is bliss…

But Funfare was able to "provoke" somebody very close to Alma into talking.

Said the newly-appointed Funfare DPA: "You can’t blame Alma for flying into a rage in the hospital because it was the very first time she saw with her own eyes Joey and Kris together. In the case of Joey’s other women, Alma never had any eyewitness experience. Whatever they say about Alma, masama man siyang babae o ano pa man, she’s still the legal wife."

In that hospital scene, according to the DPA, Zsa Zsa threw a "dirty" look at Alma but Alma ignored her (past is past, you know?) and vented her full ire on Kris who mercifully remained quiet, acting true to her pedigree as a lady to the manor born.

"Alma and Kris’ first encounter at Joey’s multi-million-peso condo at The Fort (Taguig) was aborted when Kris remained upstairs, with only Joey coming out to greet Alma," the DPA added.

The "insider DPA" also said that a few days after that hospital scene, things were going smoothly between Joey and Alma and, in fact, Joey was seeing Alma regularly "doing what legally married couples are supposed to be doing." In short, Joey the comedian hasn’t completely forgotten his basketball skills – dribbling the ball in both courts, in a manner of speaking. "So you understand why Alma got very, very mad," continued the DPA. "Her anger was aggravated when Joey (reportedly) remarked that he regretted having married Alma. Napasakit naman n’un, Kuya Eddie, di ba? They were married for more than 12 years, survived all sorts of tests and trials, had children and together built a political career for Joey in Parañaque and then he would say those words? Napakasakit, Kuya Eddie!"

You see, Alma broke up with Rudy Fernandez and Rudy never uttered a single negative word about or against Alma; Alma broke up with Dolphy and Dolphy never uttered a single negative word about or against Alma. So when Alma heard "those words" from Joey, according to the DPA, "She saw red and she turned into a tigress."

As in all telenovela/teleserye, reel or real, there’s no way of telling how this one will end. But for sure, it won’t be in a compromise – you know, Joey can spend Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with Alma; and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with Kris. What about Sundays? Well, Joey can hear Mass – with the children – because he’s, after all, known to be a religious person (besides being, as he admitted, a "Mama’s Boy").

"No," said the DPA, "Alma isn’t going to the US, not for a medical consultation (for her Multiple Sclerosis) nor for a vacation. Besides, why should she? L.A. is not such a big city and, who knows, she and Kris might cross paths. Could you imagine a repetition of that hospital scene in plush Beverly Hills!?!"