Who will play Cory Quirino?

Curtain-raisers:

• First, a special birthday greeting (today) to Inquirer’s Leah Salterio who’s shuddering into her mid-30s.

• You, too, must have been shocked to hear the news yesterday that Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos was ambushed. Heave a sigh of relief: The news is not true, Thank God! It has been recurring, in fact, and Mayor Vilma is wondering who could be behind it. When Funfare contacted Mayor Vilma yesterday afternoon, she almost died laughing. But just the same, she’s taking extra care.

• Could it be true that Eat, Bulaga! might move to RPN 9 early next year (after its contract with GMA expires in December)? Bulaga producer Tony Tuviera is a blocktimer. The Funfare DPA said that GMA is planning to put up its own noontime show just like what ABS-CBN is doing with MTB which took the slot of Bulaga when it moved to GMA.

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A movie company noted for producing true-life sensational crime stories (and, in the process, helping the authorities pin down the suspects) is deadest on doing a movie about the controversial kidnapping of former TV host and beauty expert Cory Quirino who was snatched by five heavily-armed men while location-hunting somewhere in Laguna and brought to the boundary of Quezon and Camarines Norte, and then freed after more than 24 harrowing hours.

It’s the stuff the movie company has been famous for, in the process eliciting court cases (filed by suspects) which have all been decided in the company’s favor. The suspects in the Cory Quirino incident have been sentenced to die by lethal injection and are now at the National Penitentiary waiting for their date with the Grim Reaper.

The Cory Quirino movie, yet untitled, will be based on NBI files and the book Cory herself has written. There have been all sorts of (mostly wild) speculations about what the five men actually did to Cory, such as: Was she "molested" (in the gruesome manner five men did to Maggie dela Riva, all of them later burned on the electric chair)?

That and other intriguing questions will be answered by the movie which should be, like the company’s "massacre" films, a block-buster.

In the meantime, the "lions" behind the company are eyeing nine actresses to play Cory Quirino. Like Cory, the actress must be pretty/beautiful, sexy/seductive, articulate and aggressive/assertive.

Here are the "candidates":

1. Ilocos Rep. Imee Marcos (who has a rich theater background)

2. Alice Dixson (who has done one true-life character – Jessica Alfaro, star witness in the celebrated Vizconde massacre – for Viva Films)

3. Dina Bonnevie (who is an independent woman)

4. Dawn Zulueta (who played the title role in, among other "massacre" films, The Maggie dela Riva Story)

5. Sen Loren Legarda (who showed acting "promise" as a TV newscaster in the Dolphy starrer Markova, Comfort Gay; give Loren some acting seminar/workshop and she can turn into a credible actress)

6. Assunta de Rossi (who’s turning into one of the country’s fine, "serious" actresses)

7. Zsa Zsa Padilla (who has the "fire" needed for the role)

8. Pops Fernandez (who can be daring as she showed in Gusto Ko Nang Lumigaya), and

9. Charlene Gonzalez (who can shed her demureness if the need arises)

Now, who would be "it"?

Yes, of course, Cory Quirino will have a hand in choosing the actress.

Come to think of it, why not let Cory Quirino herself play Cory Quirino?

I’m sure she’ll be glad to take the honor.

‘Migs’ Zubiri: Did he or didn’t he?

Did Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel "Migs" Zubiri really "chide" Parañaque City Mayor Joey Marquez about courting "younger women"?

You see, a tabloid bannered yesterday that Migs told Joey to stop courting younger women (specifically Kris Aquino) and attend to the problems of Parañaque, especially the pesky sidewalk vendors in Baclaran which has been causing traffic problems.

Said Migs, "That piece of news must have been picked up from my banter with Erwin Tulfo on the SOS segment of Magandang Umaga Bayan, the early-morning show on ABS-CBN. These past two weeks, I’ve been hosting that five-minute portion (SOS) which I usually kick off with a banter. On that particular segment, we sort of kidded Joey – tigilan na muna ang panliligaw, you know – and asked him to help us with the sidewalk-vendor issue in Parañaque. It’s a problem brought to our attention by a Parañaque resident."

It turned out that the Parañaque Government promised to build a market for the sidewalk vendors but until now the building is nowhere to be found.

"Joey is a good friend of mine," added Migs, "and I have nothing to do with his personal life. ‘Yung tungkol sa panliligaw was more of a joke, kasi nga the SOS segment starts with the light banter."

Hosting a TV show is nothing new to Migs who used to host The Explorer on ANC Channel (ABS-CBN’s sister station) for more than two seasons. But unlike The Explorer which was limited to issues and problems concerning the environment, SOS covers a bigger scope/area (traffic problem, garbage-disposal problem, petty crimes, etc.). Migs and company not just expose the issues/problems but also do a follow-up to solve and sort them out.

Incidentally, is Migs running for reelection in 2004?

"Yes, I am," said Migs who’s said to be a sure winner in Bukidnon.

And after 2004, what?

"I’ll think about it after 2004," he smiled.