Touched by Tintin

I am so happy that Tintin Bersola is marrying a good man in the person of Julius Babao.

Very few people probably know this – maybe not even Tintin – but I’ve always been quite fond of her.

Tintin and I actually worked together for about a year in Showbiz Lingo when she co-hosted the show with Cristy Fermin and myself. I thought she was a great addition to the program.

For one thing, Tintin was someone I could talk to during lulls. Of course, I’ve always had great conversations with Cristy. But then, she smoked (she still does) and I don’t and we always had to stay on separate corners during commercial breaks for the sake of my health.

Tintin and I also lived practically in the same neighborhood (La Vista-Loyola Heights area) and we talked mostly about the new restaurants then sprouting in Katipunan and how we should try this and that place.

When she began doing Showbiz Lingo, some people still called her Christine, but we eventually had to call her Tintin because having a Cristy and a Christine in one show was a bit confusing.

I also remember that there was still a Showbiz Lingo fans’ club that time and it was only Tintin who was attending to it because, among the three of us, she obviously was the friendliest (I was the most shy when it came to facing and dealing with people).

She was also very thoughtful and loved to give us cards even if there was no occasion. For Christmas of 1996, she gave me a box of sconce-shaped milk chocolates – still with the price tag on it. But that was okay, Tintin, I also went to the same store where she bought the chocolates and I would have found out anyway. But I really loved those chocolates. Thanks.

Tintin was also fun to work with and I could trade barbs with her on the air. There was a time when Richard Gomez was our guest and he began reminiscing about his days in UP and started enumerating the people he interacted with in the Diliman campus. When he mentioned Tintin’s name, I jokingly asked, "Ano siya, teacher mo?" Of course, this made Richard laugh.

And Tintin? She was unsmiling for a while, but realized it was all in the spirit of fun and so she laughed along with us.

When the Calendar Girls contestants of the now-defunct Sanglinggo nAPO Sila came over to the show, Tintin was made to interview them. When it was time to turn the floor over to Cristy and me, she said, "From our Calendar Girls, nandito na po ang dalawang wala na sa kalendaryo, Butch and Cristy!" To that, I remarked, "Thank you, Christine Bersola, Calendar Girl of 1922!" We had a nice laugh over that one.

Unfortunately, when Cristy, Tintin and I were already blending well together, Panjee Gonzalez got married (to ABS-CBN boss Gabby Lopez) and left her hosting job in Alas Singko y Medya. With the vacant slot there, Channel 2 management thought of putting Tintin in the early morning grind.

I felt sad to see her go, but hosting Alas Singko opened Tintin to other fields outside of show business and that was good for her.

More than that, it was here where her romance with Julius began. The past year or so, I would often bump into them in Megamall – mostly in Japanese restaurants like Saisaki and they would always look very happy together.

2003 has been a good year for Tintin Bersola. Why, she just wrapped up her first movie – Kung Ako na Lang Sana, with no less than Sharon Cuneta and Aga Muhlach.

The biggest event of her life, of course, is happening on Dec. 8 of this year when she finally becomes Mrs. Julius Babao.

I’m just so happy for her – for them – and I’m just so glad and proud to say that even for a brief while, I spent some really happy times with a wonderful girl like Tintin Bersola.