How will it end?

When I first heard the news about the Kris Aquino-Joey Marquez breakup last Tuesday, I was at Club Filipino hosting the launch of Viva Films’ official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival, Filipinas.

Not all the press people in the gathering knew about it. But when those who had listened to the radio started coming in, the venue was enveloped in loud whispers about how the Parañaque mayor had poked a gun at Kris.

We all knew that it was going to be a national issue. Most of us, however, dismissed it merely as a passing phase in the ever-tumultuous relationship of Kris and Joey – even speculating that the two would be back in each other’s arms by the end of this week.

When Mario Dumaual arrived with his TV Patrol crew, we tried to corner him for details, but he threw his hands up as if to say he’s had enough of it for the day.

Later, Richard Gomez, who is in the cast of Filipinas, arrived with manager Douglas Quijano and sat at the presidential table. The press, however, was polite enough not to have asked him questions about Joey Marquez and stuck to the subject that was Filipinas, the movie. After the open forum, when the press had the chance to ask Richard about his buddy, Joey, he had slipped out of the Club Filipino hall unnoticed. Smart move.

Late that evening, Joey Marquez was in Saksi and whetted the public appetite for more, more! Yes, like hungry dogs, we yelped for more. Whoof! But all he gave us was canteen food served in a rectangular tray. We ached for the details, which he wouldn’t give because in this society, a man cannot be too talkative.

The following evening in TV Patrol, however, Kris Aquino treated us to a bacchanalian feast. The world just stopped as Kris, without a dab of cosmetics on her face, gave us serving after serving of sordid details about that turbulent affair with Joey.

Like an eat-all-you-can buffet table, the juicy details just kept coming and we chewed and gobbled, chewed and gobbled – savoring every bit of delicious morsel. Yummy.

Then, without warning, Kris dropped that bomb that proved to be the most explosive since the Atomic in 1945. Joey gave her STD.

All our jaws dropped. This was one large chunk we couldn’t chew, much more swallow.

We got more than we asked for in that TV Patrol interview and we all went to bed with indigestion.

The following day, nasty text messages were being sent all over – including one really gross joke about the dry and dripping faucets in Parañaque.

So, where would all these lead to? People are already speculating about how Joey Marquez is now a dead duck – especially in the field of politics. I don’t know about 2004, but in show business, his life will go on. After all, this is an industry that is too forgiving – with amnesia to boot. To begin with, the war isn’t over yet and Joey may still overturn things in the days to come – especially if he still has ammunition still left unfired. And if and when this happens, we may yet be treated to another smorgasbord of unsavory details regarding his romance with Kris. Get ready with your Alka-Seltzer, folks!

In the case of Kris, she has just championed some women’s causes waiting to have a face. She’ll bounce back, that’s for sure – even more spectacularly than her previous falls. (The first fall was a literal one – at the Araneta Coliseum stage, remember?)

But I doubt very much if we’ll see a resolution to this. My guess is that Kris and Joey will settle this amicably because the way things are going at the moment, other people are getting hurt – especially the Marquez kids, plus Joshua. Phillip, too. And yes, Phillip Salvador and Robin Padilla. Why, even an innocent bystander like Vic Sotto got strafed by bullets.

Yes, it will be unresolved because nothing in this country is ever resolved. Not even the death of Kris’ beloved father, Ninoy, whose martyrdom may have changed the course of this country and our lives, but certainly not our appetite for scandals.