Touching drama on Lukso ng Dugo

Curtain-raisers:

• Could it be true that the "courtship" between Kris Aquino and Mark Lapid is, ehem, politically-motivated (whatever that means)? Kris is not running for any position (but she’s endorsing President GMA) but Mark is (for Governor of Pampanga). Ooops! I’m not making any conclusion, huh!

• If and when Regal Matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde pushes through with her plan to do a movie on Our Lady of Mediatrix (Lipa City), readers like Roberto Sapin are suggesting that Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos be cast as Sister Teresing.

• Did you know that a Filipino named Brian Keirulf is one of the songwriters for Britney Spears, Aaron Carter and the Backstreet Boys? A pure Filipino, Brian is the son of Estrellita Paras and (the late) Eduardo Keirulf, Brian is proud of his Filipino heritage. Check out Britney’s Christmas CD and you’ll find Brian’s name listed as one of the songwriters.

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The new ABS-CBN real-life-drama show Lukso ng Dugo (literally meaning "jump of blood," referring to the flash of recognition between siblings), hosted by the gracious and charming Bernadette Sembrano (perfect for a human-interest show!), has been dramatizing the meeting of long-lost relatives, eliciting tears of joy among the show’s increasing number of followers.

One such touching story is about 17-year-old Michael Pamintuan Esteves of Bataan who moved heaven and earth to trace his long-lost mother who left him even before he was born.

It was one Maria Minda Saddi or Mommy Minda who took care of Michael from the time he was in the tummy of his mother, one Bella Santos, a bar girl living with Mommy Minda. It was Mommy Minda who breastfed Michael when he was born. Bella left and never came back, entrusting Michael to Mommy Minda.

When he reached his teens, Michael became restless, almost turning into a problem child. He was obviously bothered by his background and he wanted to, so to speak, trace his roots.

The last time Mommy Minda heard of Bella, she was in Olongapo and that’s where Michael first looked for her. She wasn’t there. According to a neighbor, Bella left behind a son sired by a black man. Another neighbor told Michael Bella was dead.

Hardly discouraged, Michael continued his search. And so did Mommy Minda who went to Olongapo to recheck. She found out that Bella was alive after all but had moved somewhere else. They learned from several other neighbors that Bella had gone to La Union.

Carrying a picture of Bella, Michael rushed to La Union where he was pointed by residents to this place and that, describing Bella as "a small woman with goiter." Michael checked with the police department and people who would possibly know Bella’s whereabouts, looking for people said to be Bella’s relatives. To no avail.

His search brought Michael to Pampanga where sources said Bella had moved to. Still to no avail. At one point, Michael and Mommy Minda chanced upon a woman named Esther who fitted the description of Bella. Although Esther claimed to have also given away her child, her description didn’t match Michael. Besides, their birthdates were two years apart.

Back in Malabon where he was temporarily staying, Michael got a call that sent him rushing back to La Union. There, he finally found his biological mother. They bridged their years of separation with a tight embrace, drenched in tears.

"It made me cry, too," said Bernadette Sembrano whose staff made possible the meeting of the long-separated mother and son.

(Note: More such real-life dramas are featured on Lukso ng Dugo which is aired Sundays on ABS-CBN, 2:30 p.m. right after ASAP Mania and before The Buzz. Watch it.)

Another Pinay Shines In Int’l Beauty Contest

Cheers to Lesley Jean "Shine" de Mesa Samson who, true to her nickname, shone in the recent Model of the Year contest in Costa Rica where she finished third runner-up. Here’s the brief report by Funfare’s "beauty experts" Felix Manuel, Gery Yumping, Joey Cezare and Francis Calubaquib:

Our very own Lesley Jean "Shine" de Mesa Samson finished third runner-up at the Model of the Year 2004 contest held last month in San Jose, Costa Rica, won by Sweden’s Idha Sorsgaard. First runner-up was Costa Rica’s Kimberly Morales, second runner-up was Slovakia’s Lenka Solcova and fourth runner-up was Peru’s Alicia Robertson. Shine was the reigning Miss Philippines-Fire when she was chosen to represent the country in that contest. Shine also bagged the Best Look special award. During the finals, Miss Slovakia wore a gown lent to her by Shine.

Bridal Shower At Singapore Filmfest

Meanwhile, here’s a report from Ferdinand Lapuz, Funfare’s Toronto-based "international correspondent":

Hi, Ricky,

The Singapore International Film Festival will start officially on April 15 but the only screening of Jeffrey Jeturian's Bridal Shower has been sold out since March 25 so the festival has added an another screening to accommodate requests. This is according to the official website of the festival. It is the first film out of the 300 entries to have a sold out screening. Bridal Shower, produced by Seiko Films is in the Asian Cinema section. This serves as the international premiere of Bridal Shower, one of the entries in the last MMFF.

SIFF pays tribute to our very own Laurice Guillen with her own retrospective. Some of her award-winning films as a filmmaker and actress will be shown: Dolzura Cortez Story, Init sa Magdamag, Salome and Tanging Yaman as director; Sister Stella L and Moral as an actress. Laurice will also sit in the jury for the Silver Screen Awards. Direk Jeffrey sat in the jury in 2001 when Lav Diaz’ Batang Westside was awarded Best Film of the festival.

From Singapore, Bridal Shower will fly to the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. This will be the European premiere of Bridal. I am still confirming with a US festival for its North American premiere festival this May but in July, it will be showcased at the Asian American International Film Festival in New York.

Crisaldo Pablo's Doubt (Duda), a digital film, is the other entry to this prestigious Asian film event in the Big Apple. This is the first digital Filipino film to be shown at this festival. Previous Filipino entries here include; Jeturian’s Tuhog, Diaz’ Batang Westside, Marilou Diaz Abaya’s Bagong Buwan and Chito Rono’s Dekada 70. It was through this festival that Batang Westside and Dekada 70 got good reviews from Daily Variety.

At the Hong Kong International Film Festival (April 6 to 21), another MMFF entry will have its international premiere. This is Erik Matti's Gagamboy produced by MAQ Productions. It is in the Midnight Heat section. According to the website, Vhong Navarro is the Filipino Jim Carrey with the face of Ricky Martin.

The other entry is the digital film ASTIGmatism from Jon Red starring Robin Padilla and Albert Martinez. This is the world premiere for this film which is competing in the Asian DV section.

Maryo delos Reyes' festival veteran Magnifico will be at the Kristiansand Children's International Film Festival in Norway and Istanbul CIFF this April. Then in May, it will be the first Filipino film to be shown at the Tribecca Film Festival in New York. This is the festival founded by Robert de Niro. After Tribecca, Magnifico has more festivals in Italy, Indonesia, UK, Netherlands, Germany and Czech Republic. Direk Maryo attended the Cinemasia Film Festival in Amsterdam and he will fly to NY to attend Tribecca.

Thanks. I will keep you posted on more festival news soon.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])