Rustom: I don’t have HIV

More than two months after his stunning "I am gay!" confession on national television, Rustom Padilla told Funfare that he doesn’t have any regrets about having done that.

"I still think it was the right time to do it," said Rustom who broke his long-withheld story to Keanna Reeves during their stint in Pinoy Big Brother’s Celebrity Edition. "When I was having a self-realization, I told myself that time would come when I wouldn’t be honest anymore to myself, to God and to everybody else. I was just waiting for the right venue and PBB was it."

The butterfly "effect" that accompanied his revelation was not scripted at all, according to Rustom. "The butterfly came out of the blue. And I took it as a sign that the right time had come."

With the big burden off his shoulder, Rustom now feels lighter and more comfortable with himself and with the world.

"I owe it to myself and to everybody to be honest with myself," said Rustom whose family (mom Eva Cariño and brothers including Robin Padilla) continues to rally behind him. "That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my whole life."

On the heels of that public confession came speculations that the next thing Rustom would reveal was the reason for – the "cause" of – what people perceived as his "poor" health – you know, could he be suffering from some serious illness?

"Yes, I was aware of the speculations," said Rustom. "When people learn that you are gay, they think that you are HIV positive. I want to assure everybody that, no, I’m not HIV positive like what everybody might be suspecting. I haven’t even been sexually-active for a long time now. I don’t have AIDS. I’ve never been as healthy as I am now. It’s a choice for me to lose weight and have the kind of body that I have now."

Could it be true that after his landmark confession about his gender, Rustom has decided not to accept any gay role?

"No, it’s not true. I don’t mind playing gay roles; what I don’t want is to be cast in a role that ridicules gays. I don’t have any qualms about doing a gay role, as long as it is done in good taste. I mean, hindi ‘yung ginagawang katawa-tawa ang pagiging gay."

He would have been perfect for the role as the alter-ego of the lead female character in Zsa Zsa Zaturnah, the hit musical which is being filmed by Regal Films.

"It would have been a nice project and I would have loved to do the role," explained Rustom, "but only if Zsa Zsa (Padilla, his relative) was cast in the title role. Unfortunately, Regal yata is eyeing somebody else."

Asked if he’s open to doing a movie with his ex-wife Carmina Villarroel (who has nothing but praises for what Rustom did) and her beloved Zoren Legaspi, maybe in a love-triangle story where he’ll play Zoren’s lover, with Carmina as Zoren’s girlfriend or wife, Rustom blushed a bit and said, "Why not – kung okay sa kanila."

(Note: Rustom Padilla is one of the guests in tonight’s edition of Showbiz Stripped, entitled Laki sa Laya, starting at 11:45 on GMA 7, together with Eric Quizon, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Tonton Gutierrez and Mickey Ferriols.)

Pinoy teener making waves in int’l film industry

Here’s a piece of good news about a Filipino teenager who’s making waves in the international film industry, reported by a reader from Canada (with excerpts from an article published in Philippine News Today, a leading newspaper in B.C. Canada):

Franco Ramirez Maravilla turned 15 last December and has already made several accomplishments in Canada. Acting is not new to this busy teenager because he started doing print and TV commercials in Manila since he was two years old.

When his family moved to B.C. Canada four years ago, he was discovered (and is still being managed) by a prestigious Vancouver talent agency as he bested hundreds of aspiring talents aged eight to 18 when he won the grand prize for the Actor Search. Since then, he booked projects like the TV series The Collector, the featured film Eve and the Firehorse, the TV documentary Gangs: Breaking News and another TV series, The L Word. He has just finished shooting for a new TV commercial to be aired in the US and Canada.

With the hectic schedule that he has, this Grade 10 student is still able to maintain his academic honors status in school. He also plays the piano, drums and the guitar and is a member of the school band and a jazz band. He enjoys swimming, soccer, volleyball and badminton. He has also tried writing poems and short stories.

Franco was happy with the outcome of the first feature film that he did, Eve and the Firehorse, which screened at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and won Best Canadian First Film at the 2005 Calgary International Film Festival and Audience Award for the Most Popular Canadian Film at the 24th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival.

Eve and the Firehorse is a beautifully filmed journey into the world of family life, spiritualism, imagination and religion. It was also screened at the Whistler Film Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival and at the New Montreal Filmfest. It was the only Canadian film chosen for the Sundance Film Festival last January 2006. It earned a Special Jury Prize at the conclusion of the said festival and Best B.C. Feature Film Nominee by the Vancouver Critics.

This month, the film will be screened at the Seattle International Film Festival and next month, will have its European premiere at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

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