Baywalk Bodies: To Guam & back

The incident gives you a feeling of deja vu. It happened before, not once but twice, didn’t it?

In 1999, Anjanette Abayari was jailed in Guam for possession of shabu (and, because of that, was declared persona non-grata by then President Joseph Estrada). Anjanette spent time in jail and, after a plea bargaining, was sent back to California where she has been staying since. She has attempted several times to come back and resume her rudely-interrupted career.

A few years later, while on a stopover in Guam, Alma Concepcion was also arrested and locked in jail for a similar offense. She has since recovered and even had her life story dramatized on the GMA tele-drama Magpakailanman.

And then early last month, four of the 14-member Baywalk Bodies (sexy dancers managed by Lito de Guzman), were thrown behind bars again in Guam for receiving tips during their shows at the Alindog Bar-Restaurant owned and managed by a Filipina, in violation of their P-1 (working) visa.

The four were Clarisse Mercado, Palmolive Palma, Jenette Joaquin and Lux Laurel, namesake of another sexy dancer (member of the Baywalk Beauties who preceeded the Baywalk Bodies) who, coincidentally, was arrested by cops during a raid in a Quezon City hotel together with several other girls accused of prostitution.

Clarisse and Lux are new members of Baywalk Bodies while Palmolive and Jenette were formerly with Baywalk Beauties, also discovered and managed by De Guzman, who were charged with public scandal and indecent exposure by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza when they did a pictorial wearing a see-through attire along Baywalk. (The charges were dropped after the girls apologized to Mayor Atienza.)

The four Baywalk Bodies spent 23 days at the Guam jail (the same one where Anjanette and Alma were detained), from Aug. 13 to Sept. 4. They sat down for an exclusive interview with Funfare yesterday afternoon, a few hours after they flew back home.

They said that five others were arrested with them, one of whom owner-manager of Alindog which, according to De Guzman, "had been under surveillance." Clarisse and Palmolive initially shared a cell with Lux, who is three months pregnant, while Jenette was segregated in another room because she was running a fever.

Didn’t they know that receiving tips was a violation of the P-1 visa?

They arrived in Guam on Aug. 3 and had a show that same night. They were arrested at their hotel on Aug. 13.

They made it clear that they were arrested not for entertaining customers at the table but for receiving tips.

"We didn’t know that in Guam, artists like us were prohibited from receiving tips," said Clarisse.

"We’ve performed in other foreign countries, like Dubai and Australia," said Jenette, "and we knew that it was okay to receive tips as long as the money was wrapped in a napkin, huwag lang nakalabas."

"We went to Guam to have a show, to have a fashion show," said Lux. "Some people from the audience threw dollars to the stage."

Their arrest was splashed on the front pages of Guam newspapers. As to be expected, De Guzman made noise in the Philippine media while asking help from Philippine government agencies (Department of Foreign Affairs, etc.) and the Philippine consul in Guam.

Inside prison, according to the girls, they would wake up at 4 a.m. to mop the hall. Because of her delicate condition, Lux was given a lighter task.

Asked why she went to Guam even if she’s pregnant, Lux said, "I learned that I was pregnant only three days before we left. At that time, naka-sign na kami ng kontrata. I didn’t want to violate the contract."

They were given three meals a day – "But sometimes we were given only bread and juice for breakfast, bread and juice for lunch," said Jenette.

De Guzman suspected that the girls were arrested to pin down the Alindog owner "who had been under surveillance; mainit na talaga ang pulis sa Alindog."

Provided with a government-appointed lawyer, the girls were arraigned only once, with the judge (who was in Hawaii) talking to them from a TV monitor. They opted for deportation, with their US visa cancelled. No charge was filed against them; they didn’t pay any fine.

Back home, the girls, together with the 10 other Baywalk Bodies, plan to resume their local stints.

Will they ever go back to Guam?

"Why not?" said Jenette. "Di naman kami banned doon."

What did they learn from the experience?

"Not to receive tips in Guam," said Palmolive.

Readers’ reactions

From Joey James, New Zealand:

I can’t help but agree with Theresa Galvan who reacted against the way Eat, Bulaga! (Vic Sotto and Jose Manalo in the Bulagaan segment) treated a person with disability. Here in New Zealand, people with disability are not discriminated against, looked down upon and made a laughing stock. It’s very rude to say that somebody looks ugly or fat. Pamimintas is not done here. You can be sued for doing that to somebody. I hope that one day you can visit New Zealand so you can experience how wonderful and friendly the people are. Gender, sexual prefrence, ethnicity, age and disability are not considered when one is loloking for a job.

Other readers who agreed with Theresa Galvan include Pastor Eyriche Cortez, associate pastor, Makati Gospel Church; Joaquin Angel Martinez of Taytay, Rizal; Jesi Rodriguez of Manitoba, Canada; Efren Catimpo (no given address); "Esdaniels" (no given address); Vlady and Marissa of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia; J. Caesar Sevilla of California, USA; Nick Serraon (no address given); and Ralph Catabui who’s saying "Shalom from the Holy Land."

* * * Liz plans to file for annulment

It’s true: Willie Revillame and Liz Almoro, his wife of barely two years, have separated.

‘They’ve been living apart for one month now,’ confirmed a Funfare DPA close to Liz’s family. ‘Liz left home with their nine-month-old daughter Wammy. She’s now staying with her mom.’

Liz’s mom is a businesswoman who sells cars (Kia Pride and BMW, etc.) while her father is a lawyer connected with the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation.

‘With the help of her parents, Liz is now talking to a lawyer for possible filing of an annulment of marriage,’ said the DPA.

Willie and Liz were married early last year after a whirlwind courtship. She gave birth to their child in November, also last year.

‘Liz was a suffering wife,’ added the DPA who didn’t elaborate.

Willie is now taking a vacation in the US after hosting a ‘live’ staging of his ABS-CBN noontime show Wowowee in Las Vegas before an SRO crowd. The Las Vegas mayor even declared Sept. 3, day of the show, a Willie Revillame Day.

According to another Funfare DPA who watched the Las Vegas show, Willie was ‘in tears.’

Told that Willie and his wife have separated, the DPA said, ‘Maybe Willie was crying due to mixed emotions. He was happy seeing the SRO crowd and he was sad because of his failed marriage.’

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