Cristine: Life is short, cherish every moment

Barely two days after she was rescued by Patient X co-star Richard Gutierrez from the roof of her house in Provident Village, Marikina City, Cristine Reyes was back yesterday where she had probably her most traumatic (the last, hopefully!) experience that recurs like a suspense-thriller in her sleep.

This time, Cristine went there and other badly-stricken areas in Marikina where hundreds of Typhoon Ondoy victims continue to wait (in vain?) for rescuers and relief-givers not to retrieve whatever she could from her house that was submerged in floodwater that drove her, her mom (former actress Venus Imperial) and two pamangkin (one of them a special child) to the rooftop, but to distribute relief goods. She was with Richard and some of Annabelle Rama’s talents (Ana Roces, Almira Muhlach and Ehra Madrigal among them).

“Na-rescue na kami,” said Cristine, “so ako naman ang tutulong mag-rescue sa ibang victims.”

They first entertained the movie press at a well-attended lunch at a restaurant across the street from the GMA Studio not just to thank them for their support and to clarify some minor “issues” (well, “irritants”) being spread via texting by some detractors (one of them a beauty-queen-turned-actress) that the whole thing was a “gimmick” to promote Patient X (which Richard himself is co-producing with GMA Films, directed by Yam Laranas of The Echo fame).

“I feel sad that there are negative-minded people na gumagawa ng mga maling kuwento,” lamented Richard. “Do you think I, or anybody for that matter, would risk my life negotiating the dark, flooded area at 1 o’clock in the morning para lang mag-gimik?”

Again, let me say that the speedboat borrowed by Richard from a friend could accommodate only four more people (Cristine and company) and overloading it would put the lives of the passengers in great danger. Leaving his parents, Annabelle Rama and Eddie Gutierrez, deathly worried, Richard braved the odds purposely to rescue Cristine and company who had been shivering on the roof, hungry and getting weak by the minute, and desperately waiting for the help that never came.

“Do you think I would be that crazy to stay on the roof for 12 hours with my mom and my two pamangkin para lang gumawa ng gimmick?” said Cristine. “Kung sino man ang nagsimula ng paninira na ‘yon, magpasalamat na lang siya at hindi nangyari sa kanya at sa kanyang pamilya ang nangyari sa amin. Instead of spreading bad things, they should spread prayer for those still trapped in the flood...if they can’t give food or used clothes or do anything to help the victims.”

While on the roof, Cristine said she ignored the hunger pangs and prayed, letting her pamangkin follow after her.

“That helped,” assured Cristine. “Prayer ang nagpalakas ng loob namin.”

From Provident Village, Richard brought Cristine to her sister Ara Mina’s house in Quezon City. Shortly after, Cristine’s mom and her two pamangkin arrived on jetskis, saved by friends of Ara’s non-showbiz boyfriend.

Cristine and family saved nothing, neither their car nor their appliances nor their personal belongings, nothing!

“The experience was an eye-opener,” said Cristine who showed up at yesterday’s lunch wearing a white long-sleeved shirt (among the few retrieved from her closet) and denim pants given to her by Liz Uy. “I realized that material things are nothing; they have no value. You can lose them and replace them. Life is more precious. Once lost, wala na, hindi na maibabalik. I used to be secretive and sensitive. After that nightmare on Sept. 26, my outlook in life has changed. I look at life differently now. Life is short, every moment is precious. Enjoy it to the fullest with your loved ones because you can never tell kung kelan ka mawawala.”

Asked if they will continue living in Provident Village, Cristine said, “Why not? That’s where our house is.”

Or what remains of it, anyway.

Lucky Claire

As I’ve been saying, Claire dela Fuente is having the best of both worlds.

As Funfare has been reporting in “scoops,” Claire has done duets with David Soul (of Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang) for her Timeless CD and Michael Bolton (of The Christmas Song) for her Christmas album, the same song to be included in Bolton’s own holiday album for release worldwide.

Of course, Claire had also earlier re-recorded Something In Your Eyes, the song originally composed by Richard Carpenter for his late sister Karen and first recorded by Dusty Springfield.

Back from her meeting with Bolton in L.A., also reported as a “scoop” by Funfare, Claire is busy preparing for her concert Simply Unforgettable with Jose Mari Chan on Nov. 13 and 27 at the Sky Dome of SM North EDSA, produced by Viva Concerts & Events (her CDs are produced by Viva Records).

Claire’s cup runneth over.

Briefly noted

• Chris Cayzer (photo) will launch his brand-new album, The Only Thing (on Warner Music Philippines), on S.O.P. this Sunday, Oct. 4. Loko, the first single from the nine-track CD, is already a favorite in top FM radio stations. Chris will then go on a mall tour: Oct. 4 at Isetan Recto, Oct. 10 at SM Baliuag, Oct. 11 at SM Molina, Oct. 15 in Eastwood, Oct. 18 at SM Dasmariñas (Cavite), Oct. 25 at SM Marilao (Bulacan), Nov. 8 at SM Baguio, Nov. 14 at SM Lipa (Batangas), Nov. 15 at SM Southmall, Nov. 22 at SM Fairview and Nov. 29 at SM Marikina. All shows start at 4 p.m.

• LWUA Administrator Prospero “Butch” Pichay (photo) has accepted the invitation of the Aliw Awards Foundation Inc. to be this year’s chairman of the executive committee. The 22nd Aliw Awards night is set for Nov. 17, a Tuesday, at the new Mega Tent in Pasig City, supported by PAGCOR, PCSO and friends of the Aliw Foundation. Finalists will be announced soon by director Frank Rivera (screening committee chairman), according to AAFI president Rema T. Manzano.

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