Kapamilya star happily married in Singapore

Something funny happened when my friend Raoul Tidalgo and I were in Singapore a few weeks ago. Raoul was there to visit his OFW-cousin and I to interview Daniel Dae Kim, one of the actors of the remade Hawaii Five-O (airing on AXN), featured a few Sundays ago in Conversations with Ricky Lo.

First on our agenda during our spare time was to take a quick look at the Fullerton Hotel in Marina Bay (a must-visit if you happen to be in Singapore) because we heard that it used to be a Post Office Building and, according to a report, the same company that rebuilt it into a posh, five-star hotel is thinking of doing the same to our own Post Office Building in Plaza Lawton which is now practically dormant.

Correction: What we discovered at Fullerton wasn’t really funny; it was a refreshing surprise.

At the Concierge, James Dean Monteverde and Arjay Pamintuan, two of the Filipinos in the Fullerton staff, very kindly escorted us to the awesome second floor accessible by a winding staircase. Along the way, they informed us that also in the hotel staff was an actress who used to be with Kapamilya's Star Magic. She wasn’t on duty that day and we reminded James Dean and Arjay to tell her that we could come back for her the next day.

She did show up, welcoming us into the hotel with a sweet bedimpled smile. She asked that we keep her name off the record because she was barely one week on the job (at the finance department) and hotel management might frown on her giving an interview.

She looked impressive in her business suit, blending beautifully with the hotel’s opulent ambience. She has a business degree obtained even while she was pursuing an acting career at the Kapamilya Network where, with her good looks and talent, she could have made it big had she been patient and persevering. But then, love got in the way and she willingly bade showbiz goodbye in favor of marriage (late last year). Her husband was working in Singapore and she gladly joined him.

This is how the Fullerton Hotel Singapore looks. Will our old Post Office Building (right) look the same if and when it’s renovated into a five-star hotel?

“In my last teleserye,” she volunteered before she excused herself, “I played a kontrabida and I enjoyed it.”

There was no sign of regret in her pretty face lit up by a honeymooner glow.

Back to the Fullerton Hotel which is described in the brochure as “A Historical Icon.”

Here’s what Raoul and I gathered from that brochure:

Named after Robert Fullerton, the first Governor of the Straits Settlements (1826-1829), the Fullerton Building was once the symbol of British power in Singapore. It stands on a site with a rich history — a fort once stood here in 1829, defending Singapore against naval attacks, before it was replaced in 1873 by the General Post Office. This was demolished in 1921 to make way for the Fullerton Building.

Opened in 1928, the Fullerton Building housed the General Post Office and various government offices. The other occupants were the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, the Exchange Rooms and the prestigious Singapore Club.

In 1998, works to transform the Fullerton Building into a world-class hotel while preserving its architectural heritage began. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore was officially opened by then Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2001.

Now, if and when our own Post Office Building is renovated into a Fullerton-type hotel, can you imagine what it would do to upgrade that part of Lawton Plaza and turn into a hub of A-list events?

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