Willie donates P1M to Save Our Women drive

After paying Joey de Leon a surprise visit to greet Joey a happy birthday a few weeks ago on the GMA show Startalk, Willie Revillame made peace with John Estrada by also showing up at the last day of the wake for John’s father at Heritage Park last week. The two bridged the gap between them which was created when John cut short his Kapatid stint and went back to the Kapamilya Network.

“There’s no use carrying an emotional baggage,” TV5’s Wil Time Bigtime host Willie told Funfare Update. “John and I didn’t really quarrel. What happened was only tampuhang-kaibigan.”

Willie felt so slighted that he snubbed John’s wedding to former Miss Earth Priscilla Meirelles in February last year in which he was supposed to be the Best Man.

Does that mean that Willie is ready to wave the peace sign for Randy Santiago, also Willie’s friend and co-host in the defunct ABS-CBN noontime show Magandang Tanghali Bayan, who also offended Willie when he decided to co-host Happy Yipee Yehey, the short-lived ABS-CBN show?

“I haven’t seen him lately,” said Willie, hinting at a reconciliation.

In that Startalk on-cam meeting, birthday boy Joey  commented that very few people could make him laugh, Willie being one of them, addressing Willie in jest, “Nakakatawa at nakakatuwa ka talaga. Minsan nakakaasar ka lang kapag kalaban ka. Continue entertaining people and making them happy.”

Willie talked about these “closures” in his life recently when he turned over his P1M donation to the non-government organization Save Our Women (SOW) at the US Embassy last week.

“I am all for it,” Willie praised SOW which “aims to protect further the advocacy against Violence Against Women and their Children, concentrating on domestic and intimate-relationship violence.”

“Actually,” revealed Willie, “I discussed it with my lawyers in my Wil Productions and my Wil Foundation.”

Said Patti Gallardo, founder of the Baguio-based NGO and herself a victim of domestic violence, “The donation is a huge amount that will go a long way towards the building of a center for victims and survivors while also empowering them financially.”

Also present at the turnover was US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. who announced that the US Embassy will host a “silent auction” next Monday, Nov. 26, for the benefit of SOW. Among the items for grabs are four pairs of Manny Pacquiao’s autographed gloves, a painting by Chin-Chin Gutierrez (from the collection of Jim and Shanti Ward), a basketball autographed by Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and a designer dress by Paul Cabral.

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