No Valentine’s Day date for Vi & Ralph

No, Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos and husband Sen. Ralph Recto didn’t go out on a date on Valentine’s Day yesterday, as they always never do every year. But they do observe the Day Of Hearts a day after (that’s today), which is how “second” wives usually do (either a day before or a day after since, you know, the legal wives insist that their [philandering?] husbands spend the special day together).

Ate Vi has a reason. “Ralph and I would rather celebrate Valentine’s not on the day itself but a day after to avoid the hectic traffic,” she explained. “Dahil sa traffic, baka by the time inabot sa’yo ‘yung roses ay lanta na.” They usually have (candle-lit) dinner at home or in a restaurant, just the two of them.

Yesterday, Ate Vi led her staff and other employees of the Batangas Provincial Capitol in a physical exercise, followed by a short Valentine program to rekindle their love for one another.

Tonight (8 to 9) on DWBR 104.3 FM, Ate Vi will read love poems on The Law of the Heart is Love hosted by election lawyer Romy Macalintal (with a replay on Mondays, 9 to 10 p.m. on the same station).

To make it easy for busy Vi, Romy went to Lipa City for the recording at his brother engineer Greg Jr.’s computer studio, assisted by Romy’s optometrist sister Dr. Leonor Macalintal-Almoro.

Feeling romantic, Ate Vi recalled how she fell in love with Ralph.

“I was humming the song, A Long and Lasting Love, when I first met Ralph. Nililigawan pa niya ako noon and I did not know he was waiting for me while doing my TV show (VIP). He approached me and said, ‘That song will be our theme song because my love for you is long and everlasting.’ And the rest is history.”

Said Romy, “It’s one of Ate Vi’s revelations on my program. There are more.”

It’s Ate Vi’s second time to guest in The Law of the Heart is Love which, incidentally, recently bagged the most coveted Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) for Best Radio Entertainment Program for 2013.  

Added Romy, “We had to pre-tape it last Monday (Feb. 10) at the Stritnet Computer Shop of my brother and where Ate Vi was practically mobbed by her fans from the moment she alighted from her car. And the adoring crowd patiently waited to have a second look at her until she left the premises. And why not. Ate Vi served for nine years as mayor of Lipa City before she became governor of the province.”

Ate Vi read two love poems by James J. Metcalfe, Why I Love You and Dear Valentine where, at the last line, she ad-libbed â€œmy own dear Ralph Valentine.” That’s how lovely and lively the episode went.  She also interpreted selected portions of the Tagalog poem of Iñigo Ed. Regalado, Kundiman ng Buhay.

And for the first time in Romy’s program and perhaps also in radio broadcasting, Ate Vi read some of the most memorable lines from three of her multi-awarded movies: Pagputi ng Uwak, Pagitim ng Tagak; Dekada ’70; and Broken Marriage.

Romy said that Ate Vi was so affected that, in one instance, she was carried away and cried as she read the lines “Dahil papaano mo papatayin ang hangin? Papaano mo papatayin ang ulan? Papaano mo papatayin ang araw?...Sabi mo pa nga hinding hindi mo ako iiwan kahit anong mangyari… kaya naisip ko noon… paliligaw na ako sa’yo kahit hindi pa pumuputi ang uwak o umiitim ang tagak” from the movie Pagputi ng Uwak, one of the late Celso Ad. Castillo’s masterpieces in which Ate Vi starred with Bembol Roco.

That Rex-Charice incident

The other day, I got a text message from Charice’s manager Glenn Aldueza fuming mad about an incident in which, he said, Rex Smith shouted at Charice (“Binastos si Charice”) during an incident at the Radisson Hotel in Cebu where both singers were scheduled to perform at an event.

Funfare sources said that involved in the incident was Smith and Charice’s Fil-Am musical director (unnamed) and that Charice was not directly involved.

Here’s the official statement from Ovation Productions (the company that booked Smith for the show):

It was a case of misunderstanding. After lunch at Radisson Hotel in Cebu, Rex Smith decided to drop by the ballroom just to take a quick look at where he will be performing in the evening. He was not even aware that there would be another act featured before him… which was Charice. It was a corporate event.

Upon entering the backstage, he went straight to the stage and made a comment about the set-up. He thought it was his set-up. “Get the f--k off my stage!” He was suddenly shouted at by this guy who turned out to be Charice’s Fil-Am musical director. We were all shocked! It was only then that we realized Charice was having a sound check. What Charice’s MD did was very un-Filipino. He should have said it in a nicer way. Rex would not have gone on stage if he knew someone else was having a sound check. Rex loves Filipinos immensely and Filipinos love him back.

Renen de Guia of Ovation Productions went to Charice and her group to sincerely apologize about the incident that they really didn’t know that she was doing a sound check.

Well, as usual, let’s hope that all’s well that ends well. 

Visiting beauty queens

Nathalie den Dekker of The Netherlands, first runner-up to 2013 Miss International Bea Rose Santiago, arrived from New York last Wednesday, Feb. 12, for a 10-day visit upon the invitation of international pageant organizer Ovette Ricalde.

Nathalie’s first stops were Tagaytay and Batangas for sight-seeing and to sample native delicacies. She then met with Bea Rose Wednesday night.

She’ll be back in May to visit the beneficiaries of the 30,000 euro funds (roughly $41,000) for the Yolanda victims and survivors, coursed through the Sheryl Lynn Foundation. Fil-Dutch Sheryl Lynn Baas (2006 Miss Netherlands and 2013 Mrs. Globe) with Dekker and other beauty queens in The Netherlands led the fund-raising.

She’s leaving for Amsterdam on Monday, Feb. 17.

2013 Miss Universe Gabriela Isler (of Venezuela) will crown the new Bb. Pilipinas-Universe on March 30 during the grand finals in which she will sit as one of the judges.

She’s not the first to do such honors.

On March 20, 1953, the first (1952) Miss Universe Armi Kuusela (of Finland) crowned Cristina Galang, the first Miss Philippines winner during the Philippines International Fair.

On May 28, 1977, 1976 Miss Universe Rina Messinger (of Israel) assisted 1976 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Lizbeth de Padua in crowning 1977 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Anna Lorraine Kier.

Isler will be accompanied by Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart. They will visit the Yolanda survivors in the Visayas and participate in the relief and rebuild efforts through the Miss Universe Fund.

— Reported by Celso de Guzman Caparas

Best Friends Forever

New BFF (Best Friends Forever) Ai-Ai delas Alas (left) and Michela Cazzola were among those who cheered for San Mig in which one of the players is Michela’s boyfriend James Yap who scored 30 points in the Wednesday night game (Feb. 12) with Ginebra. It was James who gave Ai-Ai tickets to the game. During their first meeting, Ai-Ai and Michela clicked. ‘Best friends na kami,’ Ai-Ai was quoted as saying.

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com.)