‘Wild Day’ with Zion The Lion

Put on your animal prints or khakis and be ready for a wild day of fun.

That’s the gentle reminder to those who are invited to the “Christening and First Birthday Party!” hosted by Richard Gutierrez and Sarah Lahbati, along with other members of  “gutzy” Gutierrez family for Zion, probably the most celebrated baby of the hour.

The event set for Sunday, June 15, will be Zion’s first formal public appearance, after months of speculation about his birth and whatever and culminating in his Daddy Richard’s “I am a proud father” admission on the E! Channel family reality-TV show It Takes Gutz To Be A Gutierrez (ITGTBAG) during its premier airing on June 1 and followed by Zion’s finally greeting the world with a big hello last Sunday, June 8. The Gutierrezes are co-producer with One Mega Group’s TV100 on the show which has five or six more Sunday airings to go.

Mega is the publisher of Inside Showbiz magazine which has the exclusive story and pictorial of the Family 3 of Richard, Sarah and Zion, and the other Gutierrezes. Some of the pictures with this story were taken from the magazine which hit the newsstands yesterday in keeping with the contract for it to come out only after the airing of the first two crucial episodes. (Reminder: Get your copy before it runs out of stock, quick!)

Since he was born in April last year in Switzerland, where his mom was born and grew up (her mom is Filipina and her dad is Swiss), Zion has been traveling with his parents, their last trip together over the weekend was to Dubai where Sarah brought the baby to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (wrongly mentioned in yesterday’s story as located in California).

Zion carries his mom’s surname. From his photos, Zion looks more like his mom in some and more like his dad in the others. But for sure he will grow up like any of the Gutierrez guys, starting from his Lolo Eddie to his Daddy Richard and his uncles Elvis, Rocky and Ritchie Paul. Who knows, he might inherit his Lola Annabelle’s “lioness-heartedness.”

Correct me if I’m wrong but the name Zion connotes “a young lion”. (Psalms 87:2 — The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.)

That explains the motif of his “coming-out” party, with the invitation printed not just on simple paper but in specially-crafted material framed with four pieces of bamboo with a fine rope to secure them. It’s made playful with sketches of animals dominated by, yes, a lion.

Here are the 20 pairs of godparents as their names appear on the invitation:

• Hon. Vice Pres. Jejomar C. Binay/Hon. Vilma Santos-Recto

• Hon. Mayor Joseph E. Estrada/Hon. Cong. Lucy Torres-Gomez

• Hon. Sec. Panfilo Lacson/Hon. Mayor Pie Alvarez

• Hon. Mayor Michael L. Rama/Ms. Marquita Yeung

• Hon. Cong. Ronald Singson/Dra. Vinia Javellana

• Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan/Ms. Susan Roces

• Gov. L. Ray Villafuerte/Ms. Joy Alberto

• Mr. Vicente del Rosario/Ms. Lily Monteverde

• Mr. Antonio Tuviera/Ms. Alice Eduardo

• Mr. Richard Gomez/Ms. Gretchen Barretto

• Mr. Aga Muhlach/Ms. Kris Aquino

• Mr. Willie Revillame/Ms. Ruffa Gutierrez

• Mr. James Yap/Ms. Angel Locsin

• Mr. Tim Yap/Ms. Tessa Prieto-Valdes

• Mr. Tonton Gutiererz/Ms. Malou Fagar

• Mr. Harold Go/Ms. Sari Yap

• Mr. TJ Trinidad/Ms. Katrina Ante

• Mr. Neil Arce/Ms. Bela Padilla

• Mr. Frank Briones/Ms. Marissa Laude

• Mr. Raymond Gutierrez/Ms. Maryann Opeña

• Mr. Elvis Gutierrez/Ms. Mary Tuazon

• Mr. Carlo Caparas/Ms. Donna Villa

Dear Ninongs and Ninangs,

We truly appreciate that you have agreed to become Zion’s Godparents. Thank you for taking on this responsibility and being prepared to give your time and energy to our son and family.

Love,

Richard and Sarah

At the end of the invitation is this other reminder to those invited:

Expect a rrroaring good time!

(P.S.: Will the next invitation be for the wedding of Richard and Sarah? According to the sweethearts, “Yun ang susunod na pag-uusapan pa.” How soon will that be? Only time will tell.)