Why Sarah Geronimo is a better youth role model than Hayden Kho, Jr.

On eagles’ wings immortal scandals fly, while virtuous actions are but borne to die. — Second century Roman poet Decimus Junius Juvenal                       

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. — Winston Churchill                    

MANILA, Philippines – Thanks to Ang Pilipino Star Ngayon entertainment editor Salve Asis — for recently inviting this writer to a three-hour lunch at 8 Spices Thai resto of Il Terrazzo mall, Quezon City with Pop Princess and Box Office Queen Sarah Geronimo, who is embarking on her “The Next One” national concert tour from June 12 to end of August. She is a breath of fresh air in terms of wholesome image, humility, real talent and source of good news for the Philippine entertainment industry, in stark contrast to the putrid scandal of showbiz wannabe Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr.

Unlike the now controversial mother of Hayden, the Spanish mestiza Irene de la Santa Kho, who went ballistic on national TV to blame Katrina Halili, Senator Bong Revilla and Ang Pilipino Star Ngayon columnist Lolit Solis, the parents of Sarah Geronimo former PLDT lineman Delfin Geronimo and wife Divina are paragons of humility, moral rectitude, discipline and emotional balance.

When I inquired how she and her husband brought up Sarah to become a level-headed and good young lady, someone admired as much for her talent as well as her positive persona, Divina Geronimo replied: “We only taught our daughter two things: obey God’s teachings and your parents, then all will be okay.”

The lawyers and public relations people working for Kho and his mother Irene should just advise them to shut up and please stop blabbering what seem like disgusting lies to many. They even have the temerity to invoking God’s name — thus violating the Ten Commandments. Instead of reprimanding her drug-using son and kicking the brat into rehabilitation in prison — look at what jail did for former drug user Robin Padilla — the mother was seen clutching a rosary while spewing venom against Katrina, Bong Revilla and Lolit! Anak ng pusa! What gall!

Aling Irene’s histrionics similar to Mayor Sanchez of Calauan

Aling Irene’s theatrics remind us of former Mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan, Laguna who in the early 1990s committed rape and murder, but who lied without remorse or shame while clutching a rosary and showing off his collection of Catholic saint statues. Sanchez deserves to rot in hell, after he serves out his 360 years over the course of seven life imprisonment terms!

Like the crazed Doña Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere novel or the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ era, Mayor Sanchez personifies the tragic split-level Christianity of many of our political leaders and other VIPs. They outwardly profess religious piety, while simultaneously lying, cheating and committing all kinds of sins in their public and private lives with impunity.

When I asked Sarah for her comments on the smoldering sex video scandal involving Kho, starlet Katrina Halili who is almost her age and Dr. Vicki Belo, she stopped smiling and replied: “This controversy has negative impact not only on Philippine showbiz industry but on the whole society, but the most important thing is whether we really learn from our mistakes and be sincere in not repeating them. This problem was brought about by people who wilfully disobeyed the teachings of the Lord. It should remind us that we should be moral even behind closed doors, that we should lead lives that do not contradict God’s teachings. I believe in the Christian teaching that sex outside marriage is immoral, that premarital sex is wrong. I also hope those who are victims of this tragedy can someday recover.”           

By the way, still on this subject of sex videos and lies, I was on May 27 invited by Destiny Cable TV channel 7 to be interviewed on the stock market show called Bears & Bulls hosted by Ike Señeres. However, my secretaries failed to inform me the show’s background and since I had just come from speaking about Doc Hayden and his girlfriend, Doc Vicki Belo, at a lively forum of the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine Psychiatric Association, the talk show host almost fell off his chair laughing when I started the TV show asking why it was called “The Birds and the Bees.” Anyway, I rectified my error and convinced them that it was a joke I had concocted, so they’re inviting me to guest every Friday morning at 10 a.m.! Wow, thanks!

Philippine Medical Association president Dr. Rey Melchor F. Santos told this writer: “Dr. Hayden Kho, Jr. and Dr. Vicki Belo are physicians, they should uphold respect for human dignity which is important and primordial. All doctors feel humiliated and disgusted by the immoral acts. Doctors should be role models and people whom the public can trust. If we do not do something, this problem will destroy the entire patient-doctor relationship. Probably next to priesthood or the clergy, the doctor is the second most important profession when it comes to trust. Scandalous acts or behavior we cannot tolerate. If Hayden has deceived the women, then it is very bad. We at the Philippine Medical Association shall initiate an investigation even without a formal complaint. We shall give them time for their recantations, we shall give them due process. We at the PMA do not and will never tolerate immoral acts.”

Philippine Psychiatric Association president Dr. Norie Valderama told me: “The victims of Hayden’s sex videos may suffer post-traumatic stress, lots of fears, anxieties and even painful flashbacks many years after this scandal. I’ve worked for 11 years with sexually-abused kids and we see them years later and how their traumas affect their future relationships, suffering mental stress, etc. All the victims need support from their family members and studies have also shown that spirituality can actually help them get over it and cope better.”

The biggest, hottest and highest-rating telenovela in the Philippines now is the Hayden-Katrina-Vicki tragi-comedy now playing live in the theater of the absurd that we call the Senate. I hope there will be justice and truth in the end, and the guilty are punished and that this brouhaha does not become just another forgotten scandal. Abangan ang susunod na kabanata!

* * *

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments are welcome at willsoonflourish@gmail.com or add me at Facebook to send your messages.