John Lapuz pumalag!

A late riser, hapon ‘yon nitong Martes nu’ng matanggap ko ang text message from a GMA 7 co-worker: isa raw ako sa mga subject sa article written by John Lapuz in his blog site titled ‘Patol.’ Pardom my ignorance, or sheer refusal to embrace technology, this latest communication means hasn’t caught up with me.

My colleague (na siya pa ngang nag-create ng aking e-mail address) Loi Landicho wanted to fax John’s article to me, but I opted na basahin na lang niya ‘yon sa akin over the phone. In summary, Patol ang pamagat nu’n dahil pakiramdam ni John, it’s about time he answered upang patulan ang mga isinulat ko laban sa kanya.

May historical background pa ‘yon as to how we first crossed paths, researcher pa siya noon sa Showbiz Linggo while I worked with Cristy Fermin’s Mariposa Publications. John’s anecdote fast-forwarded to his stint with The Buzz, kung kailan du’n lang daw niya nalaman na nasa Startalk ako. But for his info, nasa Startalk na ako even during the last few years of Showbiz Linggo.

Albeit a non-singer, John literally sang paeans patungkol sa pagkabilib niya sa Startalk: from its Da Who, to the T! The Tigbak Authority that reminds him of his segment Prangka Ka, John; to its hosts Butch Francisco (the walking showbiz encyclopedia raw) Lolit Solis (na nakakatawa sa kanyang Alok-Bati portion) and Joey de Leon (na idol daw niya).

Bilib din daw si John sa True Storiies ng Startalk given their striking titles, and with special mention of my name that does the voice-over with broadcast quality kumpara raw sa garalgal niyang boses.

John went to say na dedma lang kami pag nakikita sa GMA 7. Aniya, mas magaling daw siyang mangdedma kesa mamlastik. To my recollection, ever since he joined Channel 7, sa dalawang pagkakataon lang kami nagdedmahan: first, nasa labas ako ng canteen while he was on his way somewhere; second, nasa forth floor kami, he was on his way down (not career-wise, ha?!).

Himutok ni John, wala naman daw kasing basis ang mga nega write-ups ko tungkol sa kanya. Minsan na raw niyang idinulog ‘yun sa aming common boss, pero hindi pa raw ako natinag. Totoo ‘yon. Ang gusto lang daw kasi ni John is to be friends with his fellow Kapuso talents.

All told, sa bandang huli, wala raw galit si John sa akin. I’d like to make this clear, hindi rin ako galit kay John. And whatever he feels towards me is not the crux of the issue.

Uulitin ko ang hangarin daw ni John: to be friends with his fellow Kapuso talents? Honestly, I don’t see it coming in John’s birthday episodes in Showbiz Central.