It Could Happen Only in the Movies
These two women move in different circles but they seem to lead
parallel lives.
Barbara C. Gonzales is the great-granddaughter of national hero, Dr.
Jose Rizal. Her great-grandmother is Dr. Jose Rizal's elder sister,
Maria, a liberated woman who was separated from her husband Daniel.
Barbara is more popularly known by her nickname, Tweetums. She once
appeared in a Del Monte tomato sauce TV commercial featuring three
generations of women in the kitchen. Yes, that was Tweetums with her
daughter, Panjee, and Tweetum's mother whom they fondly called Mamu.
Tweetums
was married to Ramon Tapales, a successful businessman.
Their daughter, Panjee Tapales ( a.k.a. singer Panjee Gonzales), was
co-host of ABS-CBN's daily morning show, Alas Singko Y Media (now
Magandang Umaga Pilipinas) and its defunct Sunday morning game show
with Roderick Paulate and Eric Quizon. Panjee soon became the second
wife of ABS-CBN chairman, Gabby Lopez. (But that's another story.)
Tweetums writes about art and culture in her column for the
Philippine Star.
She has published a couple of books consisting of collections of her
essays from her newspaper column. She remains a highly-respected
media personality, being the president of a major advertising
company.
Socorro Alicia R. Quirino is the granddaughter of former president
Elpidio Quirino. More popularly known by her nickname, Cory, she
hosts a lifestyle show on TV. Her kidnapping ordeal a few years ago
was made into a movie entitled, The Cory Quirino Kidnap, which was
directed by massacre king Carlo J. Caparas. Cory was married to
Roman Cruz, Jr. who was the president of Philippine Airlines and
head of Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Cory writes a
regular column on fitness and health for the Philippine Daily
Inquirer. She also published a series of health, beauty and
inspirational books. She remains a highly visible media personality
with her radio and TV programs.
While Tweetums and Cory were both successful in their respective
careers, their personal lives were not as rosy. Tweetums Gonzales
and her husband, Ramon Tapales, eventually decided to lead separate
lives. Likewise, Cory Quirino and her husband, Roman Cruz, Jr., soon
parted ways.
Indeed, Tweetums and Cory seem to lead parallel lives.
Then, in a strange twist of fate, the unthinkable happened. . While
geometry teaches us that parallel lines can never intersect, the
parallel lives of Tweetums and Cory did intersect.
Tweetums Gonzales got married to Cory's former husband, Roman Cruz,
Jr. Meanwhile, Cory Quirino got married to Tweetum's former husband,
Ramon Tapales.
Just like in the movies.
And you know the rest of their story.
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ __
*Untold Pinoy Story No. 3*
Her Mother's Joy
Her mother has always been proud of her. Mighty proud. And rightly
so.
In the spring of 1991, Julia Roberts graced the cover of People
Magazine's special issue featuring its annual list of The 50 Most
Beautiful People in the World. Together with Julia Roberts in this
ultimate list of the most beautiful people were Brad Pitt, Tom
Cruise, Madonna, Mel Gibson, Whitney Houston, Michelle Pfeiffer,
Isabella Rossellini, supermodels Claudia Schiffer & Naomi Campbell
and oops, a Filipina?
Yes, People Magazine's 1991 list of The 50 Most Beautiful People in
the World included a true-blooded Filipina who was born, raised and
educated in the Philippines .
Unlike most beautiful Filipinas who were the products of mixed
marriages and who have therefore acquired foreign physical features,
this Filipina was born to a Filipina mother and a Filipino father.
It is no wonder that she does not typify a beautiful woman by any
standard: She is short, standing only 5'2". She has a huge and deep
acne scar on her forehead. She has that distinct Asian nose (read:
flat). She uses only Avon cosmetics (gasp!) and applies makeup by
herself. During her pre-Inno Sotto days, her clothes were not made
by known couturiers: They were lovingly
sewn at home by her mother who is a dressmaker. She does not even
have the right genes to inherit beauty from: Her mother was plain,
even stern-looking. Her father was a dark-skinned guy with the tough
facial features of a hardened military man.
Although both the first names of her mother and father means happy
in two different languages, their union was not as joyous. Her
mother and father were never married, making her and her only
brother illegitimate children.
In the mistress hierarchy, her mother was not even her father's
second woman. Her father had a first mistress who ranked above her
mother.
She and her brother only belong to their father's third family. And
yes, the gay club performer who once appeared on national television
was indeed her half-brother. She couldn't therefore be faulted for
not talking about her father. In contrast, too much has been known
about her mother. Her mother was always visible, too visible for
comfort.
Her mother gave her the name Carmen and raised her in a province
north of Manila . However, when it was time for her to go to school,
her overprotective mother brought her and her brother to Manila to
give them the best education. Carmen studied in Preciosa Soliven's
Operation Brotherhood Montessori in Greenhills where she emerged as
the school's valedictorian. However, Carmen's academic rival
protested the school's decision to award Carmen the school's highest
honors, claiming that she had better grades than Carmen. Carmen's
rival even revealed that the school's owner, Mrs. Soliven, was only
fond of Carmen because she always performed in school programs which
gave Carmen an edge in extra-curricular activities. But
academically, Carmen reportedly did not really rise above her rival.
Lured into show business, Carmen became part of German Moreno's
inane daily afternoon TV show, That's Entertainment, where she got
paired with comedian and now Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert "Bistek"
Bautista. (Some say that Vice Mayor Bautista was so enamored with
Carmen that he later refused to marry his partner despite their
having a child.) As one of the countless stars of Kuya Germ's That's
Entertainment, Carmen's talent was overshadowed by the ridiculous
mass appeal of the triumvirate of Sheryl Cruz, Manilyn Reynes and
Tina Paner.
Later, Carmen made a couple of forgettable films which were big
flops. Unsuccessful in local show business, Carmen enrolled as a BS
Biology student in Ateneo de Manila, hoping to become a doctor.
However, the lure of fame and fortune shattered her medical
ambition. She followed her other dream and landed in a |Dreamland!
Yes, instead of comforting innocent and fresh-smelling babies in a
hospital, she ended up entertaining horny, sweaty and foul-smelling
drunken men in seedy bars.
When Carmen was a little girl, a local manghuhula predicted that she
would be crowned Miss Universe. Her mother, legally known as Miss
Imutan, was ecstatic upon hearing this. Sadly, the prophecy did not
come true.
However, when Carmen was 18 years old, she bagged a beauty title.
But it was farfetched from a Miss Universe crown. Carmen became Miss
Saigon.
Yes, the only true-blooded Filipina who was included in People
Magazine's The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1991 is
Feliciano Salonga and Ligaya "Joy" Imutan's only daughter: Carmen
Lea Imutan Salonga.
Most of us know her simply as Lea Salonga.
