Archive for February, 2010

Vice Ganda: “Kung sinasabi nilang mayabang ako, oo, mayabang ako. At napakaraming dahilan na ipinagmamayabang ko

Saturday, February 27th, 2010
Vice Ganda: “Kung sinasabi nilang mayabang ako, oo, mayabang ako. At napakaraming dahilan na ipinagmamayabang ko.”
Slideshow: Showbiz Photos

First time sumalang ni Vice Ganda sa “The Buzz Tough Ten” last Sunday, February 21, at hinarap niya ang sampung mga tanong ng host na si Boy Abunda.

Bago sinimulan ang segment na ito ay tinanong muna ni Boy si Vice kung ano ang pakiramdam na he finally made it in showbiz?

“Masarap po, sobrang sarap!” bulalas ni Vice. “Kasi ipinagdasal ko rin naman po ito. Sobrang matagal kong ipinagdasal. Pero hindi ko inabangan, hindi ko in-expect, dumating nang kusa. Kasi kung in-expect ko, siguro noon pa lang nasaktan na ako kaka-expect ko.”

Nagpasalamat din siya sa lahat ng sumusubaybay ng Showtime kung saan siya ang tinaguriang “unevictable hurado” kasama ang mga hostna sina Anne Curtis, Vhong Navarro, Kim Atienza, Teddy ng bandang Rocksteddy, at Jugs ng Itchyworms.

“Maraming-maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat na sumusubaybay ng Showtime at talaga namang sumusubaybay at nakatutok at nag-aabang sa mga sasabihin ko. Maraming salamat po.”

Pinasalamatan din ni Vice ang kanyang manager na si Ogie Diaz. Matapos niyang mag-plug ng kanyang mga upcoming out-of-town shows at first major concert niya sa Araneta Coliseum sa May 15 ay sinimulan na ang tanungan.

Tough Ten Question No. 10: Vice, lima kayong magkakapatid, tatlo ang bakla. Ang tanong, ikinahiya ba kayo ng inyong pamilya? Inalipusta ba kayo ng mga tao?

“Uunahin ko siguro yung inalipusta. Yung inalipusta, opo. Hindi natin mapipigil yun, e. Nang-aalipusta talaga ang lipunan lalo na dito sa Pilipinas, nang-aalipusta ng bakla. Pero hindi lang sa Pilipinas, sa buong mundo. Kaya bilang bakla, normal na nararanasan ng lahat ng mga bakla ang nang-aalipusta. Kaya naalipusta rin po kami.

“Pero sa pamilya, hindi ko masasabing ikinahiya kami, lalo na ng nanay ko. Hindi kami ikinahiya ng nanay ko. Maaaring sabihin ko na hindi ganun kadaling natanggap, pero hinding-hindi po kami ikinahiya ng pamilya ko,” sagot ni Vice.

Tough Ten Question No. 9: Alam naming crush mo si Jon Avila. Nagkaroon daw ng isang palabas sa Cebu, dinaanan-daanan ka lang niya. Na-turn off ka na hindi ka niya pinansin. Nasaktan ka ba?

“Opo!” mabilis na sagot ni Vice.

Nagkaroon ka ba ng pagkakataon na makausap si Jon at ipaalam itong naramdaman mo?

“Hindi na kami nagkausap kasi may karera noon. May laban ako, hindi ko na siya naano,” biro ni Vice. “Hindi po, nag-text siya. Sinabi niya po kasi na hindi niya raw talaga ako nakita. Kaya nauunawaan ko na naman siya. Sabi ko, ‘A, baka talagang hindi mo ako nakita. Maaaring sa laki kong ito hindi mo talaga ako makikita.”

Tough Ten Question No. 8: Kabayo, tikbalang at kung anu-ano pang mga mapanirang turing sa iyo. Napipikon ka ba, Vice Ganda?

“Hindi po, pinagkakakitaan ko ‘yan,” tugon niya.

Tough Ten Question No. 7: Ang punchline mo sa Showtime ay, “May nag-text.” Halimbawa lamang nag-uusap tayo ngayon, kung meron mangte-text, sino ito at ano ang laman ng text?

“May nag-text: Vice Ganda, ang ganda mo talaga. Kamukhang-kamukha mo si Ruffa. Alam ko ‘yan, ako ang iyong tunay na ina, Annabelle Rama,” sagot ni Vice na ikinatawa ni Boy at ng mga tao sa studio. “Baka magalit sa akin si Ruffi,” pahabol niya.

Tough Ten Question No. 6: Pilit na pinagtatapat kayo ni Chokoleit. Ano ang pinakaayaw mo sa kanya at ano ang pinakagusto mo kay Chokoleit?

“Ang pinakaayaw ko po sa kanya ay yung oiliness at tighiyawat niya. Prangkahan na!” natatawang sabi ni Vice. “Yun lang ang ayaw ko. Kasi pag nakikita ko yung tighiyawat niya, natatakot ako na baka sumapi sa akin. Kaya pinapakiusapan ko siya na, ‘Pakiusapan mo rin ‘yang mga tighiyawat mo na huwag sumama sa akin pauwi. Hayaan mong manatili sa iyo.’”

Ano naman ang sinasabi ni Chokoleit?

“Sabi niya, ‘Ay naku, hindi ko ipinamimigay ‘yan. Akin lang ‘yan.’ Mahal ko si Chokoleit. Bukod doon, wala akong ayaw sa kanya.”

Ano ang pinakagusto mo sa kanya?

“Pinakagusto ko kay Chokoleit, kaibigan ko siya. At yun ang gusto ko sa kanya.”

Tough Ten Question No. 5: Isa kang star judge sa Showtime. Ang untold shocker, may isang grupo raw na nanalo dahil sa iyo. Pero dahil hindi ka raw pinagbigyan ng isang lalaking kasama sa grupo, noong sumunod na sumalang sila ay ipinatalo mo. Comment?

“Isa iyan sa mga pinakakorning joke na narinig ko. Unang-una, kung papanoorin n’yo at panonooring n’yo ulit sa napakaraming site sa Internet yung episode na yun na monthly finals, yung nanalo nung araw na yun sa monthly finals, ang scores ng lahat ng judges, 10. Yung scores ng sinasabing miyembro ng grupong yun na hindi nanalo, hindi sila naka-perfect 10. Kahit bigyan ko sila ng 15, hindi pa rin sila mananalo. Meaning to say, hindi lang ako ang nagpatalo sa kanila. Lahat kaming hurado dahil hindi lang ako ang isang hurado doon, lima kami. Kaya bakit ako lang ang sisisihin nila?” paliwanag ni Vice.

Tough Ten Question No. 4: Vice, magaling kang mag-basketball. Bibigyan ka ng pagkakataong makalaro ang isang artistang lalake, one-on-one basketball. Sino ito at bakit?

“Si Jon Avila. Gusto ko siyang makalaro para sa pagkakataong iyon susupalpalin ko siya,” malamang sabi ni Vice.

Tough Ten Question No. 3: You’re late father talked about it na ikaw raw ang paborito niyang anak. Pero hindi niya alam na ikaw ay bakla. Kung bibigyan ka ng pagkatataon na halimbawa makausap ang tatay mo ngayon, ano ang nais mong sabihin sa kanya?

“Gusto kong sabihin sa kanya at tatanungin ko sa kanya kung malamig ba doon? Malamig ba diyan kasi pag nararamdaman kita, parang malamig ang nararamdaman ko,” biro ni Vice. “Hindi, kidding side, gusto kong sabihin sa kanya na nalulungkot ako dahil sa tagumpay na nararamdaman ko ngayon at nararanasan, hindi ko siya kasamang nararanasan ang lahat ng ito. Gayunpaman, masayang-masaya ako dahil alam ko na kahit nasaan ka, nakikita mo ako at pumapalakpak ka habang nanonood.”

Tough Ten Question No. 2: Your mom is in abroad. Pinaaayos mo ngayon ang inyong bahay because nais mo sanang siya ay umuwi rito at dito na siya tumira kasama ka. Vice, kung meron isang bagay na isusumbong mo sa iyong ina, ano iyon at bakit?

“Ano… ayoko talaga ng tsikahang ina,” at naging emosyonal na si Vice. “Ayokong magsumbong sa nanay ko. Kasi pag nagsumbong ako sa nanay ko, masasaktan siya. Alam mo yun? At kahit siguro hindi ako magsumbong sa nanay ko, ang mga ina alam na alam nila ang mga pinagdadaanan ng mga anak nila. Kaya ako nalulungkot ngayon, hindi naman ako nasasaktan dahil doon sa mga sinasabing intriga, yung panlilibak, yung mga kasinungalingan. Nasasaktan ako kasi alam ko, may mga importanteng tao sa buhay ko na nasasaktan para sa akin. Yung nanay ko alam ko masasaktan siya. Yung mga kapatid ko naaapektuhan sila.”

“Talk to them,” sabi ni Boy.

“Lagi kong nakakausap ang nanay ko. Kaya nga kahit nasasaktan na ako, tuloy pa rin ako. Kasi sinasabi ng nanay ko, ‘Anak, I’m so proud of you. Kasi ang dami mong napapasayang tao sa pamamagitan ng pamamaraan na alam mo. Kaya ituloy mo lang iyan.’ Kaya ako, wala akong ibang susundin kundi ang nanay ko. Itutuloy ko ito.

“Kaya ikaw, kayo, kayong lahat na nagsasabi ng masasama tungkol sa akin. Kayong lahat na lumikha ng mga kasinungalingan na ito sa akin na nababasa sa diyaryo at kung saan-saan, hinahamon ko kayo. Puntahan n’yo ang nanay n’yo. Sabihin n’yo sa kanya na kayo ang lumikha at humabi ng lahat ng malisyong kasinungalingang ito. Titigan n’yo siya sa kanyang mga mata para malaman n’yo kung napasaya ninyo sa ginawa n’yo ang inyong ina. Yun lang,” pahayag ni Vice.

Tough Ten Question No. 1: May relasyon ito doon sa iyong sinabi Vice. Sikat ka na ngayon. May mga taong gusto ka at may mga taong bumabatikos sa iyo. Ang mga akusasyon ay lumaki na raw ang iyong ulo, masakit ka raw magsalita sa Showtime, nilamon ka na raw ng tagumpay. Bilang pagtatapos ng pag-uusap na ito, anong nais mong sabihin?

“Kung nilamon ako ng tagumpay, wala na ako ngayon dito dahil nasa sikmura na ako ng tagumpay. Pero since naririto pa ako, walang nakakakain sa akin kahit tagumpay,” makahulugang biro ni Vice.

Dagdag niya, “Kung sinasabi nilang mayabang ako, oo, mayabang ako. At napakaraming dahilan na ipinagmamayabang ko. Napakaraming bagay na ipinagmamayabang ko. Mayabang ako at ipinagmamayabang ko at ipinagmamalaki kong Pilipino ako. Ipinagmamayabang kong bakla ako. Ipinagmamayabang kong anak ako ng mga magulang ko. Ipinagmamayabang kong ako si Vice Ganda. Ipinagmamayabang kong bahagi ako ng Showtime. Ipinagmamayabang kong Kapamilya ako. Marami akong bagay na ipinagmamayabang.

“Pero gayunpaman, hindi ito pumapasok sa utak ko para manlamang ng tao. Mayabang ako pero hindi ako nagnanakaw, hindi ako pumapatay. Kung mayabang man ako, huwag mo akong panoorin. Lahat ng tao ay isinilang na may kaakibat na kalayaan. Kung ayaw mo akong panoorin, lumipat ka, ilipat mo ang istasyon ng telebisyon na pinanonood mo. Pero bakit nanonood ka pa rin? Dalawa lang siguro ang dahilan niyan. Una, baka naman talagang nag-e-enjoy ka sa akin. O pangalawa, hindi ko na kasalanan kung walang baterya ang remote control n’yo. At kahit anong sabihin n’yo sa akin, batuhin n’yo man ako ng masasakit na intriga, pukulin n’yo man ako ng pagkasakit-sakit, hindi pa rin kayo magwawagi. Dahil naniniwala ako, mula umaga hanggang gabi, meron akong Diyos na kakampi.”

May huling mensahe pa si Vice. Aniya, “Hindi po ako magbabago. Patutunayan ko po sa inyo na hindi lahat ng kabayo ay pagtakbo lang ang kakayahan. May mga kabayo rin na may pakpak at pwedeng lumipad. At sa paglipad kong ito, hindi naman ako magpapakataas-taas. Paaalahanan ko pa rin ang sarili ko na mayroon akong apat na mahahabang paa na magbabalik sa akin upang muling tumapak sa lupa.”

Sam Pinto denies asking P1.5-M talent fee

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The miracle that is EDSA

By Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Miracle is defined as “an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.”
For Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz, that was what February 25, 1986 was all about.
It was two weeks after the snap elections, which was marred by massive fraud and violence, when Ballsy received a call from her mother, former president Corazon Aquino.

“We were in Times St. while my mom, my husband, and Kris were in Cebu. And then mom called us, talking in codes. She said she already talked to [Juan Ponce] Enrile and [Fidel] Ramos,” Ballsy, the eldest of the Aquino siblings, said as she recalled the events that happened in 1986 to Yahoo! Southeast Asia.

Aquino, who would become president, asked Ballsy to move out of their Times St. residence and seek refuge at a relative’s house.
Photo by Yahoo! Southeast Asia“I had a baby then, Jiggy. He was just a few months and you know you had a baby with all the diapers…my biggest problem was he. It was hard moving around with a baby but we had to move out,” said Ballsy. At that point, she knew something was going to happen. Millions of people were going to EDSA for three straight days, following the defection of Enrile, then defense minister, and Ramos, head of the Philippine Constabulary.

Amid threats of a civil war, the Aquino family saw that fear had no place.

“Actually inside us, we were really excited about it. [We thought] maybe this is the miracle we’ve been praying for,” she said.

Under martial law, nobody thought that rosaries and prayers could defeat tanks and high-powered firearms.

“Mom doesn’t want violent means. She wanted peaceful means to show not just disgust, not just your anger but your opposition,” said Ballsy.

Road to freedom

Just after two years since Ballsy’s father, Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., was fatally shot in the head upon his return from years of exile in the U.S., Cory was urged to run against the incumbent Ferdinand Marcos.

“The four of us were saying, ‘Oh no mom, talagang desisyon hindi na mapapalitan?’ The four of us elders didn’t want to. But [my sister] Kris said, ‘Go for it mom, kaya mo yan, kakayanin natin yan.’”

Photo by Yahoo!  Southeast Asia
“We still tried to talk Mom out of it. We told her, ‘Mom, dapat ibang pamilya naman, tayo na naman? Haven’t we suffered enough that dad already died,’ and then she explained that you know, ‘we’re luckier than 90 percent of the people, of our kababayans. Kailangan naman we should give back,’” Ballsy said.

Aquino ran but the Commission on Elections declared Marcos the winner, which sparked public outrage that led to the first People Power revolution.

The presidency

After a three-day protest in EDSA, Aquino took her oath as President of the Philippines at Club Filipino, while the Marcoses fled to Hawaii.

As Filipinos rejoiced with news of a new-found freedom and the fall of the dictatorship, Ballsy admitted that everything at that point was a blur.

“There was no celebration. Everything was just happening so fast. Bigla nalang nasa Club Filipino na to take her oath. I don’t remember any celebration. It’s the feeling you can’t buy by having a big party, celebrating, ordering all the good food. It is the feeling of being one with the people. We were so happy that finally, after 20 years of the dictatorship the country was free,” Ballsy said beaming.

“People were having so much fun and [there was so much] merriment in the streets. Everything was just so fast. It was really different and one of a kind,” she added.

Looking back, Ballsy said she knew that the People Power was God’s answer to all their prayers.

“When my mom decided to run, I couldn’t even pray for her to win kasi sabi ko kung mananalo ang hirap naman talaga nun, lahat ng problemang mamamana niya. Ayoko din matalo siyang naghihirap but then even if we felt that her running really needed a miracle for her to win, the prayer was always, ‘Dear Lord it’s up to you, Bahala ka na. Your will be done,’” said Ballsy.

Months after the revolt, Ballsy said they had to face the hardest part of all: living in the Palace and trying to live up to the public’s expectations.

Photo by Yahoo! Southeast  Asia
“When mom finally became president, she said what she wanted was to become the exact opposite of Marcos. So that was always in our minds: the exact opposite. If they were lavish, let’s be simple. If there were kurakot [corrupt], then let’s be really honest. Let’s not make people even doubt us,” she said.

Ballsy said they moved to Malacanang months after Aquino took her oath, out of fear there were “landmines” in the Palace.

Aquino lived in Times St. and held office in Makati. She later moved to the Palace but faced seven coup attempts led by some of the same officers who helped her secure power.

“Of course when we were there, [we received] all the flak and all. You know there are times I felt ‘yung ibang sinabi about the Marcoses hindi na rin totoo e or baka exaggerated na because were already doing our best, trying to behave as good as we could and still there were many articles written about us, ang dami pang batikos sa radio,” Ballsy lamented.

Despite all these difficulties, Cory finished her term, bravely and without any tears.

“No never. My mom was always calm and then when they talk about her inner courage, I think they hit the right words,” Ballsy said when asked if she ever saw her mom cry.

“It’s really her spirit that is so brave. And then she always says my dad brought out the best in her and that martial law really made them better persons,” added Ballsy.

Photos by Janie Christine Octia, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Friday, February 26th, 2010

MANILA, Philippines – Even before she can make a mark in show business, former Pinoy Big Brother Double Up housemate Sam Pinto is already being inundated with intrigues.

Immediately after her PBB stint, the young fashionista from Parañaque created a stir by publicly admitting that she used to date actor Jake Cuenca. Then later, she was romantically linked to “Wowowee” main host Willie Revillame, a rumor she denied.

And now, Pinto is being criticized after she reportedly demanded a P1.5-million talent fee for a billboard project. Reports said her alleged high talent fee has turned off many potential clients.

Pinto, however, said as far as her talent fee is concerned her managers are the ones who are making the decisions.

“I’m with Viva, co-managed by Claire dela Fuente. Tapos ‘yong ABS-CBN, co-managed by Viva. Tapos kasama sa Viva si Tita Claire so medyo magulo. Sila sila ang nag-uusap so hindi ko alam kung paano ang [commission] nila,” Pinto said.

“Sila sila ang nag-uusap. Yes lang ako ng yes,” she added.

Pinto is also unfazed by these criticisms.

“This negative publicity actually helps me because they talk about me. I guess it’s a good and a bad thing. Pero for sure, for my career, I wanted to do some more, I need to work on my acting actually. Ang dami pa. I need to work on a lot of things pa. Slowly, hopefully I will get there,” she said.

Pinto is set to co-host “Wowowee,” her biggest break so far.

She will also star in a television series alongside her fellow former housemates, and it will be directed by Ruel S. Bayani.