What’s keeping Nora Aunor in the US?

Now that she’s been cleared of drug possession charges in the US, Nora Aunor can return to the Philippines and reactivate her film career.

There’s no point in her staying in America, where stories persist that she has been approaching her Filipino friends for money which she squanders in casinos. (Nora is said to be addicted to playing the slot machines).

One story has it that La Aunor ran into a Filipino who was her fan in Las Vegas. After striking a conversation with her countryman, she reportedly asked if she could borrow $100 from him. The man handed Nora the money and told her that she didn’t have to pay him back. The actress then asked the Pinoy for his phone number.

Nora reportedly called up the fan and asked if she could borrow some cash again. The man obliged. But when she called him up for the second time he refused to answer.

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Ruffa Gutierrez has refused to talk about her ex-husband Yilmaz Bektas. She would rather talk about her endorsement for MET whitening soap. Not a few people have noticed Ruffa’s flawless, white skin. “Since I started using MET, my skin has become beautifully radiant. My mom’s friends couldn’t help but notice,” Ruffa says. Spoken like a true endorser.

Since she arrived home from the US, Ruffa has been swamped with offers to endorse this or that product. Her mom and dad stayed behind to watch Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas today.

Rufa Mae Quinto is one actress who has her feet firmly planted on the ground despite her success in showbiz. Her talents have grown and diversified. Not only did she star along with fellow comedians Eugene Domingo, Pokwang and Candy Pangilinan in Viva Films’ “Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat,” she also co-produced the movie.

Rufa also didn’t expect true friendship to develop between her and her three co-stars. The four became very close during the filming. Their bond grew stronger during the shooting in Hong Kong.

“At first we were not comfortable with each other. It was the first time we were working together. Slowly however we began to open up to one another. Soon we were talking about our problems,” says Rufa, who is still loveless after her break-up with Erik Santos.

The friendship helped move the filming at a faster pace. “It was in Hong Kong where we realized how supportive of each other we have become. That helped up finish the shooting much faster.”

“Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat” itself is a story of true sisterhood. Rufa, Eugene, Pokwang and Candy are four friends who go to Hong Kong to find work. Rufa Mae ends up as a care giver for an old bedridden lady who turns out to be her employer’s lover. Pokwang has her hands full washing the turbans of her Indian boss. Eugene baby-sits three kids with German measles. Candy has the sorriest lot of all. Her employer not only locks her up; he beats and starves her as well.

At one point, Candy eats her employer’s goldfish because there was no other food in the house. When her employer finds out he beats her black and blue and eventually kills her.

Candy’s demise puts the remaining friends in a dilemma. They had promised her husband, a bully, they would bring her back after six months. They must make it appear that Candy is still alive.

Wenn Deramas directs from the screenplay of Mel del Rosario.

“Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat” opens in several theaters on October 10.

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The giant American TV network, ABC, had to apologize for the slur against Filipino doctors in the season premiere of its hit series, “Desperate Housewives.” The insulting line was uttered by Teri Hatcher’s character, Susan, in a scene where she visited her gynecologist for a check-up.

“Before we go any further, can I check these diplomas? Just to make sure they aren’t, like, from some med school in the Philippines?” Susan tells her doctor.

The line triggered outrage from Filipinos in the US and here. There were calls for a boycott of the series. A petition demanding an apology drew more than 30,000 names.

The barrage forced the show’s producers and ABC Studios to issue an apology.  “There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines,” the statement said. “As leaders in broadcast diversity, we are committed to presenting sensitive and respectful images of all communities featured in our programs.”

That should teach American TV networks not to mess with Pinoys.