L'affaire Kris Aquino and Alvin Patrimonio -- the lovers who never were, who never are and who never will be? -- is getting uglier and uglier, now heading for an all-time low, with Phillip Salvador, Kris' estranged home companion, putting in his two-cents worth during two recent TV guestings on Kris' shows (The Buzz and Today with Kris Aquino, both on ABS-CBN) and the unstoppable Madame Auring desperately trying to get a free ride by herself making unsolicited remarks on the issue two days ago on TV Patrol, comparing her obsessive love for Victor Wood to that of Kris' fascination with Alvin.
During a one-on-one with Kris on TWKA last Monday, Phillip called Alvin "Reyna ng Basketbolista" or "ng Basketball," a name-calling which most televiewers (this one included) found ungentlemanly, a below-the-belt comment that shouldn't have been made -- and on national television at that! -- by a man against another man.
"Kung hindi mo kayang panindigan," added Phillip, referring to Alvin's reported "abortive" attempt to again woo Kris, "huwag mo nang simulan," or words to that effect, "kaya ka tuloy tinatawag na Reyna ng Basketball."
Ouch, ouch, ouch!
Many televiewers believed that if Phillip made the same statement during an election campaign (presuming that he would, indeed, run for Mayor of Mandaluyong), he would have lost "pogi" points and a sizeable number of votes. Once said, harsh words (especially) are hard to take back.
Thus far, Alvin has remained intriguingly quiet about the whole thing. Some readers said that Funfare has been "one-sided" and "unfair" about the issue, printing only Kris' side. The truth is that Alvin has been keeping mum, so what would Funfare print for "his side?"
Mum, that is, until now.
"Madame L," who claims to be Alvin's unofficial and self-appointed spokeswoman, told Funfare that Alvin is "clueless" about the issues raised against him by Kris, saying, "I wonder why Kris is always playing (pinaglalaruan) with me; when I married Cindy (Conwi, his estranged wife), Kris cried; and now that there's a report that I have a girlfriend from Bacolod, she's also crying on TV. I don't know why." (The girl Alvin is referring to is 20-year-old half-Dutch, half-Filipino Maila Koelman.)
Spokeswoman "Madame L" also quoted Alvin as saying that he did see Kris at her place but only once and that was when Kris called him up after Alvin's break-up with Cindy and asked him if he wanted to move to a place nearby. Alvin had left home and was looking for a place of his own at that time.
"Alvin said he never courted Kris," Madame L said.
But Funfare knew that last Valentine's Day, Kris' date was none other than Alvin who, in his "clueless-ness," must have unwittingly given Kris, you know, "hope" even if he was already reported to be going steady with Maila Koelman.
Meanwhile, could it be true that Cindy and Maila had some kind of a "confrontation" scene at a five-star hotel in Mandaluyong, during which Cindy made it loud and clear that she and Alvin are in the process of ironing things out preparatory to a reconciliation?
Three days ago, Cindy was with Alvin at the Reyes Gym in Mandaluyong where Alvin and the rest of the Purefoods players usually hold their practice/workouts. That same day, Alvin accompanied Cindy to the Mandaluyong City Police station, his arms around her shoulders, where they reported that a tricycle driver bumped Cindy's Isuzu Trooper (left portion of the front bumper was damaged). Cindy decided not to file any case when the tricycle driver promised to pay the estimated P3,000 cost of repair.
Now, if Alvin and Cindy do reconcile, will Victor Wood finally say "yes" to Madame Auring's persistent marriage proposal?
It's getting crazier and crazier, uglier and uglier. Oh, well, the oppressive summer heat must have something to do with this madness. I suspect it has.
IBC-13 President and UNESCO Commissioner Boots Anson Roa recently represented the Philippines in the UN body's 20th International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) Conference. This was highlighted by UNESCO's annual deliberation on international media program. The conference, held in Paris from March 21 to 24, was attended by some 39 members countries, international media based NGOs and affiliate member countries.
In view of Boots' active and insightful participation, the Philippines was appointed to an eight-country task force which will evaluate, enhance and reform policies governing the IPDC which is now on its 20th years.
In a memorandum to the UNESCO National Commission Secretary General and Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rosario Manalo, the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO in Paris thru Ambassador Hector K. Villaroel and first Secretary Deanna Ongpin Recto, reported that Boots is the lone woman representative to the panel composed of France, Norway, Netherlands, Russia, Brazil, Tunisia and Nigeria. Prior to the end of the said conference, the group already submitted its initial findings and recommendations focusing on fund sourcing and country-wide community-based media projects and press freedom.
The task force is expected to meet again by the end of 2000 to prepare for the 21st IPDC Conference in March, 2001. Meanwhile, task force members are in close communication via the Foreign Affairs Pouch and the internet.