Giji Garcia gets married (finally!) - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

No, Giji Garcia didn’t become a "Consul in L.A." according to reports late last year before Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson made that explosive exposé that eventually led to the ouster of his erstwhile buddy, President Joseph Estrada. Maybe Giji did "eye" that post but, I guess, she opted to just forget it when a controversy was starting to swirl around her impending "appointment" and to avoid dragging her friend, Laarni Enriquez, into the mess.

Since then, nothing was heard about Giji who, it turned out, has decided to stay in California as a "private citizen." So whatever happened to Giji who was formerly one of the apples of the eye of a popular politician?

Well, the answer came from Giji herself who wrote Funfare a letter detailing her present life out there.

I’ll let Giji herself tell her own story. Here she is:

Dear Ricky,

Hi, my friend! Miss you talaga. Trusting that everything’s fine with you. I left Manila last Feb. 7 and got married (yes, legally and legitimately) to an utterly wonderful and highly intelligent man – Vincent Kocher - last Feb. 10 at Silver Bells Wedding Chapels in Las Vegas, Nevada. Currently, we’re residing in Mariva, California (just 15 minutes away from Carmel, the town where Clint Eastwood lives and where he was once the mayor). It’s around one hour and a half away from San Francisco. I’m happily settled now – quietly and peacefully. Finally, I’m enjoying what I have been praying for all these years.

God (praise the Holy Name!) has given me the rare chance to renew my life. By next month, I’ll be going to work already (we’re just waiting and filing the "petition"). Vince is an American citizen, 41 years old, and I must say that we’re both so much in love with each other. He works at Pebble Beach.

I’ve got new friends here and they are all nice. By summer, I might do some concerts here at the Bay Area. Right now, I’m living simply and attending to my husband who is my main concern. My children, Lady and Alexiss, are with their father (Boy Asistio) in Manila. Hopefully, soon they can follow me here with my two adorable grandchildren Nico and Gracey.

I’m happy and contented with my life here, my friend, and I have adjusted to the simple lifestyle here in Mariva. I do the laundry, cook for Vince and me, clean the house, iron our clothes. . . I’m the total homemaker here and I love it.

I can’t say that I miss the kind of lifestyle that I once had in the Philippines. Kasi, enjoy talaga ako dito. I have always wanted to live here – kahit noon pa.

There is so much time to do a lot of bonding together as husband and wife, away from temptations and the intrigues. I’m conditioning myself already and starting to prepare to adjust (again!) once I start working next month. I don’t really mind working again.

That’s all for now. Regards to all our friends there.

Oh, well, what else can we say but, "Good luck, Giji, and all the best. May you and Vince – and your future children – live blissfully together for a hundred years (as the Chinese would say)."