The truth about Vilma and Ralph - FUNFARE BY By Ricardo F. Lo

Curtain-raisers:

* How come Phillip Salvador has become scarce after his recent defeat at the polls when he ran for Mandaluyong City Vice Mayor? Simple: Phillip flew to New York to attend the wedding of his daughter (by estranged wife Sony Dabao) Barbie who’s almost as old as Phillip’s former home companion Kris Aquino. It’s Phillip who will give away the bride, naturally!

* John Regala has started to sound like a broken record, shedding tears in every TV show in town, complaining that he’s jobless because the managers’ group PAMI has imposed a "ban" on him. A PAMI official is begging John’s pardon. "He has no movie because he has no offer and not because of any ban that exists only in his mind," said the PAMI official. "Besides, no action star is making any movies these days and it follows that since John usually plays second lead to them, wala rin siyang pelikula. Plain and simple. He should stop blaming the PAMI for whatever problems he is having now; he should blame himself."

* Cesar Montano and wife Sunshine Cruz are leaving next week for New York where Cesar will have a show (yes, he’s going to sing selections from his Star Records album) and at the same time spend a well-deserved vacation with the very pregnant Sunshine who’s scheduled to give birth to a baby girl (to be named Angelina Mae, the first derived from Angelina Jolie who, according to Sunshine, is her lookalike) sometime in September.

* * *

Because most actor-politicians lost in the recent May 14 elections, all sorts of unsavory rumors have been spreading to the effect that the debacle has adversely affected the marriage of some of them, such as outgoing Cavite Gov. Bong Revilla and Lani Mercado (who lost respectively in his reelection bid and her Bacoor mayoralty bid), and Dingdong Avanzado and Jessa Zaragoza (Dingdong lost in his reelection bid as councilor of Quezon City).

Both couples have sufficiently denied the rumor which has happily died a natural death (walang basis nga, e!).

But how come Vilma Santos and Ralph Recto haven’t been spared by the grapevine when they both won, he as Senator and she as reelected Lipa City Mayor?

All because, 1). Vilma wasn’t as visible on the campaign trail as Sharon Cuneta was (for Kiko Pangilinan, also a Senatorial winner); 2). Vilma wasn’t present when Ralph and the other new senators were proclaimed by the COMELEC; and 3). Vilma and Ralph seem to be "distant" to each other and not as "lovey-dovey" as they used to.

Somebody close to the couple has the answers:

1. "Vilma did campaign for Ralph but only in five places (Quezon, Bacolod, Iloilo, Mandaluyong and Lipa) because she couldn’t just turn her back on her obligations as Lipa City Mayor."

2. "Vilma didn’t accompany Ralph to the proclamation because, as Ralph knew, it coincided with the blessing of the VSR (Vilma Santos Recto) school building in Lipa City."

3. "Vilma and Ralph have been enjoying their time together with their children after the campaign that often brought them apart."

Yesterday when Ralph was sworn in by Chief Justice Hilario Davide (as the No. 12 Senator), Vilma made sure that she was beside him to nip in the bud any further rumor. Today, the couple, together with their son Ryan Christian and his yaya, are flying to Singapore on PR 503 for a weekend holiday. Luis/Lucky opted not to go with them because he doesn’t want to be away from his new non-showbiz girlfriend (a model named Nancy).

When they come back, the whole family plans to go on a picnic somewhere in Batangas, their turf, prior to Ralph and Vilma’s starting their new terms on July 2.

Incidentally, Ralph is also rumored to be keeping a certain "Gracia" (presumably the girl in the PLDT commercial) in a plush condo. Fumed Ralph, "I don’t even know her; I haven’t even met her!" (There are actually two "Gracias," the first one whose face was not shown and who has flown to Singapore to work as a veejay and the new one whose pretty face is finally highlighted, much to the thrill of Billy a.k.a. Carlo Muñoz and his over-portective mom. Which one?)

Sex and the City guessing game

Funfare is having a "tie-up" with HBO in the promo for its popular sitcom Sex and the City, topbilled by Sarah Jessica Parker (Golden Globe awardee as Best Actress in a Comedy Series), shown Tuesday nights at 10 to 10:30 on Channel 31 (SKYCable) and Channel 26 (Home Cable).

Readers are invited to answer a set of questions (to be printed here today and the next two Thursdays). If you answer correctly, you win a Sex and the City Martini glasses. Seven winners will be picked every week.

Here are the questions (answers will appear in next Thursday’s Funfare), all relating to episodes 1 and 2:

1. Which island did Carrie and friends go to judge the New York City Fire Department’s "Calendar Contest"?

2. What is the name of the politician Carrie meets at the New York Fire Deparetment’s "Calendar Contest"?

3. Where does Samantha’s latest date shop?

4. What was the color of Carrie’s trenchcoat while she was at the construction site with her new politician boyfriend, Bill, on one of the campaign trips.

(Note: Send entries with a clipping of questions from Funfare, with your name and address and phone number to: SATC Contest, Funfare, P.O. Box 512, Greenhills Post Office, San Juan, Metro Manila 1502.)