Why Candy is oh-so-sweet

Candy is sweet, of course, and she has been even more so – "sweeter than sweet" – since last March 25 when she exchanged "I do’s" with Gilbert "Choi" Alvarado at the Shrine of Jesus, The Truth and The Life.

Candy Pangilinan, that is.

She looks sweet, she sounds sweet and she exudes such a sweet disposition that if you’re not careful you’ll turn diabetic just by talking to her. See what love can do!

Even on TV, Candy acts sweet. Observe her on the new ABS-CBN show Whattamen (with Marvin Agustin, Rico Yan, Dominic Ochoa and Ai-Ai delas Alas, Wednesday nights at 9), or on Alas Singko y Medya (also on ABS-CBN, Saturday and Sunday editions), or on Ispup (that hilarious show on ABC 5). Isn’t Candy a darling, just as she was on the recently-defunct ABS-CBN satiric show Eto Na ang Susunod na Kabanata whose cancellation after only two or three seasons have driven its faithful followers (this one included, sob!) to near-depression.

The love story of Candy and Choi is just as sweet.

It started on a blind date.

"It was arranged by a friend four years ago," recalled Candy. "Nag-meet kami sa Dean’s St. (along West Avenue, Quezon City). Was it love at first sight? No, it was not. He looked much too bagets. Ako kasi, hindi ko type ang mga bagets."

Then enrolled at the Philippine School of Interior Designing, Choi didn’t even know that Candy was a showbiz star, not when they were warming up to each other at Dean’s St.

"That was when I realized na hindi ako sikat," said Candy.

In the course of their conversation, Choi wondered what sort of profession Candy was in and Candy gave her a "clue" – yes, "I’m in showbiz."

"Are you an assistant director?" Choi asked Candy.

Candy shook her head.

"Are you a director?" Choi asked.

Again, Candy shook her head.

It was only when they moved from Dean’s St. to join Candy’s showbiz friends Andoy and John Lapuz at Penguin in Malate, Manila, did Choi learn that, yes, indeed, Candy is an actress, especially when Candy’s friends from theater began showing up. Suffocated by the showbiz-y atmosphere ("Hindi sanay sa showbiz, e," said Candy), Choi went with the group anyway when they moved to The Library where the cacophony of mostly "swardspeak" gave Choi a giant headache.

"Na-develop kami," Candy admitted.

She was free and so was he.

She started inviting him to her tapings/shootings and she appreciated his willingness to stay up with her until the next morning, enjoying his first-hand view of Candy making fun and cracking jokes on-cam with co-stars even when they were already sleepy. Three months after they met, Candy met an accident ("Dahil sa kapupuyat") and Choi hardly left her side.

Two months later, they realized that they were in love.

They successfully kept their romance a secret so they caught many people by surprise when they decided to get married. They’re still deep into their honeymoon, although they’re planning to have a baby a few years from now yet. "We want to enjoy each other’s company first," said Candy. She’s serious.

Choi is now a full-fledged interior designer while Candy, besides her showbiz work, manages some 1,000 vendo machines (called Vending Specialists) found in malls and groceries in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. You drop a coin and, if you’re lucky, you get an extra gum, an extra chocolate or a toy, all "imported."

As I’ve been saying, Candy is sweet. Even the nine-year-old business she decided to put up very sweet.

She’s true to her name, isn’t she?

Sharon puts up Sari-Sari

Sharon Cuneta officially launched her newest "baby" last Sept. 18 at the third level of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall – yes, a Sari-Sari Store; Sharon has always been a loyal Sari-Sari girl since the ’80s.

Here’s a report from somebody who was at the starry opening:

The Posh mall was buzzing with excitement and energy, as if it were the scene of a glitzy movie premiere. Evoked was a red-carpet ambience.

The area near Sharon’s store, in fact, was decorated with posters from her old concerts (The US Tour, Mega Concert) and movies (Bituing Walang Ningning, Nakagapos na Puso). Four TV sets also showed scenes from her biggest box-office hits (Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas and others).

To rev up the guest’s enthusiasm for the scheduled fashion show, delectable food from the first-ever Sari-Sari Café (at Rockwell) was whipped up by Sari-Sari EVP Aleth Ocampo-Mapa. Sure winners among the star-struck crowds were Tanglad Iced Tea, the mixed Asian noodles, Pan de Sal flowers, and carrot cake topped with Kesong Puti (dubbed Kapantay ay Langit, in honor of another Sharon movie).

As expected, the entire Sari-Sari family, led by president Marni Ocampo, AVPs Mar-G Ocampo and Anna Ocampo-Sarmiento, and Franchise Operations Director Kayoy Lansigan, and Director for Advertising and Promotions, GP Reyes, gave their all-out support to their newest franchisee, Sharon.

The Megastar herself was beaming with pride – surrounded, of course, by her loved ones: husband, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, daughters KC Concepcion and Frankie Pangilinan, as well as mom Elaine Cuneta and in-laws Donnie and Emma Pangilinan.

After heartfelt Christian dedication ceremonies, preparations for the much-awaited fashion show commenced.

A ramp was set up in front of the store, and the models, wearing Sari-Sari’s latest collection, emerged from a curtain draped over the store’s door.

Two young painters, Daniel Ferrer and Heherson Esmeralda, then created on-the-spot artworks (caricatures of Miss Mega) in front of the awed audience as the models sashayed on the catwalk.

What made the fashion show unique was, that aside from Manila’s top mannequins (like Lucia Santiago and Phoemela Barranda), tinseltown’s brightest stars were also recruited for on-the-ramp duties.

Sharon’s showbiz friends and co-stars – like TV host Amy Perez, Mega-cousin Ciara Sotto, bombshells Joyce Jimenez and Ara Mina, as well as model-celebs Angel Aquino and Wilma Doesnt – vogued it up on the ramp. The girls had a blast, swaying up and swinging in their Sex and the City-inspired outfits. Big hit was the Sarah Jessica Parker trademark: the omnipresent cabbage rose accessory.

Cutie pie John Pratts, heartthrob Rico Yan, and wacky performer Randy Santiago hammed it up, to the delight of the swooning gals in the audience. (There were even people who watched the show from the fourth level of the already closed mall.)

A standout in the show was the very reluctant model, writer and TV host Jessica Zafra, who wore a much-applauded Annie Hall tie-and-suit ensemble that was updated for 2001. (Sari-Sari dresses up Jessica for her weekly Studio 23 talk show, Points of View.)

The music that accompanied the fashion show (which was masterminded by much-sought-after director Robby Carmona) was a re-mix of big-band, trippy sounds and standards, with old Sharon Cuneta songs (like Dear Heart) thrown in for good measure. The show, in true Mega fashion, began with Mr. DJ and ended with the Sharon anthem, Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas.

By the end of the night, Sharon herself was sitting behind the counter (it was her childhood dream to be store kahera, she said), greeting VIP guests such as Cinderella owner Therese Coronel-Santos, society chronicler Donnie Ramirez, People Asia’s Philip Cu-Unjieng, Mega Magazine’s Sari Yap, Liza Ilarde, Pierra Calasanz and Lorraine Belmonte, Seventeen’s Maddy Madrid, Youngstar’s Anna Cruz, Lexi Schultz, and Luis Espiritu, TeenMag’s Joyce Fernandez, Chalk’s Jenni Epperson, Mr. and Mrs. Mariano Un Ocampo, Miguel Pastor, party-man Tim Yap, Sharon’s sister-in-law Vicky Pangilinan, good friends Philip Cuazon Jr. and Olive Isidro-Cruz, Viva’s Baby Gil and Sandy Santamaria, cousin and Quezon City councilor Lala Sotto, Venezia’s Louie Ysmael, Sari-Sari franchisees Tess Tueres and Zenny Cheng, architect Raymund Sarmiento, Jojo Mapa, furniture designer Jude Tiotuico, historian Ambeth Ocampo, as well as Sharon’s showbiz colleagues Fanny Serrano, Vina Morales, Eula Valdez, Rowell Santiago and Rustom Padilla.

The flower arrangement was by Nestor Pagulayan. Make up for the show was masterfully executed by Salon de Orient.