No more love kids for Vic

Because his marriage to Dina Bonnevie has been annulled (like Dina’s second marriage to Dick Penson), Vic Sotto is legally single again, free to marry anybody anytime he wants to.

But that’s the least of Vic’s concerns and priorities at the moment. In his characteristic deadpan style, Vic did admit that he’d eventually marry again – "Kapag may mabulag akong babae." Otherwise, he’d rather stay as he is – fancy-free, enjoying his life as a bachelor to the hilt. "Anyway, I have children already," he added.

He has four (as of last count): Danica and Oyo Boy with Dina, Mico with Coney Reyes and Paulina with Angela Luz (Vic’s one-time leading lady in Okay Ka, Fairy Ko).

"If ever I have another child," said Vic, a noted playboy, "it would have to be after I marry again."

Which simply means he’d have no more child(ren) out of wedlock.

Vic has been a good father to all his children, seeing to their needs even if he doesn’t (because he can’t) attend to them everyday, compensating for it by spending quality time with them.

"Mahirap...Hindi ko masubaybayan ang kanilang paglaki."

Paulina, for instance, who’s 11 and tall (5’8") for her age, wears size 9 shoes and is an avid golfer like her father.

"I see her once a week and we play golf together," said Vic of Paulina who was named after Angela’s older sister Paola Luz (the singer). "Paulina was born a few months after Paola died (of cancer)."

In the next breath, Vic denied that he has a 14-year-old girlfriend (member of a dance group?). "Makulong pa ako!" he joked, denying he is a cradle-snatcher.

But for sure, even if he claimed to be "loveless" (he lives alone in his big house in Alabang), Vic is definitely not, uh, celibate. Asked if he prefers older women, he begged your pardon. "At my age," he protested, "any older woman is already my lola."

Noted for his winning ways with women (and rumored to have a "secret weapon") Vic said he’s amazed and amused by that reputation. "I don’t even know why women fall for me," he said in all humility.

Does he write love songs for them, like what he’s believed to have done for Dina? Remember Ipagpatawad Mo, said to have been specially composed by Vic for Dina when he was courting her? In return, Dina sang Bakit Ba Ganyan (the same title of a movie they did for Millennium films two years ago).

"That’s a misconception," revealed Vic. "The song was composed by Boyet Palisoc; ako lang ang nag-produce. "Yung Bakit Ba Ganyan naman was composed by a contestant in the Eat, Bulaga! love-songwriting contest. It was later used as theme song of Regal Films’ Age Doesn’t Matter where Tito, Vic and Joey appeared with Dina."

Meanwhile, Vic is concentrating on his latest movie, Lastikman, a P35-million action-comedy-fantasy he’s co-producing (through his company M-ZET) with OctoArts Films. It’s Vic’s first movie in two years, intended for the Metro Filmfest next month. He co-stars with Donita Rose, Michael V. and Jeffrey Quizon as the main kontrabida. He wears a dark/blue-and-white checkered tight costume in his role as Hilario Gomez (alias Goma). The character is inspired by the komiks Wonder Man created by the late Mars Ravelo, all right, but the movie has an entirely different storyline.

"My character is a professor (while that of Jeffrey is his student who tries to outsmart him). We’re spending a lot on the special effects alone, now costing almost P7 million but worth it. My character can stretch his extremities as long as he wants them to be. In one scene, the villain shoots Lastikman with a grenade but instead of getting hurt, the middle part of his body simply stretched to his back like a slingshot and hurls the grenade back to the villain."

Why did he decide to produce a movie only now?

"For economic reasons," said Vic, "financially, mahirap. If I have to produce another movie, I want it to be good; ayoko naman n’ung quickie na worth P5 million. Doing movies these days is very expensive. Talagang gagastusan mo."

He cited several factors working against the local movie industry.

"One is piracy. The market is getting smaller at kadalasan nauuna pang lumabas ang pirated tapes kaysa sa pelikula mo.

"There’s also competition from foreign films. Let’s face it, foreign producers really spend a lot on their movies so local movies really pale in comparison.

"Television is also a minus factor. Many people would rather watch TV than go to the movies. That’s why if you produce a movie, you have to make it really, really good for people to go out of the house and watch it."

In praise of Gloria

Here’s a reaction letter in praise of Gloria Romero, from reader August Fernando of Church St. Station, P. O. Box 672, New York, New York:

Thanks for that down-memory-lane piece on my fave Filipina actress, Gloria Romero. At the height of her popularity in the ’50-’60s, I used to see Gloria’s pictures not once, not twice, but several times. My record was for Bakasyonista, with heartthrob Luis Gonzales. I think I saw that one no less than 10 times. Spending my own allowance to see it, I had to forego several "goto-dinuguan-puto" during recess time in high school. I think I was in first year then.

Gloria was my favorite among the star-studded Sampaguita Pictures stable of beauteous actresses like Myrna Delgado, Rita Gomez, Daisy Romualdez, Amalia Fuentes, Susan Roces, Gina Pareno, etc. Amalia and Susan, then top-billing Don Jose Perez’s studio, came at the beginning of the downturn of Gloria’s popularity. Nevertheless, nobody replaced Gloria in my heart (and eyes!) as my fave actress.

When Gloria married Juancho Gutierrez (Mister #1 to Amalia’s Miss #1), I was dumbfounded because my dream was for her to be Mrs. Luis Gonzales, who earlier had married a rich girl, scion of an electronic magnate, Vina Concepcion. During their marriage, whenever I read something bad happening between the couple, my heart was torn to pieces. Grabe!

I lost track of Gloria’s career when I migrated to the US in the early ’80s. In one rented movie, I saw her without some front teeth, old and just a shade of her former self. But still, she looked so beautiful to me. She was and forever will be the Gloria Romero of my youth. Regal. Queenly. Majestic.

Gloria’s external beauty may wane, but it will never diminish to me and I am sure to all those who during those years when she was riding at the crest of her popularity were adoring her to high heavens – where in my youthful fantasy I thought Gloria came from and she was just a temporary visitor here on Earth. Such was my admiration for this incomparable actress of Philippine moviedom.

By the way, do you remember that you published in your column a little piece of mine – I think in 1998 or 1999 – about Susan Roces’ 1956 screen test in our nipa hut place in San Mateo, Rizal? She was "raped" by Martin Marfil in the screen test, which was directed by Rosa Mia, then megging Rodora starring Amalia Fuentes and Romeo Vasquez. Susan was then all of her 15 summers, with skin so smooth and flawless and a face that truly refreshed she looked like an angel to my adoring eyes."