Wycoco debuts as ‘actor’ in Cory flick

It took Donna Villa and Carlo J. Caparas, the couple behind Golden Lions Films, six years to convince Cory Quirino to have her harrowing "kidnap experience" made into a movie.

"They were persistent," said Cory who denied agreeing to the project because she had political ambitions for 2004, "and it was hard to say ‘no’ to them. Besides," added Cory who wrote a best-selling account of the 1995 incident which could have cost her her life, "I believe in the cause Donna and Carlo are fighting for, hand in hand with the Crusade(rs) Against Violence of which I’ve been a member for more than seven years now."

With the same gentle persuasion, the Golden Couple was also able to convince NBI Chief Reynaldo Wycoco to appear in The Cory Quirino Kidnap, with Ara Mina tapped from among a dozen choices to play the title role. The kidnapping incident happened while Mariano Mison (whose life story has been made into a movie, with Eddie Garcia in the title role) was the NBI chief but the case was solved during Wycoco’s term. The five suspects (three of whom will be played by Mark Anthony Fernandez, Zoren Legaspi and Paolo Rivero) are now languishing in Death Row.

The crucial question of whether or not Cory was "molested" by the five suspects (who brought Cory and her three companions – her driver, her bodyguard and her assistant to be played by Alessandra de Rossi – all the way from Caliraya Lake in Quezon to Camarines Sur) will be answered in the movie.

"I didn’t include many things in my book," revealed Cory. "Neither did I tell the NBI everything."

She probably would tell all in the movie which, according to direk Carlo, "is even more sensational than what happened to Maggie dela Riva" whose own rape experience was filmed by Golden Lions, with Dawn Zulueta as Maggie. "That movie was one of our biggest hits," said Donna.

Back to Wycoco (who’s appearing in the movie with, possibly, former NBI Chief Mison)...

"He’s a mature version of Aga Muhlach," said Donna. "He has the looks, the build and the charisma of an actor. His voice sounds even better than that of many actors. Kung okay sa kanya, Carlo and I will cast Wycoco in other roles in our future projects. The Cory Quirino movie is his ‘debut’ and the start of bigger things in showbiz, we hope."

Donna and Carlo are thankful that Wycoco entrusted them with the NBI files on the Cory Quirino case.

"They’ll do a good job," Wycoco told movie writers during the movie’s presscon. "I trust Donna and Carlo."

The Ricketts are expanding

In my mail is a letter from Edith Ricketts, the mother of Ronnie Ricketts, who good-humoredly calls herself Miss Universe.

Edith wrote that she was adjudged Best Dressed Lady at the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) Leadership Awards Night held last Christmas at the Pavilion Room of the historic US Grant Hotel in California. Edith wore a gown by Pitoy Moreno. Husband Max was her escort.

Two months earlier, more than three dozen clients of Edith and Max’s real-estate business participated in the Third Annual Naldo-Ricketts Invitational Golf Tournament and social dinner held at the Singing Hills Golf Resort, also in California.

Recently, the couple also hosted an annual fund-raising Mass and dinner-dance celebration for Our Lady of Peñafrancia at their Blossom Valley, San Diego, lake-view residence.

Last Sunday, Edith hosted in absentia a similar event at The Barn (along Katipunan Road, Quezon City), a restaurant owned by her son Ronnie Ricketts and his wife Mariz (together with some friends). Edith’s sister Princess Naldo and pianist Norma Francia entertained the guests. Princess is a successful breeder of fighting cocks. Proceeds from the affair were given to the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Basilica Minore in Naga City.

The Naldo-Ricketts Realty of San Diego, California, has expanded its successful residential real estate brokerage service to include direct-lender mortgage financing. Said Edith, "We are able to be able to save thousands of dollars in closing cost for our many clients on purchase and refinance transactions since we associated with a major California-based mortgage bank last year."

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