Will Rustom really go all the way?

Curtain-raiser:

• Julius Fabregas announced that the workshop with Hollywood acting coach John Kirby scheduled March 3 and 4 has been canceled. Kirby has called off his trip due to the US State Department travel advisory for American citizens coming to the Philippines in relation to the declaration of a state of national emergency. "Although the conditions have been largely calm," said Julius, "the situation is still unpredictable. We will give 100 percent refunds for payments made." Those affected may call Caleb/Amanda at 817-1212.

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The Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition is turning into some kind of a mini-soap, with the remaining participants dishing out juicy slices of their private lives.

Case in point is Rustom Padilla whose gaunt look has been spawning speculations what he has been up to before he surfaced in Big Brother’s house. You know, is he into some, well, bad "habit?" Has he been following a strict diet that’s making him look anorexic? Or, heaven forbid, is he sick of something?

Don’t worry, Rustom will not keep his fans (are you still there?) and PBB followers in suspense any longer. Slowly but surely, Rustom has been spilling out precious beans from his personal life and one of these days he’ll surely answer all those intriguing questions most everybody has been asking about him, specifically his health.

What’s even more enticing is Rustom’s true confession that is gradually unfolding – that is, concerning his "mysterious" sexual preference. Is he or isn’t he? Somebody told Funfare that before Rustom disappeared into Big Brother’s house with 13 others, Rustom told her that he was ready to "tell all" if and when anybody would ask him.

Well, it’s Big Brother asking him, so Rustom has been coming out of his shell, hinting at what the public is presumed to have known long ago. Rustom confessed that as a kid, his father would beat him up when the dad caught his little boy dressing up like a girl. And did Rustom also wear his mom’s makeup?

But will Rustom really go all the way (I mean, tell it like it is, no holds barred)?

Stay tuned. More revelations coming.

The other Rudy Fernandez is a real hero

No, one-legged athlete Rudy Fernandez (the action star’s namesake) was asked to leave Big Brother’s house ("Not evicted," he said) not because he’s disabled but because, yes, that’s the rule of the game and of the house).

But he didn’t go out empty-handed.

"They gave me a laptop," said the 59-year-old Ilonggo. "My son is very happy because he badly needed a laptop for a long time. He’s taking his masteral degree with the military."

Rudy and his wife Melba, a midwife, have two other sons (all three are engineers).

Like the veteran athlete that he is, Rudy said that being inside Big Brother’s house is like joining a running competition.

"What counts is how you play the game," he said, "not really winning."

Called the Man of Steel of Asia, Rudy lost his leg inside the Alegro Theater in Iloilo which was blasted by a bomb in 1978. (Singer-doctor Nonoy Zuñiga lost his leg in a similar incident a few years earlier while dressing up at the comfort room of the Siete Pecados in the Philippine Plaza Hotel.)

Before that incident, Rudy ran with the RP Team from 1972-1976, and with the National Track Champ in 1974. Even with his left leg gone, Rudy became a tri-ahtlete, competing in events like running, swimming and cycling. In 1996, Rudy gained national attention by swimming from Guimaras to Iloilo, beating the record of Terry Fox who swam across the English Channel. A hospital in California, USA gave Rudy a hydraulic mechanical leg to replace the wooden one he had been wearing since the ’80s.

Also in 1996, Rudy ran for Standard Chartered Bank at a Hong Kong marathon. He became known as The Man of Steel of Asia and Reader’s Digest hailed him as an Asian Hero.

During this interview, Rudy showed a laminated Reader’s Digest citation (dated Jan. 15, 1996) he has been keeping in his wallet, which reads:

Dear Mr. Fernandez, We are pleased to inform you that the editors of Reader’s Digest have chosen you as one of the Heroes for Today. Your story entitled Willing and Able appears in the January 1996 issue of our Asian edition and will be shared with our 1.8 million readers throughout Asia. At Reader’s Digest, we strive to make a difference in people’s lives. We want to reward you for your courage, caring and for the efforts you are making in your community, by sending you $300 cash reward. We hope the recognition bestowed upon you and our other Reader’s Digest Heroes for Today will inspire Asians everywhere to help build a better society through kindness, courage and commitment. Congratulations!

What keeps Rudy going?

An episode in the Discovery Channel, he said.

"It featured a man without his two legs, but who makes use of what remains of his legs," said Rudy. "He eats with his legs, writes with his legs, opens doors with his legs and works on his computer with his legs. I realized how lucky I am. I still have one leg left and my two strong arms."

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