“Korina!”
Sen./Vice Presidentiable Mar Roxas blurts out when asked by Funfare who wears the pants and who’s the “speaker” in the house (neither “upper” nor “lower”) and breaks into laughter.
Five months after he and Korina Sanchez tied the knot at their twice-postponed wedding in October last year at the Sto. Domingo Church...described as “The Wedding of the Year”...Mar seems to linger on honeymoon mode several months after his and his brand-new wife’s “intimate encounter” in Japan.
That Korina wears the pants and rules the floor (as she does in her ABS-CBN Sunday-evening show Rated K) is a joke, including his “Ask Korina” answer to some questions. Unlike her ABS-CBN colleague Pinky Webb who broke up with her boyfriend Edu Manzano when he decided to run for vice president (as Gibo Teodoro’s running mate) in the May 10 elections, Korina promptly took a leave of absence (as news anchor of Bandila, as required by the network) when Mar announced his candidacy, initially for president until he gave way to Noynoy Aquino as Liberal Party standard-bearer. That’s true love — unadulterated, unconditional, unselfish, selfless and generous.
So has Korina, Mar’s not-so-secret “weapon” (who is campaigning on her own, away from Mar and Noynoy) started throwing up and suffering morning sickness? No sign yet if Mar’s 16-year-old son Paolo (by a former Bb. Pilipinas) will have a little brother or a little sister soon.
Let’s “body talk” with Bise Presidente Mar Roxas...
Is another child forthcoming?
“I hope so, but there’s no news yet.”
How’s married life so far?
“I love it.”
How do you react when people say they won’t vote for you because they don’t like Korina?
“It’s their loss.”
Who wears the pants in the house?
“Korina.”
“Much, much less than we would want to, the other night we treated ourselves to French fries and Mr. Softee ice cream, I took out the car, she sat with me and we just drove to a drive inn. We’re pretty happy doing that, listening to music, driving up and down EDSA, eating French fries. I think it’s the quality of the time we spend together that’s important.”
How’s your sex life?
“Well, I was taught not to brag.”
Did you have an active love life when you were single?
“No, I was a monk, hahahahaha! Hmmmmm, I did have a good life. I loved them all and they all loved me.”
Name them.
(No answer. Ask Korina? Huwag na!)
Do you have a temper? What makes you angry? Does Korina have a temper?
“We all have tempers, sometimes, it’s just being tired, short-fused on other days, much longer fuse on some days. So, I think the secret is to sort of call a timeout.”
How do you cope with stress?
“I eat.”
What’s your comfort food?
“Rice, scrambled eggs, carne norte.”
How much sleep do you get for a night?
“Lately, not enough. Average is five hours. I can’t take a nap during motorcades.”
Favorite sleepwear?
“Just an old T-shirt.”
Do you snore?
“I usually fall asleep early so, ask Korina.”
Do you watch pirated DVDs?
“I watch DVDs whether they’re pirated or not, ask Korina.”
What was the last movie that you saw?
“There were so many during Holy Week. I use them as tranquilizer. I never get to finish watching them, though. This one will reveal that it’s pirated, Green Zone. I also saw Criminal Minds the series. It’s better than CSI.”
The last book that you read?
“I’m reading Bottom Billion now. It’s about the billion people on earth living below down, why they are trapped in poverty; and why, for example, having gold or silver or diamonds in your own country like in Africa becomes a trap. The other book is the autobiography of Leslie Stahl, a CBS news reporter. She is talking about Reagan, Bush, Carter and her years as a reporter in Washington D.C.”
“Ask Korina. My six pack abs which I don’t have. Hahahahaha!
On the way home, I’m going to replay this entire conversation on my mind and say I could have said this in my speech, you know, always striving for improvement.”
How do you pray and what do you pray for?
“Let me tell you when I pray there’s a whole lot of ‘pleases’ in there — Please God, more ‘pleases’ than thank you’s. Hahahahaha.”
Who’s your role model?
“My father, of course.” (Yes, the late Sen. Gerardo Roxas.)
How’s your mom (Judy Araneta-Roxas) and what’s her role in your life?
“She gives the long view, the historical view which is quite important because it keeps your feet on the ground, it’s very valuable. She spends a lot of time in Capiz. Her specific assignment is to help our candidates challenge Jocjoc Bolante (chief architect of the fertilizer fund scam).”
If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play Mar Roxas?
“It would have to be a mini-series, hahahahaha! I don’t know who should play Mar Roxas.”
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)