Poignant family story delays Mark’s baptism

Most of the 32 godparents were pleasantly surprised to learn why Mark Neumann, the Baker King actor, was being simultaneously baptized and confirmed only now, his 21st birthday last Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Our Lady of Hope Parish in Bagong Bantay, a short walk from the house of his Uncle Gio Medina who serves as his guardian/parent and manager.

Besides this columnist, nine of the godparents were showbiz-connected, namely Anna Gianelli Rivera (Gelli de Belen), Cristinelli Salazar (Cristy) Fermin, Ma. Pinky Fernando Ramos (whose cakes are best-sellers among showbiz folk), Carmelita G. Montano and Margie Natividad of TV5, Herminio (Ogie) Alcasid Jr., lawyer Albert “Bebong” Muñoz (of the ICON Talent Agency), director Erick Salud and TV5 executive Wilma Galvante.

We would learn that Mark’s life is as poignant as most of the real-life stories dramatized in Charo Santos-Concio’s Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) and Mel Tiangco’s Magpakailanman. When he competed in the Kapatid Network TV5’s Artista Academy talent search three years ago (he finished one of the finalists), Mark didn’t tell the whole story simply because nobody bothered to ask.

According to Gio, Mark is one of three siblings born in Germany to a Croatian mother and a Filipino father. When Mark was four years old, his mother died in a motor accident and his father remarried a Polish woman with whom he has three more children. Mark’s father’s surname is Mendoza, so how did Mark become a Neumann?

“He was raised by his paternal grandmother in Germany where she has been staying for years,” related Gio (cousin of Mark’s father), “together with his two siblings. Mark’s grandmother was first married to a Mendoza from whom she soon separated. Her husband lives in Bataan. Then, she remarried a German whose surname is Neumann. Since then, Mark has been using his step-grandfather’s surname.”

To make a rather long-winding story shorter, after finishing school in England where he lived with his grandmother’s sister, supporting himself by working at a shampoo factory and delivering newspapers house-to-house on a bike, Mark came home.

“But,” according to Gio, who runs the Artista Salon with 140 outlets nationwide, “he didn’t see eye-to-eye with his father. So nagpalipat-lipat si Mark at kung saan-saan napadpad until I took him in kasama ang isang adopted daughter ko. I let him live in my house,” referring to a three-storey building that he owns.

When Gio informed Mark’s grandmother that Mark was hosting a party for his 21st birthday, she said, “But he should already be baptized; hindi pa nabibinyagan ‘yan. Because he was moving from one family to another, from one country to another, nakaligtaan siyang pabinyagan. But Mark is a Catholic since birth.”

During the baptism rites, officiated by Rev. Fr. Joselito Irlandez, the godparents (some were represented, some couldn’t make it due to previous commitments), holding lighted candles stuck into round silver holders, held their right hands over Mark as blessing after the priest poured holy water on Mark’s head. Then, the priest asked the godparents to slap (slightly now) Mark in the face.

The twin rites was followed by a mid-afternoon merienda and a dinner-party that same night, making Mark’s “debut” a memorable one.

At the church, guests observed that Mark sometimes looked as if lost in his thoughts.

“He was missing something,” said Gio who remembered that one time, Mark gave him a hug and cried, thanking him for being both nanay and tatay to him, and for comforting him with the love and care that, according to Gio, he didn’t find somewhere else. He was probably pining for a family he could have embraced as his own.

Luckily, in Gio and his adopted daughter, Mark has found that family.

As manager, Gio makes sure that Mark’s earnings are intact. Mark has bought a car and, as soon as he has saved enough, he plans to buy a house and lot.

Observed Gio, “I don’t want him to squander his hard-earned money,” so that Mark won’t be like some young actors who squander their earnings. In showbiz, money comes easily and, if you don’t know how to keep it, money goes just as easily.

To Mark, welcome to the Christian world. Better late than never.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected].)

Breaking news: Two of the world’s top firms set to jointly bring ‘magical moments’

The STAR source requested not to mention the names yet, so this must Funfare can reveal so far:

Two of the world’s most successful visionaries are establishing a formal agreement between their enterprises to bring magical moments and endless memories for Filipino families.

The two have succeeded in creating entertainment centers specifically for family enjoyment. One of them will be synergizing all the effort of its subsidiaries to produce a one-of-a-kind experience for its patrons, from the moment they watch a movie, to spending time at the leisure facilities such as the bowling and leisure center or skating rink, to the moment they purchase their favorite snack and merchandise.

Through the newly-launched Blink app, patrons can also take their experience with them wherever they go.

Oops! That much I can tell for now. If I continue, I might make a slip of the tongue and unwittingly give a tell-tale clue to the names of the two giant companies.

Stay tuned!