John and Priscilla set marital woes aside for daughter’s b-day
What a blast I had at the 13th birthday party of Anechka, the lovely daughter of my good friends, Priscilla “Pri” Meirelles and John Estrada. They set their marital woes aside in order to relish the joys of parenthood.
I was so touched when John told me, “Dearie, we invited you because you are not just a friend. You are family.” I was also at the seventh Little Pony-themed birthday bash of Anechka.
This time around, it was a KTV party held at Rockstar in Greenhills Mall. The birthday girl is such a music buff, so she sang her heart out. John ribbed Pri, “Baka may pony ka uli diyan.” He was referring to the white horse that suddenly appeared during Anechka’s fête six years ago. Pri beat all party planners combined.
She is so hands-on. The hot mama made the decor herself and spruced up the venue with framed pics of Anechka. Each frame was adorned with a headphone. She also displayed photos of her unica hija on a pigeon hole shelf making it seem like wallpaper. Obrigado to amiga Pri for allowing me to cover the party for my DollywoodPH YouTube Channel. Watch out for the episode coming soon.
John’s grown-up kids — Ina, Moira and Yuan — with his ex, Janice de Belen, joined the celebration. Kaila was not around because she’s vacationing in Australia. I chided John, “Kaila is making waves in ‘Incognito.’ Natalbugan ka na niya. You can retire already.” The cool dad beamed with pride.
Ina came with her longtime boyfriend, Jake Vargas. The three siblings dote on their “not-so-little” sister. It was so sweet of Ina to tighten the strap of Anechka’s dress. Seeing how close John’s children are says a lot about what kind of dad he is. The A-list actor may have his shortcomings as a husband but he makes up for it by being a dad over and beyond the call of duty.
“When she was younger, Anechka looked like me,” John said. “Now she’s turning into Pri’s mini-me. For sure, she will grow taller than both of us.”
John sang Umuwi ka na Baby. It seemed like he was serenading Pri. Then they did a heartfelt duet of Shallow, which could very well be their anthem these days. Lips can lie but eyes cannot. The way they sang together says it all.
When John saw Pri carrying stuff to load in the car, he hollered, “Let the staff do that.” He still looks out for her. The concern and care remain there.
As a close friend of the couple, I really hope that they are just on pause mode before a restart. The way I see it, perhaps John just needs to woo Pri a little bit more. It reminds me of Pri’s story that she mistook John for a stalker when he pursued her relentlessly. Maybe how John won Pri over before can still work now. Après tout, love is a terrible thing to waste. Especially when that love brought a beautiful human being like Anechka to life.
Tita Boots is grateful at 80
The star-studded 80th birthday bash of Tita Boots Anson Roa Rodrigo is solid proof of how well-loved she is in the biz. In lieu of gifts, she requested her guests for a donation to Mowelfund. Kindness and brilliance are gifts that she was born with.
Here’s my chat with Tita Boots:
How do you manage to age gracefully?
“I’ve been blessed with good skin from my mother’s genes. I never had pimples. For an 80-year-old, I have few lines, wrinkles and circles. But the real secret really is my ‘attitude of gratitude’ and my interior Life. Everything I have is a gift. I hope to always deserve them. Walang masamang tinapay sa akin. I don’t harbor grudges. I don’t judge. I don’t measure kindness. I pray instead that I become worthy of it.”
How was your birthday concert fundraiser for Mowelfund?
“A real blast. My first concert production, one item on my bucket list checked. We filled the Music Museum (and had) wonderful performers like Ding Mercado, Ray An Fuentes, Leah Navarro, Pat Castillo, Mitch Valdez and Nanette Inventor. Audience was gung ho. Was touched by the AVP presentation by Maris Pure on my mantra ‘Grateful.’”
What’s the latest on Mowelfund (MF)?
“Flagship projects include research and studies on our welfare program, enhancement of welfare benefits, comprehensive film workshops, twin book volumes on MF history, a documentary on MF Institute through the eyes of film personages, and a film museum. We celebrate our 51st year with a medical mission and a fun run in late March.”
Tell us about your memoir.
“My memoir started 10 years ago at the instance of my uncle Vic Valenciano, Gary V’s dad, who prepared the photo and text layout as early as 2004. I am a known procrastinator in the family. At Tito Vic’s deathbed, I vowed to him in an apologetic whisper that by my 80th year, I would finish the book.
“Title is Grateful, which is what my life is all about. I am an avowed follower of the German priest philosopher, Meister Eckhart who professed that: ‘If the only prayer that we say in our life is ‘Thank you,’ that will be enough.’ The book, which I co-author with my Philippine Embassy (Washington DC) colleague, journalist Jennie Ilustre, invites the reader to join me in my journey through the milestones in my life.”
How do Tito King and you keep the fire burning?
“For an 85-year-old and an 80-year-old, we are a romantic, cow-eyed and still head-over-heels in love couple. We tell each other so and we show each other so. My children call us ‘nilalanggam’ kasi sobrang sweet daw kami. We still HHWW — hold hands while walking, pa sway-sway pa. We massage each other’s back. He also massages my feet. We don’t quarrel. We discuss and stop a notch before arguing. We believe that in any argument, nobody wins. So, we agree to disagree, instead.
“Key words in our relationship: respect, politeness, empathy, effort at nurturing our love and very importantly, keeping our humor by laughing at our many foibles.
“Most importantly, keeping Christ as our Center. We wake up at 5 a.m., go to Mass. We say the rosary every night… but the sleepyhead that I am, I don’t usually make it to the second mystery. But I wake up in time for our Divine Mercy novena. We are grateful for the Love and blessing of every waking morning that God gives us. We return God’s love by trying to be people for others. And, surely, God loves us in return.”
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