Love in the Palace

Every glossy and daily worth its salt has written about the Mikey-Angela romance. Every hairdresser and manicurista in town can relate with detail how the First Son met his cousin in a family dinner at the Palace: How Mikey fell in love with the lovely Angela Montenegro at first sight and how Angela, doubtful of this politician/actor’s advances, did not take him seriously until that fateful period after the 2001 elections when a victorious Mikey literally flew to the Montenegro home in Baltimore and made his intentions perfectly clear.

One should not dismiss the First Son as just another politician/actor. Mikey is master of his camera angles, is a quick study on the set and has the eagerness and optimism of a young colt. Most precious of all his qualities is his respect for all people; the young Arroyo has always treated a lowly prop man with the same regard he would for a multimillionaire.

True love aside, to many onlookers, Angela is the perfect choice for Mikey. She is in many ways a catalyst that would certainly open doors for Mikey’s political career. Simply put, Angela possesses a great amount of that indefinable X-factor that draws people in. If she were an actress, she would be a box-office draw; if she were a politician’s wife, she would raise his cache’s a hundredfold.

Angela appears unimpressed with the trappings of power and wealth. Her parents, Herman Montenegro and the former Rosario Arroyo, had raised their children in affluent surroundings both here and abroad. A picture of family perfection, the Montenegros maintain very close relations. When asked what she would do after she marries, she simply replies that there would still continue working in her father’s company and apart from trips to Pampanga (where Mikey is vice governor) and keeping house at Malacañang (the couple will occupy the room that Imee and Irene Marcos once lived in), she would spend as much time as she can in her folks’ home in Forbes.

Asked if she attached any social significance to the role she would play as wife of the First Son, Angela quietly maintains that apart from the extra obligations expected of a politician’s wife and member of the First Family, "I would like to still be the same Angela that people have come to know and love."

And love seems to run deep in both families. First Gentleman Mike Arroyo had cautioned his oldest son many times not to mistake the young Montenegro as one of his starlet encounters. Angela’s mother Charito has openly declared how, among Angela’s boyfriends, Mikey stands out as the most endearing.

For her part, once the engagement was formalized, the President threw open the vault that contained the many precious jewels of her mother and grandmother and had given Mikey permission to present Angela with an exquisite diamond ring from the family collection. The President is clearly happy with the match and expects a lot of grandchildren. First Daughter Luli muses, "There was a time Mom and Dad were very protective of us but now they always ask us, ‘When are you getting married? When are you getting married?’ "

The much-heralded Arroyo-Montenegro wedding promises to be of simple elegance. Angela has chosen the genteel master designer Joe Salazar to execute her Filipiniana gown. Salazar will also create the gowns of the female entourage. The men’s barong tagalogs will be made by long-time Macapagal-Arroyo family friend Pitoy Moreno.

The morning wedding at the San Agustin Lubao church will be officiated by Bishop Paciano Aniceto. Among the celebrators will be Fr. Rodolfo de Guzman (parish priest of St. Agustin Church in Lubao) and Fr. Pat Lim (parish priest of La Vista Church). Principal sponsors include former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Cory Aquino; Manila Bulletin chairman Emilio Yap; Gina de Venecia; Sen. Loren Legarda; Endika Aboitiz; Sally Villaraza; Presidential Brother Bubuy Macapagal; Mario Cruel; and Norma Chan.

Other members of the entourage are Mikey’s brother Dato Arroyo, best man; Emily Montenegro-Yupangco, matron of honor; Rose Montenegro and First Daughter Luli Arroyo, maids of honor. Secondary sponsors will be Alex Macapagal and Joanna Downs, candle; Greg and Marinella Montenegro, veil; and Raphael Mondragon and Katrina Datoc, cord. The Ateneo Glee Club Choir and the String Minstrels will provide the music during the ceremony.

Under the supervision of the ever elegant and efficient Presidential Social Secretary Bettina Aboitiz, the wedding celebration will resemble a barrio fiesta. Wedding guests will proceed to the reception at the church courtyard where, under the white canvass tents, Filipino fare such as lechon, pork saté, a variety of seafood, pastillas, tibok-tibok, buko lumpia, pansit luglog, halo-halo and crispy crablets will be served by noted caterers Plaza and Cabalen. Ronnie Ong will create the traditional wedding cake while the floral arrangements (white flowers for the church setting and more colorful arrangements for the reception area) will be created by Toni Parsons of 517.

The evening reception at Malacañang Palace promises to be a more contemporary affair with catering by The Manila Hotel and Gaita Fores. Among the many culinary delights are sushi and seafood stations (oysters, mussels, shrimps and crab claws), beef carving and Peking duck stations, jamon serrano carvings, lomo, snail quiche, marinated Venetian scallops, mushroom, mini satés. Assorted cheeses will also be served. The wedding cake for the evening will be created by Pastry Bin while entertainment will be provided by the Sextet of Bernie Pasamba’s Group (pop music in string), one-man-band Moise Quakniae and The Groove.

Weddings bring joy during challenging times. Expect every housewife, tindera, bank teller and government worker to be glued to their TV sets, seeking for a breath of fresh air. The most private people want happy endings as much as they want auspicious beginnings.

For Mikey and Angela, life does not begin any better than this!