MANILA, Philippines - Don’t get mad. Get ?beautiful.”This tag line that ?launched the much-heralded ?media campaign of Jinkee Pacquiao as a Belo endorser, is something that the wife of the world’s greatest pound-for-pound boxer took to heart.
Following the headline-hogging controversy of Manny Pacquiao’s much-ballyhooed romance with actress Krista Ranillo in 2009, Jinkee admits she never entertained the thought of getting mad or getting even. Instead, she sought sanctuary in our clinic, where she learned the art of “Belofying” herself.
Confidence and strength may not be the first qualities you’d notice in Jinkee, but undoubtedly, she has them. She probably even gained more confidence after undergoing the latest procedures at Belo, which paved the way for her dramatic weight loss and makeover.
I first met Jinkee two years ago, a few months after she gave birth to Queenie, her youngest. Prior to that, Jinkee had been regularly going to the Belo clinic for her skin care maintenance. She was shy and didn’t talk much. Initially, our doctor-patient relationship did not go beyond her visits to the clinic.
“Ang heaviest kong weight was close to 65 kilos (around 140 pounds) after giving birth to Princess,” Jinkee shares. “Ang laki ko talaga nun. Pati arms and legs ko lumaki.”
Jinkee underwent Smart-Lipo after her third child. She was ready to get back in shape after the surgical procedure, but got pregnant again after a year.
“After Queenie, sabi ko kay Manny, tama na ang apat,” Jinkee volunteers. “Hindi pa ako nagpa-tali, pero nagpi-pills ako (ngayon). Nagpa-make-over ako (sa Belo) not for Manny or the people na nag-sympathize sa akin nung nangyari ‘yung intriga. I did it for myself. You should love yourself.”
While Manny or Krista never officially admitted their rumored dalliance, Jinkee confirmed the affair in her recent interview with Yes! magazine. It was a “major-major” thing that nearly broke their marriage apart.
“Parang ‘yung time na ‘yon, almost four months kami na hindi nag-uusap,” she told Yes!. “(Pero) alam ko na na meron… Mabilis naman ma-in-love ang lalaki.”
Jinkee confessed she later learned that Manny had plans of leaving their family and going with Krista. “May plano na talaga sila magsama. There were other girls who were linked with him before pero maski si Manny, sabi niya iba daw ‘yung babaeng ‘yun. Maalaga daw, nakikisama kahit sa mga boys ng team niya, especially kapag may fight.”
I told him naman, “Dalhin mo nga sa squatters area sa Sarangani, tignan ko kung sasama pa rin sa ‘yo?”
Manny, who grew up Sarangani, now serves as Representative of the province in the Lower House. “Kapag pumupunta kami sa Sarangani, binabalikan ni Manny ‘yung pinanggalingan niya dun,” Jinkee offers. “Nakikipaglaro siya ng basketball sa mga tao, nakikipag-inuman. Mahal niya ang mga taga-Sarangani.”
Somehow, Jinkee partly blamed herself for her husband’s infidelity. It came to a point where she indirectly gave him the license to fool around. “Sobrang naging mabarkada siya at madaling araw palagi umuuwi or sometimes hindi rin umuuwi,” she grants. “If ever dumating siya, sinasadya ko na ako naman ang aalis. Hindi kami nag-uusap. That went on for four months.
“Alam ko ayaw ni Manny na nangyayari ‘yun. Malambot ang puso niya. After two or two days na hindi kami nag-uusap, siya na ang lalapit sa akin. Pero parang I drove him away. I was really avoiding him. It came to a point where wala na kong paki-alam. Parang nag-give up na ko talaga.
“Tinanong niya ko kung papayagan ko ba daw siya in case may makilala siyang babae at gusto din niya. I told him, ‘Bahala ka. Okay lang.’ Hindi naman ako siguro serious, pero ganu’n ang nangyari.”
Thankfully, the kinks in the couple’s relationship were ironed out even before the holiday season of 2009, and I was relieved to learn that. Before returning to Manila following Manny’s victory over Puerto Rican fighter Miguel Cotto, Manny and Jinkee sat down and had a heartfelt talk.
“I told him to end his affair,” Jinkee offers. “Sabi niya, ‘Give me time na ayusin ko.’ May mali din naman kasi ako when I told him okay lang siya humanap ng ibang babae at hindi ko siya kausapin. Pero na-realize ko, sometimes kailangan mo din kainin ang pride mo. Yung love ko sa kanya, hindi naman nawala. Pero siyempre kasi, nasaktan ako talaga.”
Manny and Jinkee kissed and made up. Both were resolute enough to give their marriage a second chance. His peace offering? A diamond-encrusted ring reportedly worth P5 million.
Admittedly, the Krista episode rocked the marriage of the power couple. It was a “nightmare” for both of them. “Pero tapos na ‘yun,” Jinkee discloses. “Wala na kaming problema ni Manny ngayon. Lahat naayos na. Hindi pwedeng may mabigat kaming problema kasi maaapektuhan ang mga anak namin. Lagi kaming nag-uusap ngayon tungkol sa lahat ng bagay. Wala na kaming secrets.”
When Krista tied the knot in California with businessman Nino Jefferson Lim last year, the actress also admitted to being pregnant. Jinkee remembers confronting Manny when she learned about it. “Sabi ni Manny hindi daw sa kanya ‘yung baby. Naniniwala ako sa kanya,” Jinkee says.
The election campaign of 2010 brought Manny and Jinkee closer together. If at all, it also rekindled their love for each other. Even if it meant enduring the heat of the sun just to campaign for him, Jinkee supported her husband in most of his sorties just to ensure his victory in the Lower House.
“I think na-appreciate ni Manny ‘yung ginawa ko for him nung election,” Jinkee maintains. “Malaking impact that I campaigned for him Nag-house to house talaga ako. Kahit pagod na, sige pa. Ginawa ko ‘yun for Manny. Gusto niya kasi talaga ‘yun. He said proud daw siya sa ‘kin for doing that.”
Amazingly enough, when Jinkee went through that ordeal in her marriage, the whole nation fought for her. Her Facebook account was swamped with encouraging and inspiring messages, mostly from women who sympathized with what she was going through at that time.
“May nagsasabi, ‘We look up to you. Be strong.’ Madaming messages. Naka-gaan ng loob ko. Binabasa ko lahat ‘yun araw-araw. Nakatulong sa akin na madaming concerned with my situation.”
Jinkee believes her relationship with Manny is much better now and I can attest to that. They are much more affectionate now even in public. They are also constantly together.
This was particularly apparent to me when my daughter Cristalle and I were in Houston for the Pacquiao-Margarito fight last November. Manny would always look after Jinkee.
After the fight, Manny was in pain; he was bruised on the face and he could barely walk. He wasn’t allowed to sleep for 24 hours, so they could monitor him for any internal bleeding. Dyan Castillejo, who covered the fight for ABS-CBN, said she had never seen Manny that injured.
The couple’s friends who went to Houston at that time gathered in the hotel suite to watch the fight again. There, I witnessed the intimate moments of Manny and Jinkee. They were very sweet, seemingly oblivious of all the people around them. Jinkee was feeding Manny and giving him all the attention he needed after the very tiring fight.
Meanwhile, the couple’s romantic photos during their family’s trip to Sydney, Australia last December looked like they were honeymooners. Obviously, they now have a second lease on their married life.
Manny is much more caring now, according to Jinkee, and has gotten a little strict but with a reason. “When he became a politician, pinagsabihan niya ko na dapat maayos palagi ang mga damit ko para walang masabi ang mga tao,” Jinkee shares. “Walang mini-skirt. Walang sexy.”
Quite amusingly, Manny is the one who also checks now on Jinkee and consistently looks after her. “Pag nasa Congress siya at hindi kami magkasama, magte-text yan. ‘Umalis ka ba ngayon? Sa’n ka pupunta? Sino kasama mo?”
Just a few days ago, when Manny heard that someone called up Jinkee at one in the morning to ask if he could go out with her because she is a “hot momma,” the world-famous boxer was furious and he immediately sent a text message to his wife’s anonymous caller.
“Si Manny Pacquiao ‘to,” Jinkee shares the text message. “Gusto mo bang makita ang hinahanap mo? ‘Wag ka na tumawag sa asawa ko.” Apparently, that thwarted the crank caller.
Jinkee has obviously become more desirable now even to other guys. Her makeover is something that I am totally proud of. As she visits the clinic more regularly, our doctor-patient bond grew to friendship. These days, we share stories about everything, from parenting to shopping.
We did a full-body liposuction of her arms, waist, hips, wings, back, thighs, upper and lower abs to bring her back to shape after her pregnancy. Belo Diet Injections became her secret weapon for speedy weight-loss after her latest childbirth.
The anti-aging Ulthera treatment made Jinkee look like she’s only in her early 20’s. We shaped her face to a softer, more feminine look through Botox, dermal fillers and upper blepharoplasty (laser eyebag removal), which all the more enhanced her pretty eyes.
Meanwhile, Body Tite contoured Jinkee’s body and gave it a tighter, firmer tone. Her maintenance now is Sculptor Plus, which has given her an enviable figure, so that even her thighs and legs now look shapelier. She also dances and has adopted her own diet of eating only salads and cutting down on rice.
One Belo patient who chanced upon Jinkee at the new Belo clinic at Greenbelt Residences remarked that Jinkee bears a close semblance to actress Gretchen Barretto.
“Hindi ako mahilig mag-weigh,” Jinkee says. “Gusto ko na lang i-maintain ang figure ko ngayon. Happy din kasi ako pag nakikita ko na ganito ang figure ko. Twenty-four (inches) na lang ang waistline ko and I’m down from size six to size zero. One time, nag-shopping ako sa Armani, may nagkasya pa sa ‘kin na double zero.”
From being simply known as “Manny Pacquiao’s wife,” Jinkee has built a name for herself to become a celebrity in her own right. She has graced magazine covers, print ads, billboards and TV interviews. She was even named as one of People Asia’s “Women of Style and Substance” in 2009.
Yes, Jinkee Pacquiao is now her own person. And her dramatic transformation into a svelte and youthful-looking lady is something that surprised even Manny.
When Jinkee’s Belo billboard came out last November — showing her Belofied body in a pictorial done by master lensman Jun de Leon — she giggles, “Hindi ako nakilala agad ni Manny.”
The couple was in the US for Manny’s fight with Mexican Antonio Margarito when the billboard came out. Jinkee excitedly anticipated it and was immediately thrilled upon returning to Manila and seeing the 60-by-40-foot stunner along EDSA.
This time, Jinkee is endorsing BodyTite, Belo’s most recent breakthrough in liposuction. That was her second Belo billboard. The first one which came out in 2009, showed her with Manny as she endorsed Smart Lipo.
Notwithstanding all the attention, Jinkee insists she still doesn’t mind being called “Manny’s wife.” After all, whatever success she is now enjoying, she attributes it to her husband.
A complete turnaround from the life she was used to, Jinkee has been getting the hang of being in the public eye. Pressure comes from every angle — the lifestyle, publicity, even controversies. To the surprise of many, Jinkee proves she also has a strong fighting spirit.
She has obviously moved on and now focuses on keeping the strengthened bond of her family. “I need to be strong for my children,” Jinkee allows. “I need to survive everything for them. Alam ko gusto ni Lord na mag-stay together kami ni Manny. Hindi ganun ka-simple bumuo ng pamilya. Kahit ano’ng sabihin ng ibang tao, kailangan kong ipaglaban ang pamilya ko.”
Rising above the issues and looking better than ever, Jinkee is sure to continue capturing attention and gaining even greater admiration this year.
Jinkee’s tips: HOW to keep a marriage:
1) Don’t be too proud. You cannot be a doormat that he can step on. But keep the communication lines open. Don’t sleep without trying to make amends. Talk things over and try to resolve the problem.
2) Men are like little children. They still need to be cuddled and loved. They need attention. When he remembers you with thoughtful gifts, show your appreciation and compliment him. Thank him for working so hard to provide for the family.
3) Support his dreams, whatever they are. (Manny fell in love with me all over again because I campaigned for him during the 2010 elections.)
4) Find time to go on vacation with the family, be it only in Tagaytay or Baguio. Make that your bonding time.
5) Stay beautiful. Take care of your body. Stay sexy and make him proud to be with you.
6) Take time to laugh together. When you talk, don’t make it about family problems and children all the time. Flirt with him a little. Bring back your “dating” behavior.
7) Pray. Always make prayers a part of your marriage and your family. That really helps a lot.