Is Gwen Garcia in love?

I hadn’t seen Gwen Garcia in two months, and so when her BFF, Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, invited me to have dinner at her beautiful home with a breathtaking view of Cebu, just us three, I could not pass up the opportunity to be among the undisputed queens of this, our Queen City.

After all, I miss chitchatting with these fun titas, especially now that circumstances are different, and the political mood has palpably changed (the oppressors are having a dose of their own medicine?), a clear departure from when we would converge nightly at the Capitol to give Gwen our support at the height of the standoff. Those were the strangest times, to be sure. 

“Are you in love?” I immediately asked Cebu’s first woman governor and now-congresswoman after a beso and a tight hug. When I see her, the visual person that I am, I almost always comment on her looks—“You look rested!” “Your hair is different, not your signature Gwen Garcia hair!” “Tita, you’ve lost weight!” “I love your shoes!”—but this is the very first time I’ve asked if she was in love. 

She laughed and asked why I would think so, “Why would you think I’m in love? How does a person in love look like?” It wasn’t difficult to answer her query. “You know how TV hosts have ‘diva lights’ (lights positioned on the floor, in front, targeting the face) to make them appear more beautiful, glowing? Well, it’s like you’re walking around with diva lights. That’s how I could tell someone’s in love. That’s you.” She laughs, neither admitting nor denying anything. Hmmm.

Even in the subdued lighting of our candlelit dinner, Gwen was glowing, radiating from within. We then ventured to other topics—briefly about politics and life in Congress, how she misses the rush of being where the action is, something she undoubtedly made the most of as governor. Say what you want about her, but even her critics won’t deny she is a workaholic. In keeping with the evening’s light mood, we recalibrated the discussion to focus on everything but politics.

It’s always a joy seeing the lighter side of Gwen, more human, a far cry from her workhorse, no-nonsense, dragon-lady image. So I pushed the envelope further and talked about my favorite TV shows. She and Tita Kit strongly recommend the Korean series Winter Sonata, testifying that the love story is easy and fun, you don’t have to stress yourself figuring things out like other dramas. I guess for busy and successful women, when they unwind, they really want to unwind.

But Tita Gwen and I both watch Downton Abbey and Scandal, although she hasn’t seen new episodes of Downton yet. Another guilty pleasure I strongly recommended is Chicago Fire, a US TV series about firemen in Chicago that stars Taylor Kinney. Taylor Kinney is Lady Gaga’s extremely good-looking boyfriend, and superficial me was complaining to them that the two aren’t bagay, that Taylor’s too handsome for Lady Gaga, and that I really wish they’d break up (bad, I know.  LOL). 

That comment of mine results in an intense discussion on relationships and people’s preconceived notions of who are “bagay”—and of course, more clues on Gwen’s current state of affairs, heart-wise.  Gwen asks, “Mike, let me ask you, what is so wrong about people who love each other but may not be bagay in the eyes of others? Does it really matter?”

“Hypothetical, what if I was with someone who is not my conventional match, but who is intelligent, funny, will people mind? Will Cebu accept?”

Right there, right there, you can read between the lines. “You are definitely in love, Tita!” “I didn’t say that I am, I’m just asking, in the realm of what ifs, curious about what you think.” “Okay, you aren’t in love and I have an IQ of 90.”

We all laugh and Tita Kit weighs in with a sound and wise perspective. “Cebu will accept, but if not, it doesn’t matter, if it makes you happy, go for it.” Cebu’s queen of elegance is evidently a romantic. 

They both found my “Are you in love?” observation odd. “As soon as I arrived, I saw it right away, you’re in love! I said it because I saw it!” Instantly, simultaneously, they look at me and both declare: “You’re a witch!”

Aha! How can one not infer when it is obvious? What’s interesting here is how she continues to see things in the context of Cebu, that even her personal choices are bound by her commitment to Cebu and its people. “If ever, will Cebu accept?”

And why not? When she spoke of a hypothetical man and their hypothetical situation, she was gushing, blushing and describing how this person is hypothetically smart, funny, and her match, her equal. I’m sure Cebu would understand and accept an unconventional match for Gwen if he is all that, if she is happy, if she is loved.

Before the night came to a close, both Tita Kit and I voted “yes, follow your heart” to the hypothetical question (hypothetical being the operative word) of the evening.

The bottom line, maayo pa si Gwen! I told her “magpatakod ko, magpalihi ko nimo so I’d also be in love.” She answers with a laugh. And to me, laughs (even online versions like “haha” or “LOL” or “ROFL”) are veiled admissions.

On that note, before this turns into a certified ‘Gossip Girl’ blast, happy birthday Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia, wishing you more success, happiness, good health, strength and courage for Cebu, and love. Love, love, love!