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For the past 20 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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The Parents
(First of two parts)
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My Father
THE great Columbian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote:
“A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.”
I am writing this series of articles to pay tribute to my parents. Let me start by talking about my father.
Not all of us know how our parents were like during their salad days. We simply know them as Mom and Dad: The providers of our needs, the protectors of our being, the nurturers of our young lives, and our first teachers.
But I believe that it is essential for anyone to take a hold of their parents’ life stories as it would lead to fully understanding of one’s own character.
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My father is a very special man. He is a man who has helped a multitude of people. Whether it be for a small portion of rice or a modest amount of money to start a life, my father saw to it that whatever he has is deemed public property.
That explains why he was one of the most beloved public servants in the history of our small rural town of San Jacinto, Pangasinan.
He was born Teodulfo Leonardo Lopez Reyes on November 6, 1925. He is the seventh of nine children. His parents were former San Jacinto mayor Fabian Reyes and Olympia Lopez.
He grew up in San Jacinto, studied law in UP, became a lawyer, and then in 1964, got elected as mayor of the same town his father, Fabian, served on. He won under the Liberal Party.
When his term ended he did not seek re-election and decided to move and bring the family to Manila to do private practice.
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‘Dedy’, pronounced as ‘Di-DI’, his nickname., went into the insurance industry and became a bonds and insurance expert. He has many written books about the subject, lectured and taught insurance underwriters and bondsmen nationwide, and became the most sought-after bonds and insurance expert in the industry. He retired in 2000.
I have neither vivid or faint memories of his stint as a public servant for I haven’t been born yet during his tenure , but based on my elder siblings’ stories, I have come to know that my father has been a spectacular one.
Stories of how he would rather have my mother, Esperanza, walk so he could lend his jeep to needy barrio townsfolk, who were in more need of transportation, were regular topics in our dining table when I was a young boy.
Likewise, anecdotes of how he would represent the poor people of San Jacinto in trial courts - free of charge, were both a source of inspiration and pride to me.
The lowly barrio people would reciprocate his kindness with tons and tons of gifts, such as goat meat, chickens, eggs, and other livestock and crops.
Even up until recently. I remember seeing people drop by at our house in Kamuning, Quezon City, to drop-off some ‘Pindang’, ‘Kundandit’ and mangoes for my father. I guess some good deeds can really churn out eternal gratitude.
Growing up, my father was my best friend. I used to tag along to his business meetings and used to have a special spot in many conference tables eating whatever he and his colleagues were eating - he gave me the honorary title chairman of the ‘eating committee’.
He picked me up in school, watched movies together and he bought me all those colossal robots and toys to the envy of my brothers and sisters. He even took me to Cebu when he did a lecture there in 1986; I lived like King Lapu Lapu during that unforgettable weekend.
In 2000, I had the privilege of working with him in his department at the GSIS. And in my two years there, I saw a master at work. His work ethic was as solid as a rock, and his integrity and competence in what he does made me dream even more to be just like him. He was always the first to clock in and the last to clock out.
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My father is an avid sportman. He loves tennis, basketball, table tennis, golf, bowling ‘mahjong’ and more. He is so fond of playing the ‘kotrabida’ whenever we watch sports like basketball or boxing. When it is obvious to him that we are all rooting for a certain team or fighter, he would root for the other team or the other fighter just to have balance. I remember him losing a lot of bets to us because of that and he ended treating us to many Pizza Hut dinners. He sure knows how to make things fun.
He is also a very passionate, and spiritual man. His daily routine would be to wake up at 4 a.m., prepare the breakfast table for all of us, then walks to nearby Sacred Heart Parish Church for morning mass before going to work. Sometimes when I wasn’t lazy or anything, I and some of my siblings join him for morning mass -- I can still picture how he closes his eyes and whispers his prayers to the almighty in his native Pangasinense dialect, which oddly starts with the word ‘Katawan’ - meaning God or Lord. Matter of fact, the very first prayers that ever came out of my lips were all taught by him: The lord’s parayer, Hail Mary and the gloria.
I am sure my father is a lot more than what I have here. But these are the things that I treasure the most. He instilled into me the value of hard work, humility, service, integrity, love and competence. And these values are what I use to get by and make my life as meaningful as his.
I am so proud to carry his name and I am forever hoping that I would further bestow honor to that name.
My name is Teodulfo Leo Reyes, Jr
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MANILA -- WILL it be a double wedding for top comedian Vic Sotto and his eldest daughter, Danica?
Danica has set her wedding with cager-boyfriend, Marc Pingris, in March. Vic has yet to set the date of his wedding with Pia Guanio after finally making public his deep love for her.
For a while, Vic and Pia have kept their affair a secret even after Vic has ended his romance with another Pia (Cabrera) who now works in Dubai.
On the other hand, Pia Guanio broke up with her boyfriend of five years, younger brother of swimming champ and TV host, Christine Jacob.
Christine, now Mrs. Paco Sandejas, was once linked to Vic. Christine and her husband have four children.
Marc (Pingris), Danica’s boyfriend and future son-in-law of Vic Sotto and Dina Bonnevie, hails from Pozzurubio, Pangasinan. His mom, Erlinda, is a fruit vendor in Pangasinan. He has a half-sister, Joan.
Marc’s dad, Jean Marc Pingris, is French. He left them when Marc was just a toddler. So it was his mom Erlinda who played mother and father to both Marc and his Ate Joan ever since.
Marc promised his mom that once he started making money, he will save so he could build a house for her. Marc was able to realize this two years ago. The house, which is a bungalow, sits on a 300-square meter lot. According to Marc, his mom requested for a house where she would not have to climb high stairs. (MNS)
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WHEN Angel Locsin found out that Dina Bonnevie will be playing her mom in Regal’s Metro filmfest entry, “Mano Po 5, Gua Ay Di,” she got nervous. Dina is the mother of her boyfriend, Oyo Sotto.
“It’s not because she scares me dahil, sa totoo lang, ang bait-bait niya sa akin,” she says. “What I’m worried about is that I know na napakagaling niyang umarte so I’m scared baka magka-buckle-buckle ako kapag kaeksena ko siya sa harap ng kamera. I have to be on my toes in our scenes together dahil ayokong mapahiya kapag nagkamali ako.”
She says Dina has always treated her like her daughter. “We see each other every Sunday kasi we go to church together with Oyo, tapos we all have dinner later. Mabait siya sa akin at lagi siyang may present for me like perfume or accessories. I know I will learn much from her once we start shooting ‘Mano Po 5.’ Hindi siya nakapunta sa first presscon nito as she was working in Singapore.”(MNS)
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KRIS Aquino will most likely give birth on May 8. She found this out when she submitted to a sonogram recently. The babyís gender is yet to be determined so Kris will again have a sonogram in her fifth or six month of pregnancy to know the babyís sex.
Although sheís just two months pregnant, Kris has gained weight. Her chest, which used to measure 36 inches, is now 38 inches. The designers of her wardrobe have to adjust to her new measurements.
Wearing high-heeled shoes, especially stilettos, is now a no-no for her. She is taking all precautions to have a healthy baby. (MNS)
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MANILA -- Bea Alonzo asks everyone to not believe the report that she and Mico Palanca, younger brother of Bernard Palanca, are more than friends. She admits that it was Mico who influenced her to lose weight, but she clarifies that they are actually just friends. Last time she heard from him was more than a month ago, Bea says.
Maybe that is why she can now focus solely on her work, especially on her new ABS-CBN teleserye, “Maging Sino Ka Man,” which started airing yesterday, October 8. Bea appeared in almost all of the shows of the network to promote the project.
She says her role in the series is the exact opposite of who she is.
As Jackie, the character she portrays in the teleserye, she has everything: wealth, fame, fortune and a loving father, played by Christopher de Leon. Yet, she feels incomplete. She feels something is missing in her life, something which will complete her.
In “Maging Sino Ka Man,” directed by Erick Reyes and Mae Cruz, Bea is reunited with her perennial movie and TV partner, John Lloyd Cruz. Also with them are Anne Curtis and Sam Milby.
“Sa totoo lang the one who truly excites me in the series is Mr. Christopher de Leon,” says Bea, “Iíve always wondered how it would feel to work with him. In ëMaging Sino Ka Man,í we are in almost every scene together, since we play father and daughter.”. (MNS)
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MANILA -- Television host Willie Revillame seemed unperturbed while hosting the noontime show “Wowowee” despite being evicted from their conjugal home after his estranged wife filed for a petition annulling their marriage.
Revillame had spent the night in a hotel near ABS-CBN after receiving the court order evicting him from his house in Quezon City Thursday night.
Revillame hosted “Wowowee” on Friday, offering the studio audience and those watching from their homes another fun-filled afternoon.
His wife, Liz Almoro, filed for annulment including a temporary preventive order before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 88 citing mutual psychological differences as the basis of the petition.
It was learned that the order prevents the couple from discussing the details of their separation while the case is in court.
Even the executive producer of “Wowowee” said the show’s staff are not allowed to issue statements about Revillame for 30 days.
The couple’s marriage lasted for a year and six months. They were first wed in civil rites by Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos in March 2005. A church wedding followed three months later at the Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati.
Almoro was already pregnant with their child, Juan Emmanuel, when she and Revillame tied the knot. (MNS)
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