By Leandro Milan

Our hero is star-struck and, apparently, love-struck too.

After bagging the CNN Hero of the Year (2009) award, Efren Peñaflorida finds himself in hot pursuit of a more stunning and elusive trophy. The object of his affections is the gorgeous and alluring actress Angel Locsin.

Efren’s romantic exploits first came to light in late December when he was interviewed by Boy Abunda on the TV show Bottomline. In that interview, the acclaimed kariton educator admitted that he has had a big crush on the the actress for the longest time.

Angel and Efren first became friends on Facebook, drawn by their common interest to help the underprivileged – he, with his Kariton Klassroom project; she, with her numerous charitable undertakings. By sheer coincidence, on November 19, the two found themselves on the same flight to the US. She was on her way to New York to attend the Emmy Awards where she was nominated for Best Performance for an Actress in the teleserye Lobo. He was on his way to Los Angeles to receive an award as one of CNN’s Top Ten Heroes and later as CNN Hero of the Year for 2009 for his heroic attempt to bring education to the poor children of Cavite via a mobile classroom. Up on Cloud Nine, our star-struck hero did not pass up the chance to reveal his feelings for Angel.

When it was Angel’s turn to appear on the gossip show The Buzz on January 3, Boy, the self-proclaimed King of Talk, grilled the actress about Efren’s startling disclosure.

An embarrassed Angel was initially at a loss for words.

“Paano ba?” she began. “Nakapag-usap kami. Actually, before pa naman magkaroon ng award sa kanya, magkaibigan na kami sa Facebook. Yung mga cause na ginagawa niya, sinusuportahan ko rin. Naniniwala ako sa mga gusto niyang gawin. And nagkita kami bago ako pumuntang New York, sabay kami sa eroplano kasi, e. Doon na kami nagkakilala talaga.”

Angel continued: “Nakapag-usap kami. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko sabihin, e… Yun nga, parang sinabi ko sa kanya na medyo natatakot akong sabihin sa kanya kasi siyempre siya yung nakikitang hope ng bansa natin, e. Para sa akin kasi, ang mas kailangan natin ngayon sa Pilipinas yung hope. At ayoko yung… dahil magulo nga ang buhay ko dahil nasa showbiz ako, ayokong yung hope na maibibigay niya sa mga tao, maapektuhan ng dahil sa akin. Sinabi ko sa kanya kung ready na ba siya na… Ay, nahihiya ako! Kung ready na ba siya na harapin yung mga yun. Ako kasi sinabi ko na, well ako kasi gusto ko friendship muna.”

Pushing the kilig factor several notches higher, Boy commented that he was surprised that the two were able to discuss something so serious in their brief, unplanned in-flight meeting.

And then came more revelations from Angel that elicited shrieks from the audience. Efren had visited her at home and he had talked to her father about his romantic intentions.

“Paano ba?” she rambled on. “Kasi pumunta siya sa bahay. Nag-usap sila ng dad ko. Mas una niyang kinausap yung dad ko kesa sa akin. Nagulat ako pagdating ko, ‘Bakit parang nagkukulong sa kuwarto yung dalawa. Ano ang nangyayari dun?’”

Boy pressed on: “So Efren and your dad had a heart-to-heart talk?”

“Pero first time lang po yun, Tito Boy. Nahihiya ako. Ano ba ‘yan, nawawala ako! Ang init ng pisngi ko,” confessed Angel, blushing.

She declined to speculate on where the whole thing would lead. Everything will fall into place if it is meant to be, she said.

In another television interview, this time on GMA-7’s 24 Oras, Efren confirmed his intentions to court the actress. He said it was back in 2004 when he developed a big crush on the Angel. What attracted her to him, he said, was not her looks and celebrity status but her character and inner beauty.

He admitted that he had gone to Angel’s house to talk to her father, Angel Colmenares, about his plans to court his daughter.

“Sinabi ko sa dad niya kung ano yung intentions ko. In-open up ko sa dad niya. I was able to pray pa nga sa dad niya,” the high school teacher revealed. “Bago ko in-ask, bago ko in-open sa kanya ‘yong mga intentions ko, ready na ako. Prepared ako doon sa kung ano man ang mangyayari.”

Efren says he has not had a single girlfriend in all his 28 years, which explains why he appears so thrilled whenever he talks about his feelings for the actress. On the other hand, Angel, who turns 25 in April, has had three showbiz boyfriends: Mico Sotto, an aspiring actor who fell to his death from a condominium building six years ago; Oyo Sotto, Mico’s first cousin and son of Vic Sotto and Dina Bonnevie; and her latest ex, Luis Manzano, son of Vilma Santos and Edu Manzano. Angel and Luis ended their year-long relationship last August for still undisclosed reasons.

Unfortunately for our hero, But Angel does not appear to be too keen about his romantic intentions. Although she has gone out with Efren, she says all she could offer to him at this point is her friendship.

“Hindi naman ako nagpapaligaw,” she said on Showbiz Ngayon last Jan. 21. “Right now, we’re good friends lang talaga. . . Minsan pumupunta siya sa bahay kasama yung mga kids. Minsan lumabas kami. Nanoood kami ng sine kasama ang mga bata. ‘Yon naman ‘yong usapan din namin, eh. Ayoko ‘yong kausap ko si Luis [Manzano] tapos may kausap akong iba. Ayoko namang magpaasa ng tao.”

Angel is keener in giving his erstwhile boyfriend another chance. Luis has admitted that he is wooing the actress again and reports say that he is a constant visitor in the Colmenares’ residence nowadays. “I’m trying to win her back and make up for my mistakes in the past. Na-realize ko she’s a good girl worth fighting for,” Luis was quoted in one report.

Angel appreciates Luis’ efforts to win her back. “May effort naman siya [Luis]. Na-appreciate ko naman. Tingnan natin kung ano ang…hindi naman kami nagmamadali. Siyempre, hindi naman ma-i-aalis kung gaano ka-espesyal si Luis.”

In tabloids and social networking sites, fans of Angel and Efren expressed shock, disappointment, even disdain at the news.

“You’re dreaming! Just because you’re a CNN Hero doesn’t mean you can be Angel’s boyfriend,” said one user on social networking site Twitter.

“It was great that he won as CNN Hero. But I was disappointed he wanted to join the celebrity world so quickly,” quipped a Facebook user.

Indeed, many onlookers find the Angel-Efren tandem implausible, even off-beat, because his chosen career and her social milieu are night and day. While both come from poor families, today their lifestyles are worlds apart. Efren is immersed in the harsh reality of the slums of Cavite. Angel inhabits the glittery make-believe world of Tinseltown. Can they defy fate and live happily ever after? Will this romance be nipped in the bud? One would think this unlikely fairy tale could happen only in the movies. Abangan!

Cebu’s “Dancing Inmates” perform a new routine from This Is It as a homage to the late Michael Jackson at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. Michael Jackson’s long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid flew to the maximum security prison to personally teach the 1,500 inmate performers in two days so they could film this unique video. Sony Pictures DVD released the clip on Jan. 26.

What began as a domestic issue between celebrity couple Kris Aquino and James Yap nearly turned into political fodder in the simmering election campaign season. But about a week after the issue broke out, the controversy has died down and the celebrity couple has reportedly patched up their differences.

The popular TV host/actress and youngest sister of presidential aspirant Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III took offense at critics’ attempts to link her brother to a “domestic issue that does not even involve him directly.”

The “domestic issue” Kris was referring to was an incident on Jan. 13 when she “confronted” an alleged female fan of James and told her to stop bugging her husband about her personal problems.

According to a report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Jan. 14, Kris confronted a certain Mayen Austria, 35, outside the latter’s house in Valle Verde 2 Subdivision in Pasig City around 4 p.m. on Jan.13 after learning that Mayen had been calling and sending text messages to her husband.  

Quoting Mayen’s uncle, Gabby Lopez (no relation to the ABS-CBN chair), Inquirer reported that Kris spent about 10 minutes at the gate of the house of the Austrias and allegedly shouted and hurled insults at Mayen and her mother.

The Inquirer also quoted an unnamed witness who said Kris threw invectives at Mayen and her mother.

“(Kris) also shouted at her (Minna): ‘Anong klaseng nanay ka? Anong klase ang palaki mo sa anak mo?’” the source said.

Lopez refused to elaborate on the incident but took a potshot at Kris’ brother, saying, “I now know who I will not vote for.” 

Noynoy Aquino is the Liberal Party standard-bearer in the May elections.

Lopez’s remark incensed Kris. “Why is the issue being used as a political weapon against my brother?” she asked.

In a talk with the Inquirer last Jan. 15, she denied confronting and shouting insults at Mayen and her mother.

“In my 25 years of being in the public eye, nobody can ever say that it is in my nature na magmura or gumawa ng iskandalo,” she said. “I didn’t shout or create a commotion. [Mayen’s mother] graciously came to their gate and we had a peaceful conversation.”

Kris claimed she was “very polite” when she expressed her “discomfort about [Mayen’s] actuations” towards James.

“Mrs. Austria said it was all just a misunderstanding. I told her, ‘I’m sorry to be disturbing you, but I just had to come here. It makes me uncomfortable that your daughter is calling my husband,’” Kris continued.

“At this time, [Mayen] came out. She said James called her up to tell her that I’m on my way, and to just say sorry to me. She said, ‘I don’t know why I should. I’ve done nothing wrong.’”

She added: “I told her, ‘As a wife I’m telling you that it’s wrong. Why do you have to cry to my husband about your boyfriend leaving you when the guy is not even a friend of James’?’ I said to the mom, ‘Thank you. I hope your daughter would stop calling James,’ and then I left.”

A day or two after the confrontation, Kris, together with sons Joshua and James Jr., moved out of the home she shares with husband James to have “some space” at her sister Pinky’s house. But two days later, the TV host and her two sons are back in their Valle Verde house.

“Magkasama na uli kami ngayon,” she said in a TV interview last Jan. 22. “Pero pina-punish ko pa rin siya nang konti,” she chuckled. “Pero maayos naman na. Sinisikap namin na maging maayos ang pagsasama namin.”

While Kris admits that their troubled marriage needs some mending, she says the issue with James’ female friend, Mayen Austria, is over and that the Aquino and Austria families have sorted out the matter.

On Jan. 17, when she announced she was leaving their home temporarily, Kris told co-host Boy Abunda on The Buzz, “I’m not saying that the marriage is over. In my heart, gusto ko the marriage to work for our kids. I’m not putting a period, I’m not saying this is the end of the road. I’m hoping and praying maayos namin lahat pero kailangan ko rin ng space.” 

“I love him and he knows I still love him. I’ve never given him any reason to doubt my fidelity. I just want the same thing in return,” she said. “Hindi naman puwedeng ako lang ang nagmamahal… Ako lang umiintindi. It takes two for this marriage to work. I want him to make me feel I’m really (his) wife, that (he’s) a responsible husband and a loving father and that this marriage has a future.”

According to Kris, she explained to her husband that it was not proper for Mayen to be confiding her problems with her boyfriend to a married man. “I told James, ‘You married me. You made this commitment to me. I am your wife. I have my rights as a wife. I will use those rights to protect myself and our children. I will protect my territory.”

In an interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal, the outspoken and controversial TV host said Mayen should instead consult a guidance counselor, a close female friend, sibling or her parents about her personal problems.

She said she told James, “Sa dami ng pinagdaanan natin, sa dami ng gusto kong ilabas noon, noong kailangan ko ng makikinig sa akin, wala akong iniyakan na lalake. Wala. Inisip ko kasi na hindi makabubuti iyon. Maaaring panggalingan lang ng gulo.”

She added: “Tama ba na iyakan ko si Gabby [Concepcion], na kasama ko sa soap ngayon? Hindi, di ba?”

Kris said she apologized to Noynoy for dragging him to the controversy. I told him, “Pasensya ka na that my marital crisis is now being used to attack you.”

Noynoy assured Kris he would always be available for her and James if they need his advice. “Let me reiterate, prioritize your family, never mind the campaign” he told Kris.

Noynoy appealed to the public not to judge the people involved in the issue. “Hintayin po nating makita yung buong picture bago tayo magsabi ng conclusion… Kung meron po tayong malasakit sa kanila, magandang bigyan ng espasyo ang dalawa. Sila ang makaka-solve ng problemang ito,” he said in a radio interview.

In 2007, Kris and James had a big fight after the latter was rumored to have had a romantic liaison with one Hope Centeno, then a receptionist at the Belo Medical Clinic.

Last Jan. 12, a day before the Valle Verde incident, the couple rendered a duet number during the birthday concert of Sharon Cuneta at the Araneta Coliseum. They sang the OPM hit Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo of Rey Valera. Sharon blurted out, “Huwag naman!” when the couple reached the number’s refrain, “Aking nadarama / pagsasama nati’y ‘di magtatagal.”

Kris turns 39 on Valentine’s Day, Feb 14. On Feb. 15 James will mark his 28^th birthday. Married in a civil ceremony last July 10, 2005, they have a three-year-old son, James Jr.

By Pepper Marcelo

Almost from nowhere, Brillante Mendoza has risen to become one of the most prominent figures in the Filipino film industry. 

With only 10 films under his belt, he has garnered prizes and citations from all over the world, capped by the selection of his latest film, Lola, as the Best Film in the 6th Dubai International Film Festival from Dec. 9-16.

Lola bested over 513 entries in the Muhr Asia-Africa feature film section, winning US$50,000 (or P2.3 million) for Mendoza. The festival describes the independent film, which focuses on poverty, as a “simple tale, yet loaded with emotion and profound moral dilemmas.” Lola, which top-bills veteran actresses Anita Linda and Rustica Carpio, was also the country’s “surprise” entry in the Venice International Film Festival last September.

The Dubai prize is Mendoza’s third major honor in 2009 — after winning Best Director awards in the Cannes Film Festival (France) last May and in Sitges Film Festival (Spain) last October for his film Kinatay.

As is usually the case with other Filipino trailblazers who have made their marks on the world stage, it is sad to note that Mendoza’s achievements and stature are relatively unknown and underappreciated in his own country. This is partly explained by the fact that the local independent film industry, or indie, as it is popularly known, is a minor blip in the Philippine movie sector.

Be warned

Those curious or interested to watch any of Mendoza’s of movies may be in for a rough surprise. First, his films are not usually exhibited at the nearby mall or multiplex (though he has become a virtual mainstay in the international films and arts festival circuit). And though critics and fans have admired his serious, provocative films as being “thought-provoking” or “challenging,” there are some detractors that have labeled his films, such as Kinatay, Serbis and Foster Child, as “unwatchable.”

But the 49-year-old director relishes the fact that his films are so passionately debated. In an interview with Planet Philippines, he says his goal is to challenge audiences and present them with the brutal, oftentimes explicit truths, about his homeland. This, he adds, may not go over well with audiences raised on Hollywood blockbusters or on homegrown star-driven melodramas.

“First and foremost, when I’m doing a film, it has to be a truthful story,” says Mendiza. “If it’s based in the Philippines and it’s a true story, you can’t remove that – the culture, the people – whether it’s good or bad. Mga fantasy, hindi totoo yan. Wala na sa realidad. You will forever live in the delusion that it is a perfect world, and it’s not.”

Originally from Pampanga, Mendoza started in film in the late 1980s as a production designer, creating sets and backgrounds for mainstream film directors such as Chito Roño, Peque Gallaga, and Celso Ad. Castillo.       With his efficiency and unique ability to do so much with very little resources, he rapidly became one of the most sought-after set designers in the country. In the 1990s, after approximately a dozen movies under his belt, he shifted to television commercials and advertising, doing work for multinational companies such as Proctor and Gamble and Unilever.

First directorial job

In 2005, he got his biggest break when he was offered to direct the film Masahista (The Masseur). Despite the limitations imposed by a low budget, he found immense satisfaction in direct-to-video filmmaking.  

“I had an awakening, a realization,” he says. “I thought at the time I was making good money from advertising, and that was it. That was my life. I didn’t realize there was this other level of fulfillment. Eventually, I left advertising.”

Both he and the producers had modest goals for Masahista, namely, acceptance into one or more foreign film festivals. Eventually, it was accepted and exhibited in the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.

His experience in leaving the country for the first time and interacting with Europeans was an eye-opener, which further emboldened him. “During the Q and A after the film screening, one member of the audience commented, ‘I’m not really aware of your cinema, and I’m not exposed to the Philippines, but when I saw your film, I saw your people, your culture and your country.’ I was surprised she saw all that in the The Masseur!”

Other works followed in quick succession: Tirador (Slingshot), which focused on criminal life among a group of inner city youths; Foster Child, which told the story of a poor woman taking care of abandoned children; Serbis, which is about an adult movie theater and the dysfunctional family that runs it. These works have been exhibited and recognized in film festivals all over the world, making Mendoza one of the most celebrated filmmakers the country has produced since the late Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal in the seventies and eighties.  

Making up for lost time

His directorial career started relatively late; he was 45 when he made Masahista. But film buffs were pleasantly amazed at the speed in which he was churning out film after film – from two to three per year – prompting a writer in the New York Times to comment that he was “making up for lost time.”

Mendoza says that he is not in a rush, he works almost non-stop simply because he finds complete happiness and satisfaction when doing a film. “I don’t see filmmaking as work. It’s a life. It’s something I enjoy doing everyday.”

He credits his experiences both in his career and personal life in setting the stage for his success. “Kaya pala hindi ako nakagawa ng pelikula nang mas maaga. I was building experience. I couldn’t have achieved the depth for Masahista if I made it in my 20’s.”

His successive works have always found a place for exhibition and competition in various film festivals all over the world. While Foster Child was accepted in the Cannes Film Festival for exhibition, and his follow-up film, Serbis, actually competed, it was Kinatay that firmly placed Mendoza on the word map.

“To have three successive films in Cannes is such an achievement for me,” he beams proudly.

Kinatay (Slaughter) tells, almost in real-time, of the brutal rape and murder of a prostitute as witnessed by a law student. While many critics raved about Mendoza’s vision, some came out with negative critiques of his uncompromising treatment of the grisly subject matter. Noted American critic Roger Ebert infamously called Kinatay “the worst film” he’s ever seen in all his years attending the festival.

Mendoza admits that he was initially affected by the negative criticisms, but the overall satisfaction is simply overwhelming.

“I never realized I’d go this far,” he says. “Not in my wildest dreams. Feeling ko, filmmaker na ako. Sarap ng feeling. . . I read the reviews, but I don’t have to agree with them. Maganda, pinaguusapan. My films don’t get unanimous positive reviews. Whether people say one thing or another, nagkakaroon ng discussion, and that’s what films are all about. It’s healthy.”

Mendoza wants to put all the acclaim and recognition aside and focus on making more films. “There’s so many stories I’m developing.”

Though he understands that audiences may not appreciate or even like his work, he says there is no denying that he is bringing necessary truths to light. “I want them to think and be emotionally involved in the film. I don’t want to entertain; we have enough entertainment. Especially here, with commercial and Hollywood films. I’m just trying to show an alternative cinema that you can watch once in a while and experience.”

He offers no apologies for his style, concept and focus. “I’m a filmmaker from a Third World country. I can’t present something that’s like Hollywood. I’ll show you something like this; it’s more realistic and heavy, and it’s all that I have. Ito lang ang kaya ko ipakita.”