I HAVE always adored you, Ai-Ai delas Alas. Back when I was still a nubile virgin, I worked with you as part of your publicity and production staff. You are gracious, funny and I really admire you. Every Christmas when I was working with and for you, you never failed to give me a nice gift that you personally chose, wrapped with matching handwritten card and even a touching personal note. That really stuck in my mind. That you are a genuine person and I was fortunate to have made it to your Christmas list.
Maybe it’s because of this niceness that you, Ai-Ai, have been blessed. You were the country’s comedy concert queen, filling to the rafters major concert venues like Folk Arts Theater and Araneta Coliseum. You were a box-office queen, too. For a time, your Tanging Ina movies were blockbuster hits.
And in all those blessings, gays have directly or indirectly helped you.
Recently, you said that while you support same-sex relationships, even insinuating that you have dipped your toes in the pond (“napagdaanan ko lahat ’yan”), you do not support gay marriages.
First of all, I respect that. I do not wish to get into a debate with you since you have quoted the Bible saying that men are for women and women are for men only, human rights be damned. Religion is something I try to avoid debating.
Besides, my column does not wish to dwell on the negativity, and the hate you spew on me and my fellow LGBTQ.
Instead, I will just try to focus on the positives: you are a Marian devotee, and I laud the innumerable charitable acts that you have done. You are an admirable mother, raising your children the best way you can even if it was difficult. You are a loving wife to your husband that despite your age difference of almost 30 years that many people frown on, it seems you have a flourishing relationship. You have deftly moved on from your first marriage from singer Miguel Vera with ease, which has made you the object of envy to a lot of women trying to get out of their miserable marriages. I am happy for you to be enjoying all these things. Really.
You have a lot of good things going on for you, Ai-Ai, and I truly respect that, the same way you claim you respect same-sex relationships. But with your statement of not supporting gay marriages and even turning down invitations to attend them, consider this my statement: While I will still try to respect you, I will turn down all your invitations to support your TV shows, movies, concerts, appearances, endorsements, businesses and what have you.
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METRO honored the country’s fashion legends in last night’s Metrowear Style Awards held in Rockwell, in which it paid tribute to the top designers, muses and photographers who have helped the magazine inspire and transform lives for three decades.
The biggest runway event to welcome the new
year was also in celebration of Metro’s 30th anniversary, an appreciation night for 30 amazing personalities who have not only collaborated with the magazine but made significant contributions in their respective fields. Ten photographers—Xander Angeles, Sara Black, Jun de Leon, Dookie Ducay, Raymund Isaac, Mark Nicdao, Neal Oshima, BJ Pascual, Doc Marlon Pecjo, and Ronnie Salvacion—have created some of Metro’s most iconic images.
Ten fashion designers, on the other hand, have had their own creative vision expressed in Metro covers or through the Metrowear fashion show. The list includes Metrowear Icons and this year’s awardees Auggie Cordero, Patty Ang, Mark Bumgarner, Lulu Tan Gan, Rajo Laurel, Michael Leyva, Randy Ortiz, Vania Romoff, Cary Santiago and Joey Samson.
Finally, 10 muses—Angel Aquino, Iza Calzado, Kim Chiu, Anne Curtis, Heart Evangelista, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Kelsey Merritt, Tina Maristela-Ocampo, Bea Valdes, and Pia Wurtzbach—were also honored. They have not only graced the cover of Metro but have also made noteworthy contributions to the fashion industry whether as models, celebrity muses, designers and global influencers.