18 Philippine Showbiz Today
May 8 - 21, 2017
Lea Salonga, Pokwang hit those who insult single mothers
Broadway star Lea Salonga
decried those who look down on
single mothers, saying they deserve
a “special place in hell,” just an hour
after Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
joked about Social Welfare Secretary
Judy Taguiwalo having kids out of
wedlock.
At her confirmation hearing
Wednesday, Sotto asked Taguiwalo
whether she was single after seeing
that she has two kids.
Taguiwalo replied that her life
has never been a “normal one,”
before Sotto decided to make a quip
and used a colloquial Tagalog phrase
to describe her as “na-ano lang.”
The controversial exchange
appeared to have prompted a
response from Salonga, who took
toTwitter to share that she was raised
by a her mother, Ligaya Salonga,
single-handedly.
“For much of my growing-
up years, my mother was a single
mother,” she wrote. “I curse anyone
and everyone that sees women like
her as ‘less than’.’’
She added: “My husband was,
for much of his upbringing, raised by
a single mother. I curse anyone that
sees women like her as ‘less than’.
For those that look down upon these
beloved ladies, there’s a special place
in hell for the likes of you.”
Others who were disturbed by
of her daughter didn’t have the guts
to own up to the responsibility.
“Sa lahat ng single mom sa
buong mundo, mabuhay tayong
lahat!!! Yahooo! God bless us all,”
she wrote, before adding: “Hindi
po ako na-ano lang! Naging single
mom ako kasi wala pong bayag ang
lalaking minahal ko! Pero binuhay ko
ng marangal mga anak ko!”
For her part, actress Janine
Gutierrez tweeted: “My respect to
all the single mothers who take
on the immense responsibility of
successfully raising children on their
own.”
Gabriela Women’s Party criticized
Sotto, saying that the senator “went
out of bounds” in pointing out that
the cabinet appointee had children
outside marriage.
Sotto has already apologized but
pointed out that those panning him
for his remarks “didn’t understand”
his joke.
Sotto’s remarks include director
Antoinette Jadaone and screenwriter
Anj Pessumal, who worked on movies
“Starting Over Again” and “English
Only, Please.”
Comedian Pokwang also blasted
Sotto, saying that the reason she is a
single mother is because the father
Saying he would be the last to
disrespect women, Sotto explained
that he meant nothing malicious
in raising Taguiwalo’s status as a
solo parent, adding that two of his
daughters are also single mothers.
Sotto’s name was the most
talked about topic on Twitter, even
hours after the hearing concluded.
(abs-cbn) ●
Why Boy Abunda trended on Twitter and made viewers cry
‘King of Talk’ Boy Abunda
made viewers cry when he talked
about his life story on the morning
talk show,Magandang Buhay on
Wednesday, May 3.
Sharing about his struggles
while growing up, Boy recalled the
time his father got very sick. “Hindi
ko makakalimutan ‘yung mga
pagkakataon na kami ay pumupunta
sa
PGH,nagpapakonsulta.
Lumalabas kami ng ospital, may
mga dugo dito (nose and ears) ang
tatay, nakikipaghabulan po kami ng
jeep,ng mga bus para makasakay at
para makauwi po kami sa Malibay
kung saan nakatira ang aming mga
kamag-anak. We were very, very
poor.
“Ang tatay ko po ay namatay in
the arms of his mother sa loob po
ng taxi, on the way to San Juan de
Dios.Idinikdik ko po sa aking isipan
– my father died of heart attack and
poverty. Hindi na mauulit ito.”
He said that it was during
this time that he promised to do
everything to be able to provide for
his mother, who was a public school
teacher.
After his father’s death, they
returned to Samar and had a lot of
debts to pay. He has also quit school.
He was then studying at the Ateneo
de Manila University – the school his
father dreamed for him.
Boy then decided to come
to Manila to work. He admitted
roaming the streets and sleeping on
benches in Luneta. “Ako’y nakitulog,
ako’y nakikain. I depended on the
kindness of friends and strangers…
Lahat ng trabaho pinasok.
“Wala akong balak mag-artista.
I came to Manila as a (Nora Aunor)
fan. I wanted to find a job. What it
was, I didn’t know pero ang nasa puso
ko, handa akong makipagsapalaran,
handa akong magutom and I wanted
to find what it was that God had for
me because I wanted the best life for
my mother.”
Boy became a salesman of
encyclopedias and fire extinguishers,
and worked as a server and an
assistant cook in a restaurant,
among others.
He also recalled how he was
discriminated and ridiculed for his
Waray accent. “I was told one time
before I started hosting that I was not
going to make it as a host because
I have an accent. As if my accent
defines my mind…”
He then studied English but
cleared that it is not to lose his
accent as he is a proud Waray.
But what led him to show
business was when he became
a production assistant at the
Metropolitan Theater. Saying that he
enjoyed the work, he added, “Kung
ang tao noon, umuuwi ng 7, 8 in the
evening, I was backstage until 12, 1,
2 in the morning because I wanted
to do my job well.”
Un