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A FRIEND
of mine makes it a point to go to Embassy at least once
a week.
To him,
Embassy is something of a mecca for temporary visas for
guests desperate to escape the harsh realities of office
deadlines. For a few hours in one night, he says, the
habitués of Embassy drink and dance the night away as if
there isn’t that upcoming comedy of a national election.
At least
once a week, he flirts and sometimes gets to bring home
a girl—or two!—to his bachelor’s pad. What they do in
the wee hours of the morning, only God and the insects
of his building know. I don’t even want to ask. This
friend of mine always steps into the dark side and I
would be mortified to be brought along with him.
Being an
Embassy patron has its many perks, he continues. Some
people tease him about being sosyal and he enjoys
that. People have this notion that you’re rich when you
hang out at the club because you can afford to guzzle
bottles of San Miguel Light Beer at a whopping P100
each, he says. At the back of his mind, my friend
doesn’t have to cough up the P500 to gain entry into the
club, so that’s a bit of savings.
Another
perk of regularly hanging out in Embassy is that he gets
to see firsthand compulsively watchable incidents
involving showbiz personalities. The fight between
Alicia Meyer and the lady bouncer? Yup, he was there!
The flirting of Joey Marquez with Jean Garcia? Yes, he
saw that, too, with his own two eyes, covered in Mont
Blanc eyewear.
And
then, there’s this latest chismis he shared with
me.
According to him, just last week at Embassy model Borgy
Manotoc got into a fight with former basketball cager
Bong Alvarez. He recalls, “Bong was drinking and just
having a good time with his friends. They were drinking
and just having fun. When Bong noticed that their Jack
Daniels bottle was almost empty, he signaled what he
thought was a waitress and ordered another bottle. The
woman turned out to be Ornussa Cadness!”
Just in
case you still haven’t heard, Ornussa is the model
girlfriend of Borgy. Of course, the girlfriend got
offended and told her boyfriend. Of course, the
boyfriend made a scene. Their respective friends tried
to pacify the hotheaded model and the ex-basketball
player. My friend was watching all this with great
interest, happy that he again saw firsthand a potential
headline for The Buzz and S-Files.
As of
press time, the two haven’t made up according to some
sources. I’ll update you guys when something comes up!
***
BENTONG
is your typical rags-to-riches story. He was a
utilityman in ABS-CBN when he was discovered by network
big boss Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan in one taping of
Palibhasa Lalaki. He was throwing in punchlines in
between takes and the acclaimed director instantly
became his No. 1 fan.
Despite
his success, Bentong remains humble and unassuming. He
still gets surprised when people ask for his autograph
or to have their picture taken with him. The
Aalog-Alog and Wowowee mainstay is just so
happy entertaining people. But, he adds with a naughty
smile, the money sure doesn’t hurt!
People
maintain that fame hasn’t gotten into Bentong’s head.
“His feet are firmly planted on the ground. He’s still
the same person I met when he was still a utilityman,”
says a staff member of Aalog-Alog.
Of his
daily hosting task in Wowowee, Bentong feels
really happy that he can get to help people like him.
“I’m not saying I’m already a big star but seeing those
people line up everyday to see the show, many of them
coming home with a smile on their face because they’ve
won something, either just by being entertained or
receiving a gift pack or winning a big cash prize. I’m
so proud to be part of this show.”
Bentong
celebrated his birthday last January 12. Other
celebrities who celebrated their birthday this January
are Melissa Ricks, Celine Lim, Juddha Paolo, Mikee Lee,
Jason Abalos, Nikki Valdez, Drew Arellano, Vhong Navarro
and Toni Gonzaga.
Guys, be
like Bentong...Celebrate your birthday and always remain
humble! |
