only in the movies

September 17, 2010

Much more than the John Lloyd-Shaina (utterly) humiliating scandal or the wonders of ephedrine diet pills, I am much amazed and much much more surprised with the marriage between Robin Padilla and Mariel Rodriguez. According to a GMA News report:

Mariel Rodriguez and Robin Padilla married each other twice in Baguio City last Monday. The first ceremony was conducted by an Ibaloi native priest while the second one was officiated by a pastor.

According to a report of TV Patrol aired earlier Thrusday, September 16, a native priest named Jimmy Ong officiated the Ibaloi ceremony that lasted for one and a half hours. Also known as a mambunong, Ong said that the ceremony took place at around 3 p.m. at Camp 7 in Baguio City.

Mariel wore woven ethnic clothing while Robin wore a bahag during the native ceremony. Robin’s youngest son Ali was present to witness the event.

The TV host-action star opted to marry Mariel in an Ibaloi ceremony because his mother, Eva Cariño-Padilla, is an Igorot. As part of the ceremony, Robin and Mariel drank tapuy (rice wine) as a symbol of their love and performed the tayaw dance to show that they are bound to each other by marriage. A pig was butchered and the blood was smeared on the faces of the celebrity couple.

After the Ibaloi ceremony, Robin and Mariel were married again in a ceremony officiated by a pastor.

Well, well, what do you know, I thought these things happen only in the movies. Some say Mariel’s lucky, some say she’s dead. Generally, though, the opinions, good or bad, are rooted from Robin’s personality, a very strong one at that. Me? I still do not know what to make of it. I am quite surprised, but I sure see the twinkle in that lady’s eyes…

  
…and I hope it’s more like a fairy-tale story for them.

in its core

That day, buses coming from Ayala were, as always, jam-packed. People working in Makati know this, especially the time and place when the buses are sardines-full. After some time, you get used to it and no longer mind the discomfort as well as the behavior of all the commuters, the driver, and the conductor. It has its own little world.

So that day, I was sitting comfortably in one of the seats. I always get to seat because I ride at the shed where the buses are just starting to pick up passengers. I closed my eyes and was half asleep until halfway to school. I was waken up by the crying of a young boy about 7 years old. He, his father, and his little brother were standing in the aisle of the bus. He was complaining that it was so hard to stand throughout the travel, especially when all the people were so compressed together. Kakaawa itsura nun bata. I talked to him and asked him if he wants to sit in my lap, but he just looked at me and continued crying. Because his father was desperately holding his two kids while trying to maintain balance, I again asked the boy if he could just hold on to my arm rest so that he wouldn’t be outbalanced. He just ignored me again. Probably, he just wanted to get out of that bus. His father kindly smiled and thanked me.

After alighting the bus, I realized that people have become so used to (read: immune) with the bus system and submitted to its rules. I realized that I rarely see people who would stand for an old lady. Even most of the men I know no longer do that. I wonder if this is just a side effect of the steps to liberalism, equality, and individuality—things people have been struggling for–or is just plain apathy or mefirst attitude. I wonder if we are on the right path, these things being trivial, or do we now need some kind of hardware restoration? Life and living are so complicated and ever-changing, but I guess there are just some core values worth maintaining.