TATLONG “RELIGIOUS SEGMENTS” ang idinaos in honor of Mama Mary’s birthday (September 8) sponsored by Ai Ai delas Alas sa clubhouse ng kanyang tirahan sa Ayala Hillside Estate at Capitol City in Quezon City.
Ni-recite muna ang holy rosary, followed by a concelebrated mass led by Fr. Eric (sorry, his last name slipped my mind) with six other priests from different parishes, that culminated in an inspirational talk by Bro. Bo Sanchez.
For many years now, naging panata na ni Ai Ai ang ipagdiwang ang kaarawan ng ina ni Hesus, thanking her for all the blessings bestowed upon her in many, if not in all aspects of her life. Nagsilbing eye-opener sa mga dumalo ng pagtitipong ‘yon, myself included with two other college friends of Ai Ai, ang ibinahaging testimonya ni Bro. Bo.
In a capsule, ‘ika nga, anuman daw ang mga kaganapan sa ating buhay, whether good or bad, it is important to “be thankful (to God) in all circumstances. “At one point, huling-huli ko si Ai-Ai, her head bowed down, moved to tears, dahil minsan na rin niyang ‘kinuwestiyon’ ang wisdom ng nasa Itaas.”
‘Yun ‘yong panahon na taimtim niyang ipinagdarasal ang commercial success ng kanyang launching movie noon sa Star Cinema, ang Tanging Ina. All she prayed for was hindi sana umulan on its opening day, only to be awakened by a typhoon signal no. 3. Paano nga naman daw papasukin ng tao ang aniya’y make-or-break movie niya?
Ai Ai’s tears were as copious as the heavy rains. But miracle of miracles, nasa labas na raw ang mga tao nu’n, partikular na ang mga nagsipasok na estudyante, when offices and classes in all levels had been suspended.
People caught in the raging typhoon had no other choice but to seek refuge at the mall, kung saan tamang-tama namang doon ipinalalabas ang Tanging Ina. For the record, Ai Ai’s movie grossed P12 million on its opening day, the comedienne—as early as afternoon—found herself inundated with a barrage of congratulatory calls from Malou Santos and Vic del Rosario themselves.
Kung tutuusin, it was the most difficult hurdle at the box-office. Kasabay ng Tanging Ina noon ang isang napakalakas ding local movie and a Jim Carey starrer, but Ai Ai’s movie stood out. To this day, Tanging Ina is still the biggest Star Cinema offering, box office-wise.
Habang ikinukuwento ‘yon ni Bro Bo on the eve of Mama Mary’s birthday, his talk was not just meant to take a peek into Ai Ai’s career. More than that, pagkatok ‘yon sa ating mga puso’t kaisipan na kung anuman ang meron tayo sa buhay ay dapat nating ipagpasalamat ‘yon.
For a moment, I felt I was spiritually cleansed. It had to take a non-showbiz person at a non-showbiz event with a non-showbiz crowd scheduled at a non-showbiz time to realize what is actually important in life.
In the words of Ai Ai, maglalaho ang lahat ng katanyagan, mawawala ang lahat ng kayamanan, but as long as there are people whom you love and are around to love you, ‘yun ang mahalaga.
To that, let’s all chorus… tamaaaah!
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
