THIS IS a tale of two showbiz “Divines”.
Uunahin na namin si Mommy Divine Geronimo, ina ni Sarah. If there is an outstanding recognition for a showbiz mother whose public image seems eroded with a string of negative publicity, Mommy Divine must be hailed as the Hall of Famer. Kung hindi pa ito sapat, a bust made of pure gold — not ivory (ayaw ng DENR ng ganyan!) — in her image must be a beautiful work of sculpture whose deserving recipient ay siya na rin mismo.
To a certain extent, nauunawaan namin ang malasakit ng sinumang magulang para sa kapakananan ng kanyang anak. Parents will always play parents to their children.
But lest these elders forget, lalo sa kaso ni Ginang Geronimo, may hangganan ang kanyang panghihimasok sa personal na buhay ni Sarah. The singer-actress is a teenybopper no more, she is already of age who can decide on her own most specially when it comes to the affairs of the heart.
If at a loss, nariyan naman si Mommy Divine to guide (ek!) her daughter, pamper her with sound (ek again!) advice and teach Sarah how she can better deal with romantic relationships (eeekkkk!).
But all that is a given. Kilala na kasi ang karakas ng nanay na ito bilang kontrabida rather than a heroine in Sarah’s life, both professional and private. Kamakailan, walang kaabug-abog na sinisante ni Mrs. Geronimo ang makeup artist at stylist ni Sarah of seven years.
Mommy Divine’s at-the-spur-of-the-moment decision was reportedly triggered by her nagging suspicion that there had been a collusion (read: sabwatan) among these two bekis and Sarah tungkol sa mga itinatagong lihim nila involving Gerald Anderson.
Instantly, nalungkot kami para sa dalawang naninilbihan kay Sarah. In one fell swoop, nabalewala ang pitong taon nilang pagsasama on a mere unfounded sapantaha na sana man lang ay inimbestigahan ni Mrs. Geronimo!
But how lucky could this intrusive, cruel showbiz mother get. Nagkataong project-based at hindi regular ang serbisyo ng dalawang beking ito na pasuweldo ni Sarah, otherwise such “illegal dismissal” could amount to a labor case kung saan talo ang ina ng singer-actress!
Still, ang pag-uugaling ito ni Mommy Divine (teka, isn’t her name a misnomer?) is a known given. Mas naghihimagsik ang aming kalooban laban kay Sarah. Siya itong nagtatrabaho, ergo, she should call the shots.
Pero bakit hindi niya nakuhang ipakipaglaban ang dalawang taong pinagkakautangan niya ng loob sa pagkamal ng limpak-limpak na salapi for making her look beautiful when her beauty — let’s face it — is a familiar sight at any shopping mall?
SA FIRST names lang sila magkatulad, but Divine Lee is a totally different character.
Hindi ikinakaila ni Divine that she also has her share of family troubles, but it would be unfair for anyone to heap the blame on her for her father’s alleged transgressions. Oo nga’t anak siya ng kontrobersiyal na si Delfin Lee of Globe Asiatique involved in a large-scale housing scam, but must the daughter suffer the consequences?
Despite the scandal though, hindi hinahayaan ni Divine na madiskaril ang kanyang mga pangarap sa buhay, most specially her goals in showbiz where she strives to be the best TV host that she can be. Hindi naman sa totally dedma ang hitad, but why would she allow such stuff to pull her down?
Masaya si Divine for earning a nomination in the 26th PMPC Star Awards for TV bilang Best New Female TV Personality. Tumatak sa mapanuring screening committee ang hosting performance ng hitad in the now-defunct Makeover Home Edition Philippines with co-host Paolo Bediones.
In our previous interviews with Divine, ipinagpapasalamat niya ang mga aral na kanyang natutunan sa pakikisalamuha sa mga naging benepisyaryo ng naturang programa, mostly from the grassroots level whose everyday lives she had learned to adopt.
Para kay Divine, it became a window through which mas na-appreciate niya ang payak na buhay, and how that simple life could still be savoured at the fullest.
A runway and editorial model-turned-TV host, pinoproblema ng hitad ang kanyang aura sa awards night na gaganapin sa Henry Lee Irwin Theatre at the Ateneo de Manila University on November 18. Teka, bakit hindi i-absorb ni Divine Lee ang mga sinibak na make-up artist at stylist ni Mommy Divine for at least a night?
By doing that, Divine is simply living up to her name as opposed to Sarah’s mother! To borrow Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s brickbat against Senator Antonio Trillanes, Mrs. Divine Geronimo is a fraud!
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
