By Alex Y. Vergara
Opinionated panelists for HSBC’s latest ‘Coffee Talk’ sound off on the future of 2010’s biggest newsmakers
PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino, who assumed office at a “bad time,” will continue to go through the ringer in 2011. Singer Charice Pempengco’s star will burn even brighter this year, perhaps even eclipsing Lea Salonga’s earlier achievements. As for former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, she’ll remain a formidable fixture in Philippine politics in the years, even decades to come, whether you like it or not.
And what about Shalani Soledad, President Aquino’s ex-girlfriend and Willie Revillame’s co-host in “Willing Willie?” She’ll definitely run for higher public office in 2013, and will continue to attract potential voters along the way, as long as she remains everything Kris Aquino is not.
These are some of the fearless forecasts and off-the-cuff observations made by a panel of influential, highly opinionated, and at times controversial individuals during HSBC’s recent Coffee Talk 3, “Crossroads: Who’s Going Where?” at Makati Shangri-La.
The panel was composed of Inquirer Lifestyle columnist Maurice Arcache, society editor Raul Manzano, entertainment editor Isah Red, tour guide and RH Bill advocate Carlos Celdran (he of “Damaso” fame), and feng shui consultant and astrologer Paloma.
Juicy backgrounder
The discussion was made livelier by moderator RJ Ledesma’s juicy backgrounders and mix of pointed and leading questions regarding last year’s biggest newsmakers, including Manny Pacquiao, Venus Raj, and even the much talked-about “prenup video” of Victor Consunji and Maggie Wilson.
“When I was first told to view their prenup on the Web, I wondered why I was being asked to look at a piece of paper,” said Paloma. “I realized only later what prenup for them meant after I went to the site.”
When Arcache countered that the couple was just too hot, Paloma replied: “Sometimes too much heat is not good. Too much sun blisters the skin.”
The inimitable Celdran even wanted to know how the person behind the video was able to make Consunji look taller, then zeroed in on Wilson’s distracting zit.
Now on its third edition, Coffee Talk is part of HSBC’s efforts to promote its latest tie-up with Starbucks and Caltex. HSBC credit cardholders can present any single HSBC credit card receipt worth P2,000 and up, and get a free tall drink of their choice or a three-pack Via Ready Brew from Starbucks.
Or they can choose to get P100 off from their Caltex fuel bill with every charge slip worth P2,000. Depending on the number of receipts they present, they can even get a full tank of gas without spending a single peso.
“If they want, they can even bring a bayong of accumulated credit card receipts to gas up,” said Annette Tirol, HSBC’s deputy head of personal financial services.
Paloma had a mouthful to say about certain individuals as well as the current state of the nation. She also warned the public to expect more calamities due to severe weather disturbances. Now is also not the best time to travel unless it’s “necessary.” The long overdue earthquake we’ve been bracing for might finally come in 2011.
Highlights of the discussion:
On President Aquino
Arcache: “His love life is kind of confused. He seems to love his cars more than his women. He started better, but when you have your best gang all around you, what happens to you?”
Manzano: “Especially when you play video games all night.”
Celdran: “I just hope he doesn’t drag us all down with him in his midlife crisis. There are things happening below him, but there’s an overall feeling I get that nobody is driving the car.”
Paloma: “It’s not a good year for him because he just came after a trying five years. In astrology or feng shui, we come up with cycle charts. He got in the Palace at not a very good time.”
On Mar Roxas
Arcache: “He’s been too quiet. Like my dad said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about at all.”
Manzano: “He should be put either in the finance or budget department where his expertise is.”
Celdran: “He can’t even get along with the VP. Let’s just see what Noynoy does with him after May.”
Paloma: “I agree that he should be utilized in business, but when I look at his chart, I think he should continue to lie low.”
On Manny Pacquiao
Celdran: “He’s just a congressman, not on a national level. He probably has some good things to offer in Saragani. Intellectually speaking, God save us all if he becomes president.”
Red: “He’ll have a hard time running nationally, unless somebody bankrolls his candidacy. He’s a tightwad. The way he’s spending money like there’s no tomorrow is more for publicity. He needs a bankroller to win an election on a national scale.”
Paloma: “He has 15 more years in the limelight. Don’t underestimate him and Filipinos voting for people like him. In the Philippines, anything can happen.”
On Charice Pempengco
Arcache: “She’s going to be a big star, not a falling star. How did Lea start? She got this big break and the rest is history.”
Manzano: “She’s going to be a star, that’s for sure. Even a crossover star.”
Red: “And she’s younger than Lea when she started. Of course, they belong to different fields, since Lea is more for the stage. But pop music’s influence is even broader.”
Celdran: “She has America’s changing demographics to thank for her lucky stars. She’s hit this demographic who loves Miley Cyrus.”
Paloma: “According to her stars, she’s on a really good 45-year run. She’s going to be popular even into her 50s. That doesn’t mean she’s not going to have problems. She has to deal with the painful polishing process along the way.”
On Venus Raj
Red: “She can probably succeed if managed well. ABS-CBN is very good at packaging its stars. She has to go through a workshop.”
Arcache: “She’s been invited to a number of social events because she’s an eye-catcher. When you talk to her, which I have, it’s like doing the question and answer portion. She doesn’t know how to prolong a conversation. She’s not the type either to open her mouth to keep everybody awake.”
Celdran: “Like in the case of most beauty queens, people want to know who she’s going to end up marrying. As a beauty queen, it’s really who you wake up with that could dictate the rest of your career and your life path.”
Paloma: “I wish for once we’d have a beauty queen who will not want to become an actress or a celebrity. She could be a good start. Unfortunately, her cycle is not good. Everything she has and wants to get, she really has to work hard for.”
On Shalani Soledad
Red: “Willie (Revillame) is energy! But Shalani is e-ner-gy (laughs). It could be working for her, because the masa is so used to celebrities who play to the gallery. Here comes Shalani, prim and proper, and the exact opposite of most stars.”
Celdran: “She’s the anti-Kris Aquino. Anything Kris is, she’s not.”
Red: “She’s a cut above the rest. Her supporters and admirers are most likely people who don’t like Kris. As long as she doesn’t marry Willie, I don’t see any scandals coming her way.”
Paloma: “There’s one attitude of hers that stands out, which probably endears her to the public. Shalani has a very regal bearing.”
When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino, who assumed office at a “bad time,” will continue to go through the ringer in 2011. Singer Charice Pempengco’s star will burn even brighter this year, perhaps even eclipsing Lea Salonga’s earlier achievements. As for former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, she’ll remain a formidable fixture in Philippine politics in the years, even decades to come, whether you like it or not.
And what about Shalani Soledad, President Aquino’s ex-girlfriend and Willie Revillame’s co-host in “Willing Willie?” She’ll definitely run for higher public office in 2013, and will continue to attract potential voters along the way, as long as she remains everything Kris Aquino is not.
These are some of the fearless forecasts and off-the-cuff observations made by a panel of influential, highly opinionated, and at times controversial individuals during HSBC’s recent Coffee Talk 3, “Crossroads: Who’s Going Where?” at Makati Shangri-La.
The panel was composed of Inquirer Lifestyle columnist Maurice Arcache, society editor Raul Manzano, entertainment editor Isah Red, tour guide and RH Bill advocate Carlos Celdran (he of “Damaso” fame), and feng shui consultant and astrologer Paloma.
Juicy backgrounder
The discussion was made livelier by moderator RJ Ledesma’s juicy backgrounders and mix of pointed and leading questions regarding last year’s biggest newsmakers, including Manny Pacquiao, Venus Raj, and even the much talked-about “prenup video” of Victor Consunji and Maggie Wilson.
“When I was first told to view their prenup on the Web, I wondered why I was being asked to look at a piece of paper,” said Paloma. “I realized only later what prenup for them meant after I went to the site.”
When Arcache countered that the couple was just too hot, Paloma replied: “Sometimes too much heat is not good. Too much sun blisters the skin.”
The inimitable Celdran even wanted to know how the person behind the video was able to make Consunji look taller, then zeroed in on Wilson’s distracting zit.
Now on its third edition, Coffee Talk is part of HSBC’s efforts to promote its latest tie-up with Starbucks and Caltex. HSBC credit cardholders can present any single HSBC credit card receipt worth P2,000 and up, and get a free tall drink of their choice or a three-pack Via Ready Brew from Starbucks.
Or they can choose to get P100 off from their Caltex fuel bill with every charge slip worth P2,000. Depending on the number of receipts they present, they can even get a full tank of gas without spending a single peso.
“If they want, they can even bring a bayong of accumulated credit card receipts to gas up,” said Annette Tirol, HSBC’s deputy head of personal financial services.
Paloma had a mouthful to say about certain individuals as well as the current state of the nation. She also warned the public to expect more calamities due to severe weather disturbances. Now is also not the best time to travel unless it’s “necessary.” The long overdue earthquake we’ve been bracing for might finally come in 2011.
Highlights of the discussion:
On President Aquino
Arcache: “His love life is kind of confused. He seems to love his cars more than his women. He started better, but when you have your best gang all around you, what happens to you?”
Manzano: “Especially when you play video games all night.”
Celdran: “I just hope he doesn’t drag us all down with him in his midlife crisis. There are things happening below him, but there’s an overall feeling I get that nobody is driving the car.”
Paloma: “It’s not a good year for him because he just came after a trying five years. In astrology or feng shui, we come up with cycle charts. He got in the Palace at not a very good time.”
On Mar Roxas
Arcache: “He’s been too quiet. Like my dad said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about at all.”
Manzano: “He should be put either in the finance or budget department where his expertise is.”
Celdran: “He can’t even get along with the VP. Let’s just see what Noynoy does with him after May.”
Paloma: “I agree that he should be utilized in business, but when I look at his chart, I think he should continue to lie low.”
On Manny Pacquiao
Celdran: “He’s just a congressman, not on a national level. He probably has some good things to offer in Saragani. Intellectually speaking, God save us all if he becomes president.”
Red: “He’ll have a hard time running nationally, unless somebody bankrolls his candidacy. He’s a tightwad. The way he’s spending money like there’s no tomorrow is more for publicity. He needs a bankroller to win an election on a national scale.”
Paloma: “He has 15 more years in the limelight. Don’t underestimate him and Filipinos voting for people like him. In the Philippines, anything can happen.”
On Charice Pempengco
Arcache: “She’s going to be a big star, not a falling star. How did Lea start? She got this big break and the rest is history.”
Manzano: “She’s going to be a star, that’s for sure. Even a crossover star.”
Red: “And she’s younger than Lea when she started. Of course, they belong to different fields, since Lea is more for the stage. But pop music’s influence is even broader.”
Celdran: “She has America’s changing demographics to thank for her lucky stars. She’s hit this demographic who loves Miley Cyrus.”
Paloma: “According to her stars, she’s on a really good 45-year run. She’s going to be popular even into her 50s. That doesn’t mean she’s not going to have problems. She has to deal with the painful polishing process along the way.”
On Venus Raj
Red: “She can probably succeed if managed well. ABS-CBN is very good at packaging its stars. She has to go through a workshop.”
Arcache: “She’s been invited to a number of social events because she’s an eye-catcher. When you talk to her, which I have, it’s like doing the question and answer portion. She doesn’t know how to prolong a conversation. She’s not the type either to open her mouth to keep everybody awake.”
Celdran: “Like in the case of most beauty queens, people want to know who she’s going to end up marrying. As a beauty queen, it’s really who you wake up with that could dictate the rest of your career and your life path.”
Paloma: “I wish for once we’d have a beauty queen who will not want to become an actress or a celebrity. She could be a good start. Unfortunately, her cycle is not good. Everything she has and wants to get, she really has to work hard for.”
On Shalani Soledad
Red: “Willie (Revillame) is energy! But Shalani is e-ner-gy (laughs). It could be working for her, because the masa is so used to celebrities who play to the gallery. Here comes Shalani, prim and proper, and the exact opposite of most stars.”
Celdran: “She’s the anti-Kris Aquino. Anything Kris is, she’s not.”
Red: “She’s a cut above the rest. Her supporters and admirers are most likely people who don’t like Kris. As long as she doesn’t marry Willie, I don’t see any scandals coming her way.”
Paloma: “There’s one attitude of hers that stands out, which probably endears her to the public. Shalani has a very regal bearing.”
When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
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