MANILA, Philippines—I bumped into an old friend related to Vandolph Quizon's 7-year-old love child Gabie, who happens to be my inaanak. It's been ages since I last saw Gabie so I asked my friend to update me on her.

"She was one of the flower girls at her dad's wedding last December," my source related. "At first, we were hesitant to allow Gabie to join. But when she became enthusiastic about it, pumayag na rin kami. We were hoping it would be the start of a closer relationship between father and child but sad to say, Vandolph still made many promises that he didn't fulfill. Seems he's not yet ready to face his paternal responsibilities. Every time Gabie asks when her dad will take her to the mall, we have to come up with an excuse."

Knowing the family of Gabie, they are not after financial support. From day one, they never asked for a single centavo from Vandolph.

I texted Vandolph for his sentiments but he hasn't replied. Perhaps he's still adjusting to married life. After he gets used to being a husband, maybe he will be able to focus on being a dad to Gabie.

Hopefully, Vandolph will soon realize that when it comes to one's kids, it's time well-spent that matters more than all the money you spend on them.

Not talking

Cheska Garcia would rather not give Jennylyn Mercado unsolicited advice regarding her brother Patrick (father of Jen's coming baby with whom she split up). "We are not on speaking terms anymore," said Cheska. "Dedma na lang. Less talk, less trouble. Better that way. Our family was never the show-biz type, anyway." Hmm... Sister Tact!

Brazilian connection

Sunshine Cruz missed the interview of Mariana del Rio in "The Buzz." She's the 16-year-old Brazilian model being pinpointed as the cause of Shine and Cesar Montano's domestic squabble last December, which lead to her leaving their conjugal home with their three daughters in tow.

"Marami nagkwento sa akin about the interview. I don't know why they are making it seem that she's the cause of whatever problems Buboy and I are ironing out," said Shine. "We've been married for eight years and ang dami ng na-link kay Buboy but I never gave up. Kaming dalawa lang ang pwedeng umayos ng problema. Slowly, I'm healing. It's Mariana's right din naman to clear her name. I'm enjoying my space for now."

Buboy and Shine just have to leave each other often in order to love each other forever. Or as the French say, "Il faut se quitter souvent pour s'aimer toujours."

Holy Week break

Show biz can either be Calvary or Paradise. It depends on how celebs carry their cross. Here's how some of them observe Semana Santa.

Ogie Alcasid: "I usually spend it in Taal and listen to original pasyon done by our elders. This year I will spend it in Australia and attend the great royal Easter show with my kids."

Jed Madela: "It's the only time of the year when I get to take a break. I give up something for the entire week as my Lenten sacrifice. I also do some fasting. I leave Manila and go back to my 'normal' self. This Holy Week, I'm flying to Dubai."

Christine Bersola-Babao: "I do visita iglesia and write reflections on my life journal. We might just take a quick trip to Tagaytay."

Alfred Vargas: "We have a family reunion in Sta Maria, Bulacan because the rest of the year we're all busy. We hold the pasyon at our ancestral home and do the visita iglesia together."

Jomari Yllana: "I pray and don't party. I'd rather spend it at home. For me, it's not the right time to have fun."

Reality shows

"Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition" and "Pinoy Dream Academy"-two of the most watched reality shows-changed the lives of PDA Grand Star Dreamer Yeng Constantino and PBBTE's big winner Kim Chiu.

PBB finally returns on March 23 hosted by Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzalez, Mariel Rodriguez and Luis Manzano. Catch the primer on March 16 to get to know more about the 12 new teen housemates. PDA is slated to air in May.

See how reality can be better than your dreams!

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