Chiz-Heart: A rich girl-poor boy affair?

Sen. Chiz Escudero makes it appear that Heart Evangelista’s parents don’t approve of their relationship because she is  the daughter of super-rich parents and he’s just a poor guy.

Escudero’s rich-girl-poor-boy portrayal of his relationship with the young actress stinks.

It may appeal to the masses, whose votes the reelectionist senator—who is leading in all surveys—is courting.

But to people who are perceptive, Escudero’s melodramatic presentation of his love affair with Heart seems to reek of liquor.

Rey and Baby Ongpauco, Heart’s parents, told me in an interview that when they first heard  their 28-year-old daughter was going out with the 44-year-old senator, they felt proud.

“Which parent would not be proud to have their daughter go out with a senator who seems to be  intelligent and is loved by the masses?” Rey said.

Speaking at a press conference in Naga City, Escudero said, “There is no doubt that (Heart’s) parents are richer and more moneyed than mine. Her parents might be correct that I cannot afford to sustain the lifestyle they give her. But no matter how much money they have, it is not a license to belittle anyone or pour scorn on my character because my family is also affected.”

Escudero gave the elder Ongpaucos  reason to dislike him the first time they met.

“He came to us reeking of liquor and looking very drunk. He slouched on his seat. He asked me a lot of questions, like what I did for a living. His words were slurred. I told him I should be the one asking about him, not him about me since I am Heart’s father,” Rey Ongpauco said.

“Talagang nabastos kami, Mon (We felt insulted),” Baby recalled their first meeting with the senator.

Baby also recalled that in another instance, she visited the set of a taping of Heart’s teleserye.

“Everybody, including the director and crew of the set greeted me,” she said. “I saw Chiz slouched on his seat looking at me like he didn’t recognize  me. He didn’t even say hi. What kind of a man is that?” said Baby.

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Which parent would want their daughter to go out with a bum that Chiz, by his actuations, seems to be?

Let’s forget for a while that Chiz is a senator.

But he is not acting like a gentleman, not the image  that every suitor should project to the parents of the woman he’s courting.

Chiz  should not forget that respecting the parents of one’s spouse or lover is imbedded in Filipino culture.

I can’t understand why the senator  would be disrespectful toward Heart’s parents when he comes from Bicol, where “panunuyo” or courting the girl’s parents is still practiced.

In panunuyo, especially in the rural areas,  the suitor is expected to  fetch water, chop wood, do the laundry and other chores of the girl’s family.

Is it because Chiz thinks so highly of himself that he fails to see that Heart’s parents deserve respect?

The words of Cristy Fermin, veteran show-biz columnist, ring a bell: “Kapag ikaw ay nadala ng mga sigaw ng paghanga ng fans, tapos ka na (When you get affected by the adulation of your fans, you’re finished).”

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As a father, I understand Rey and Baby Ongpauco’s concern for their daughter Heart.

It may be their fault that they’re overly protective of their 28-year-old daughter who they consider “still young and innocent.”

But I empathized with them as any other parent would when they said they heard  well-meaning friends claim  that Chiz harmed  his former wife Christine.

“Sana huwag niyang gawin ‘yan sa anak ko dahil baka makalimutan ko ang sarili ko (I hope he doesn’t do that to my daughter because I might do the unthinkable),” Rey said.