WILL  KRIS  BE  FIRST  LADY?

MANILA, SEPTEMBER 7, 2009 (MALAYA) STUDIO WHISPERS by ETHEL RAMOS (‘If there are plans for Senator Noynoy Aquino to wed Shalani Soledad, the wedding can happen only after the first death anniversary of President Cory Aquino. .’

WILL Kris Aquino assume the role of First Lady should her brother, Senator Noynoy Aquino, win the presidency in 2010?

Although Kris has mentioned on TV, no less, that Senator Noynoy has a girlfriend, 29-year-old Shalani Soledad, a Valenzuela City councilor, she has not made any reference to an upcoming wedding for the two.

In any case, granting there is a plan, still Senator Noynoy cannot marry Councilor Shalani. Filipino tradition dictates that a wedding cannot take place within a year of the death of a family member. This means not until after the babang luksa on the , which marks the first death anniversary.

President Cory Aquino, Senator Noynoy and Kris’ mom, died August 1. Senator Noynoy will take his oath of office as president, if ever, a month after the elections.

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Rica Peralejo had her fiancé, Joseph Bonifacio, a young pastor of the Victory Fellowship at the Fort, for her escort at the recent Star Magic Ball, held at the Rizal Ballroom, Shangri-La Hotel, Makati.

It was the first time that Rica brought Pastor Joseph to a grand entertainment event. They were both dressed to the nines.

Pastor Joseph may not possess the looks of a movie star, but he is pleasant and very presentable. He is a good talker (as all pastors are) and, likewise, a good listener.

He is taller than Rica and appears very fit. But what seems his greatest attraction is his fitting in the crowd to which Rica belongs.

“Although this is the biggest movie event that I attended with him, dinadala ko na rin siya sa mga gatherings na pang-showbiz, na usually ‘yong talagang malalapit lang sa akin ang present.

“Kaya may mga kaibigan na rin siya among my co-workers. Tulad nina Donita (Rose) at Pinky (Webb).

“Kaya din willing siya to have me continue with my showbiz career, lalo kung wala pa kaming mga anak,” Rica stated.

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Rica said she and Pastor Joseph have yet to set a date for their wedding. Like any woman in love, Rica remembers exactly the date when Pastor Joseph proposed marriage to her: May 30, 2009.

“It was our 10th ‘monthsary’ and we want to Tagaytay with Donita and Pinky. “I was chatting with Donita and Pinky when suddenly he approached me, knelt and proposed that he wanted to marry me,” Rica related.

Shocked with Pastor Joseph’s proposal, she felt dumbfounded for a while. Then she muttered: “OK.”

“I know na medyo na-disappoint siya sa naging reaction ko. But he also understands, he later told me, dahil nga di ko talaga inaasahan,” Rica said. If Pastor Joseph would have his way, he wants a wedding in December.

“But I told him na baka di makapunta ang ibang iimbitahan naming, as December happens to be a family month, dahil Christmas nga. “Kaya we might have the wedding January next year,” Rica added.

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Meanwhile, the Senator Mar Roxas-Korina Sanchez nuptials will definitely take place, on October 23, despite the big change in Senator Roxas’ political plans.

As we all know, Senator Roxas made the sacrifice of giving up his ambition to become the standard bearer of his party, the Liberal Party, to give way to Senator Noynoy Aquino who recently expressed his wish to also run for president.

Besides, the Liberal Party appears partial to Senator Noynoy, but they want Senator Mar to run for vice president. This is an idea that, according to Senator Mar, he might consider.

Since they are no longer as busy campaigning, Senator Mar and Korina are now hands-on with their wedding. Which church, the Santo Domingo or Manila Cathedral, they would choose for their wedding venue remains a secret.

“But it’s either of these two churches,” said Senator Mar. “We want to share our wedding with as many people as possible.”