A succession of typhoons had been inundating the country in the past few months. Two weeks ago came a series of earthquakes that had been ripping through the archipelago.
But the hearings concerning the flood control program scandal remain at the heart of the news. As a sidebar, there is also a bleeding heart — Heart Evangelista’s heart.
Although she has her share of defenders, majority of the Filipino people are relentless in their persecution of Heart — accusing her of using taxpayers’ money during her trips for fashion week, particularly in Paris.
Heart had actually been uploading her fashion week videos in the past several years. Social media users lapped up all those up — with no malice whatsoever. But everything changed when husband Chiz Escudero got involved in the flood control program scandal.
So, where had she been getting all that money to fund her fashion week trips to Europe? That is the one question her detractors had been asking.
Heart’s supporters are quick to defend her. She comes from a rich family, an Ongpauco heiress. They are billionaires — her squad of fans insists.
But how rich exactly are the Ongpaucos?
The Ongpaucos made their mark in society in the early 1950s. The Ongpauco patriarch was Col. Bonifacio Ongpauco. But it was the matriarch, Sixta “Mama Chit” Ongpauco, who had the business acumen.
One of the early businesses put up by the Ongpaucos was Everlasting Pictures. It was this production outfit that built up Von Serna, the father of Snooky Serna. Von starred in the original version of Lastik Man, which was later remade with Vic Sotto in the 1990s and Mark Bautista in the new millennium.
One of the Ongpauco sons, Rod, also starred in about half a dozen movies under Everlasting Pictures. He was only 17 that time and used the screen name Rod Evans.
Rod’s forte was action and his family’s film outfit made money out of his movies. But when he shifted to drama in Mama’s Boy, his career ended. Mama’s Boy flopped at the tills — discouraging Rod from doing more movies.
This was the time Rod decided to focus on his family’s other business — the Filipino restaurant, Barrio Fiesta. Along the way, he was able to invent what is now a Pinoy favorite dish, the Crispy Pata.
From Rod Evans, the action star, he became the iconic Rod Ongpauco of the food business. He later put up Bakahan at Manukan and Singing Cooks and Waiters, where most customers wished the staff simply served and not sing because that slowed down service.
What was the participation of Heart’s father, Rey Ongpauco, in the family’s restaurant? Initially, he tried to run away from the food business by fleeing to the US West Coast. His brother, Rod, was clearly Mr. Barrio Fiesta. So, he had to find his own niche in another spot of the universe — San Francisco, California in his case.
The food business, however, chased him even in the United States. He first worked as a waiter. But when his co-workers discovered that he was a great cook, they subbed for him — as long as he cooked the meals for the staff.
In time, Rey put up his own Barrio Fiesta in San Francisco. It did so well that he sent for his family in the Philippines and gave them a good life in the US. Soon, he opened another branch in San Jose, also in California.
The time came, however, when he decided to bring back his family to the Philippines. Rey had his Barrio Fiesta branch in Pasay Road in Makati.
By the time Heart joined show business, a lot of other Filipino restaurants had opened up — stealing the regular clients of Barrio Fiesta in the process. Heart still lived a good life in the Philippines, but wealth gets depleted — unless the source of money comes from a really deep pocket.
Rey Ongpauco obviously is an honest businessman. But in business, one has to play dirty at times and Rey, clearly, is an honorable person. The Barrio Fiesta chains — even those owned by Rod — started closing shop.
There are still a few Barrio Fiesta branches around, but it has to compete with other restaurants specializing in Filipino fare. There is a new branch of Bakahan at Manukan along P. Guevara in San Juan, though and here’s hoping it succeeds because there’s nothing like the Ongpauco cooking.
The Ongpaucos, of course, still lived well by the time Heart Evangelista began her showbiz career. But her ABS-CBN stint was not that fruitful. The network is not always generous with its new discoveries. But in lieu of substantial fees, its roster of young talents are trained well — until they become well-rounded artists who eventually command huge talent fees once they become major stars.
Although never afraid to face hard work, Heart didn’t have the patience to wait. She moved to GMA in 2008, where her star shone brighter. But her career plateaued. She hit the big time though when she was taken in by Genesis, the managerial company of Angeli Pangilinan. Under Genesis, she was able to command huge endorsement deals, sometimes amounting close to P10 million per product. But how many products can one endorse?
When she hit 30, she decided to settle down and became Mrs. Francis “Chiz” Escudero. By then, she had discovered the power of the internet where she became a social media superstar.
She submerged herself in fashion and developed a huge following. But somewhere along the way, she lost fans who loved her for her simplicity.
Yes, once upon a time, Heart was just a simple girl — Philippine entertainment’s sweetheart. She was known for her kind heart. And that wasn’t put-on. Heart had always been genuinely nice and sweet.
In her fashion vlogs, however, she began to look fierce. She also started looking like some queen being dolled up in her royal chamber. For those who believe in social equality, that left a bad taste in the mouth.
Although she seemed to treat her staff well, that still didn’t look good. Her stylist would be down on her knees dressing her up — like a servant at her beck and call. Her vlogs, especially those shot in Paris, only confirmed that there is no fairness in this world. Heart was the superior one.
Of course, she was providing her people with jobs — complete with perks to travel to Europe. But she was sending the wrong signals, especially to young girls who aspire to be like her.
But not everyone can be as pretty as Heart who won the grand prize in the genetic lottery. Senior stars who knew her family say she looks like her grandma, Sixta Ongpauco. But there are also traces of her mother, Cecile, in her.
Instead of encouraging young people to pursue careers that are more useful to humanity — Medicine, Accountancy, Education, etc. — she wrongly inspired impressionable minds to embrace fashion. While fashion is a huge industry, it can also be shallow. It also teaches materialism.
That became Heart’s world in the last few years. Gone were the fun cooking sessions she had with her parents, especially her father, Rey, who seems to be a jolly man with principles.
When the flood control program scandal erupted, the public began questioning her husband’s principles — or lack of, depending on the outcome of the investigation. Sadly, even Heart’s name is being dragged into this mess.
Given how most Filipinos now detest her, it is hard to imagine how can she sleep soundly at night. Maybe she finds comfort hugging her Hermes bags?
Can she still redeem her good name? Yes — but only if her husband Chiz is able to get off the hook. When that happens — which is possible depending on where the political weather blows next — maybe she should stay away from fashion.
Perhaps Heart can continue with her charity work (which she does quietly) and resume her acting career and painting (she is good at it anyway). Basically, she should go back to her simple self. Take away all the luxurious items that now flood her and what you will see is a woman with a good heart.