Charmaine Clarice Reluci Pempengco, who became lim locally and internationally as singing sensation Charice, has dealing with flak and dirty mu ranging from the personal nonsensical-from the time she discovered by American TV host DeGeneres through YouTube im
The biggest scuttleburt Charice had to deal with in young life, however, focused very sensitive matter: her sem orientation. For almost four ye Charice evaded questions regian her true sexual identity.
She finally put an end t the speculations on June 2, 20 when she granted an interview showbiz talk show The Buzz and admitted that she is a lesbia
It was 2009 when the YES! team last saw Charice Pempengco face to face. At the time, she was basking in the success of her high-profile guest appearances in the US. and her collaborations with internationally renowned musicians.
More than Charice's talent for singing, YES! was struck by her wide-eyed innocence and simplicity, Charice was 17 then-cheery, funny, impressionable, and raring to go. She was a picture of a young girl who couldn't wait to go out into the world and discover what life had in store for her.
Fast-forward to 2013. We find ourselves seated face to face with Charice again, this time inside a cramped, dimly lit bedroom in a bungalow in Barangay Gulod, Cabuyao, Laguna. This time around, her mother, Raquel Pempengco, is nowhere in sight. It's Charice's new business manager, Glenn Aldueza, who joins us and listens in on our conversation.
The bubbly little girl that YES! met and joked around with four years ago isn't there anymore.
That girl now speaks in a slow, careful, and calculated manner. That girl, who wore her hair long and straight, now sports close-cropped hair, with strands of it swept to the front to frame her chubby face. That girl, who wore short skirts, floral prints, and a ballet tutu for the 2009 shoot, now. looks and dresses like a boy, and sports tattoos.
This year's YES! interview happens the day after the airing of Charice's interview on the TV talk show The Buzz, where she had finally put an end to all speculations about her sexual orientation by admitting that she is a lesbian. "Opo, tomboy po ako" were the words that sealed it.
But unlike on TV, where we saw a distressed Charice struggling through her every word and with beads of sweat rolling down her cheeks, we now see a Charice who is more comfortable in her own skin. Without question, she now looks and feels more free.
"Masarap nga tulog ko, as in," she tells us, her mouth forming into a wide smile. "Before kahapon, before ako makatulog, ang dami kong iniisip. Talagang nakaka-stress, napre-pressure ako. Na-feel ko lahat. Kinakabahan, excited. Last night, talagang-alam mo 'yong nakahinga ka nang malalim? Na finally matutulog ka na alam mo na magaan na 'yong pakiramdam mo?"
Still, it is difficult to reconcile the image of Charice in the recent past with the person sitting in front of us now. When did it all begin to change?
The speculations regarding her sexual orientation started going around when Charice came home to the Philippines from Singapore in March 2012. At that time, she was already enjoying success both in the US. and in Asia, and she was here for the Manila leg of her Asian concert tour to promote her latest album, Infinity (Warner Bros. Records).
But at the Marriott Hotel Manila press conference for the concert, it wasn't the concert itself but Charice's new edgy look that caught the media's attention. Her hair, formerly long and straight and black, the way she wore it in all of her appearances in the US. hit TV series Glee, had turned blonde and super-short. The presscon was also the first time she showed the media her new tattoo, on her left arm: the words "Love Eternally," which came with the infinity symbol.
Charice told the media that day that her tatton represented her "love for the people, love for my dad, love for everybody, love for my family."
Later at the presscon, the more upfront members of the media asked point-blank if she is a lesbian. A visibly upset Charice replied, "Why would you ask me that question? I think that's a very inappropriate question. For me, just love me. I'm a person. If you think I'm a boy or a girl or if 1 look like a boy, then fine. I'm Charice."
In a sharper, dismissive tone, she added: "I know what people think... I don't care. This is the look that I want. The only thing that you can do is move on."
Although Charice successfully skirted the "lesbian rumor," the barrage of talk-mostly negative-didn't stop there.
ABOVE In her interview with YES!, Charice says she knew that she was gay since she was five years old.
She hid in the closet and continued with her charade because she felt that was the right thing to do. She also felt that her homosexuality might bring shame. to her family, which was still hard up at the time she realized her gender identity.
So even if it was against her wishes to wear gowns in her concerts and act all girly in front of the camera and her audience, Charice bravely did so anyway because she felt that she was doing it for her mother Raquel, her brother Carl, and her legions of supporters.
Charice, who now laughs at the memory, says she doesn't regret acting girly. She doesn't feel embarrassed by it, either. "I had to do it, pero hindi ko naman po pinagsisihan. Hindi ko po pinagsisihan 'yong lahat ng ginawa ko dahil naging part po 'yon ng life ko. Naging part ng challenges. Inisip ko na lang 'yon as a challenge na kailangan kong gawin."
The Charice in these photos taken for YES! Magazine's November 2009 issue is a far cry from the Charice of today. But the new boyish look and mannerisms in no way diminish her achievements.
At 21, Charice has accomplished many firsts. She's the first home-grown Pinay to be invited to guest in a Korean variety show, StarKing, and in the U.S. talk shows The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show: the first Pinay to share the stage with international singing stars Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Michael Bublé. and Josh Groban; and the first Pinay to guest in the U.S. hit TV series Glee. She's also the first Asian artist to enter the U.S. Billboard Top 10, with the release of her self- titled international album Charice in 2010.
Charice's fans, who go by the name Chasters, were also surprised by their idol's transformation. A Chaster who prefers to remain anonymous tells YESL in an email dated May 23, 2013, that the fans' initial reaction to Charice's new look was "resistance."
"Yan ang naramdaman ng mga Chasters," he writes. "Karamihan man ay nagulat, naligalig, nagtaka, that time okey lang But no Chaster has reacted so much, in fact. Feeling ko, may mga nawala man, mas marami ang dumating. Pero para sa akin, it doesn't matter. Minahal siya ng publiko dahil sa talento niya, sa personalidad na meron siya, hindi lang dahil sa itsura niya."
Looking back, this Chaster also believes that Charice was "just being true to herself" and that her decision to alter her appearance was hers alone.
""Yong Charice na nakita ng publiko, ay ang totoong Charice. Siya na talaga yon, siya na ang nagdedesisyon sa gusto niya. Siguro, kaya din naipakita niya 'yon sa publike, ilang taon din niyang pinasaya ang publiko, ilang taon din ng buhay niya ang ibinigay niya para mag-perform, kaya dapat lang na ibalik sa kanya 'yong kasiyahan na 'yon at kung 'yon man ay tanggapin kung ano siya, kung saan siya magiging masaya, then so be it."
Along with her look, Charice's choice of songs also changed. The "little girl with a big voice" and the "diva in the making" as Oprah Winfrey christened Charice in 2008, used to be known for belting out the power ballads of legendary divas Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion. But Charice seems to have shifted to songs that are associated more with male singers. In her Infinity concert in Manila on March 9, 2012, for instance, she sang U2's "With or Without You," Journey's "Faithfully," Nick Jonas's "One Day," Bruno Mars's "Before It Explodes," and Justin Bieber's "Baby."
It didn't help douse talk when Charice experimented with different hairstyles several times during the June-to-October 2012 run of the reality-TV singing show X Factor Philippines, where she was judge-cum-mentor. At one point, she even had her hair curled and bleached. The hairstyle immediately got ridiculed on social networking sites, with netizens saying it made the young singer look like a plate of pancit canton or like a female version of the comedian Maverick Relova of The Misadventures of Maverick and Ariel fame. Despite all the online roasting, Charice kept her cool and her silence.
It was in December 2012, or some three months after the first season of X Factor Philippines ended, that Charice finally broke her silence. In an episode of The Buzz, she expressed her anguish over the online mockery and attacks: "I think 'yong pinakamasakit, 'yong dyina-judge ako ng mga tao na hindi naman ako kilala. Pati 'yong mga tao na kilala na nga ako, dyina-judge pa ako. Kasi, para po sa akin, parang "Hoy, kilala n'yo naman ako, el Hindi naman porke't nagpalit ako ng buhok, di naman porke't may tattoo ako sa katawan ko, e iba na ako. Di naman ganoon 'yon."
A week later, Charice appeared on the morning talk show Kris TV. The often-evasive Charice surprised viewers, and even the show's host Kris Aquino herself, when she said that she was in love: "Ano po-oh, my God-when I'm in love like this, I get crazy."
Without revealing the identity of her beloved, Charice addressed this special, special someone on national television: "I just want to thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for loving me for who I am, for loving me. Alam ko na kahit hindi ganito ang status ko, you still love me. This is the last time I will fall in love."
Charice would make showbiz headlines again some three months later.
In April 2013, photos of a more boyish-looking Charice were uploaded on her Instagram account @officialcharice), which at this writing has more than 60,000 followers. In the controversial photos, which were instantly picked up by media and uploaded on Facebook by bloggers and netizens, Charice was wearing a printed black shirt and a white wristwatch. She had her hand on her nape, and her head was angled to one side and extended toward the camera. Her hair, which was back to its riginal black, was shorter than before.
LEFT Charice and her mom Raquel sang together in happier times. Rumors of a widening gap between them began circulating in social networking sites and in the media at about the same time that photos of the short-haired Charice were going viral.
Raquel and Charice were once an inseparable mother daughter tandem. Charice's Ninong Robert Ybera attests that Raquel and Charice had always been "magkakampi."
"Super," says Robert, who has known the Pempengcos since they moved in 2001 to Barangay Gulod in Cabuyao, Laguna. "Ang tingin ko nga no'ng time na 'yon, no'ng hindi pa nagkakaganyan si Charice, talagang hindi sila puwedeng paghiwalayin ng ano o sino man. As in, solid talaga."
BELOW Charice's mom Raquel (center) and brother Carl (left) apparently knew about the 21-year-old singer's sexual preference. In her sit-down interview with YES! on June 3, 2013, Charice herself says that she had opened up to her mother when she was 18.
Raquel apparently couldn't bring herself to accept her daughter's "coming out." But according to Charice's Ninong Robert, while Raquel doesn't hide her dismay over Charice's new lifestyle, she is wont to ignore the issue because she fears that confronting it may further damage her already shaky relationship with her unica hija. "Ganyan naman sila kapag may problema, "says Robert. "Nagbibiruan, picture-picture, hindi na nila pinag-uusapan 'yong problema. Yon ang pakiramdam ko no'n pa. Pero andoon pa rin 'yong problema."
Charice's sexual orientation, it would seem, has always been the elephant in the room, the one big thing that everyone in the family will not talk about. As Ninong Robert puts it: "Pag magkakasama sila, 'yon, masaya yon. "Saan tayo gigimik? Saan tayo pupunta?" "Yong gano'n. Siyempre ine-expect ko naman, pagdating sa bahay, nag-uusap sila. Pero wala, e.
Netizens noted two things: she had put on some weight, and her hair made her look like Daniel Padilla.
In an April 21 posting on the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph, YES! Magazine's online affiliate), writer Ruel J. Mendoza reported that Charice's mom Raquel was disappointed with her daughter's new look: "Ikinagalit nga raw ito ng ina ni Charice, pero wala na raw [siyang magawa dahil ito raw ang kagustuhan ng kanyang anak."
A week later, another photo would place the young singer in hot water again. This time, Charice was posing with another girl, whom many netizens believed to be her girlfriend. As in the previous Instagram photo that had gone viral, Charice in this second photo looked manly. She was wearing a green polo shirt and black pants.
Nothing was unusual about the photo- except that, as some bloggers and Instagram users observed, there seemed to be an unmistakable closeness between Charice and the girl.
Turned out, the mystery girl in the photo was just one of Charice's closest friends. Her name? Sharmaine Marie Lagitao.
On April 28, Bum Tenorio Jr., Charice's ninong and confidant, posted this on his Twitter account (@bum tenorio): "And for the record, the girl' d tabloids link to Charice today is actually the girlfriend of my nephew @okkintenorio. All is like LOL. Haha."
Bum, who would later play a significant role in Charice's coming-out story, further clarified the issue on Twitter: "My nephew and Charice are close because @okkintenorio is the brother of Nikka, Cha's first-ever best friend who passed away in 2007,"
Without Charice's side of the story, everything surrounding the singer's supposed identity crisis would have remained hearsay on social networking sites. It was only when Charice's mother Raquel granted an interview to abs-cbnnews.com that things became clearer.
In the news website's May 10 report, Mommy Raquel said that she was giving her daughter permission to reveal her true identity: "Ang sinasabi ng puso ko at isip ko bilang ina ay hayaan ko siyang ilantad kung ano ang tunay na katauhan niya.
Kung ano ang gusto niya, dahil doon siya magiging maligaya." Raquel added: "Nirerespeto ko kung ano ang gusto niyang sabihin sa publiko, dahil doon siya magiging masaya at malaya na hindi niya nahanap sa aming pamilya."
The report put a sharper focus on two things: that there was indeed a rift between Charice and Mommy Raquel; and that the young singer had already left the family home in Tagaytay.
Mommy Raquel's loaded statement substantiated an earlier statement made by Charice's maternal grandmother, Tess Relucio. On Ang Latest, TV5's showbiz talk show, Lola Tess said of Charice: "Aba, e, gusto kong umiyak. Masakit... gumuguhit... nahihiya rin ako. Hindi ko pinagmamakahiya ang pagkatao ng anak ko, ng apo ko. Ang nahihiya alo, doon sa bakit nagkaganyan siya? Ibalik niya lang ang dati."
What happened next triggered a flurry of events.
On May 11, 2013, Ang Latest: Updated came up with a two-part report titled "Charice: The Untold Shocker." Two persons, who claimed that they were close to Charice, spoke up to shed light on another burning issue: Did Charice elope with Alyssa Quijano?
MEJA
ABOVE Charice's younger brother Carl (not in photo), has only one wish these days: that his Ate Charice would treat them like family again.
"Katulad no'ng sinasabi ni Mommy, nandito lang kami. Siyempre, kahit ano'ng gawin mong ikot sa sarili mong mundo, ang pamilya mo, iisa lang yan, e. Kasi, tinray ko na 'yan noon, e. Nagrebelde ako, sinubukan kong ialis sa buhay ko 'yong nanay ko. Pero mali ako. Talagang kahit ano'ng gawin mo, kahit gaano ka ka-successful, merong spot sa buhay mo na hindi kayang tugunan ng ibang tao... na pamilya mo lang, nanay mo lang, parents mo lang, kapatid mo lang, yong totoong dugo mo lang, ang kayang magpuno.
One of the TV show's sources, who hid behind the name "Mike," claimed that Charice bad at that point already left the family home in Tagaytay and that she was staying with a girl named Alyssa Quijano in Cabuyao, Laguna. Alyssa was part of the all-female singing group A.K.A. JAM, which was among the finalists in the first season of X Factor Philippines, where Charice was judge and mentor.
This "Mike" made several other assertions on Ang Latest: Updated:
That Charice was planning to buy a car and a house in an exclusive subdivision in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, where she and Alyssa could live together: "Yong huling huling nakarating sa akin, nagbiro daw at planong bumili ng bahay at kotse, kailan lang siguro... wala pang one week. Ang nag-confirm sa akin, 'yong taga-mismong- opisina, na nakita niya si Charice do'n. Nagulat nga ako, e, kaya 'tinawag ko kay Raquel."
That on May 8, 2013, a certain "Liza," who eclaimed to be Alyssa's mother, contacted him through SMS and asked for his help in finding her daughter, whom she suspected of being with Charice at the time: "Kukunin niya raw anak niya at may kasama raw siyang NBI [National Bureau of Investigation)... Sabi ko, 'Hindi ako makakasama diyan, kasi 'yong pupuntahan natin e relatives ko 'yan, hindi iba sa akin 'yon. Ayokong madamay sa gulo... Ituturo ko na lang sa inyo kung nasaan 'yong bahay."
That this "Liza" notified him on that same day (May 8, 2013) that she was able to bring Alyssa home.
This "Mike," as YES! would find out later, was actually Robert Ybera, one of Charice's godfathers.
In a PEP.ph posting on May 19, Robert gave a more detailed recollection of the controversial May 8 and 9 "tanan" incidents:
"Nag-text sa akin 'yong Mommy niya [Alyssa]. f Binigay daw ni Raquel 'yong number ko... Nasa ano pa sila no'n, sa main highway pa raw...
"E, hindi naman iba sa akin 'yong pinupuntahan ni Charice, tumatambay, at ano, kasama si Alyssa dun.
"Sabi ko, 'Kung ganitong oras kayo pupunta, medyo madilim na, past seven [p.m.] ano na 'yon, magbabaan na 'yon do'n. Ituturo ko na lang 'yong bahay. Huwag na kayong dumaan sa amin. Kasi, pag pumunta kayo sa amin, may mga kasama ako dito na ibang tao. E, mamaya, baka makilala kayo, may makakakilala sa inyo, mabubulabog lang 'yon.' R, dumaan pa rin sa amin. Ang sabi ko, "Bilisan n'yo na at pumunta na kayo do'n, baka may makapagtimbre na darating kayo!
"Sabi niya [Liza), "Malayo naman mga sasakyan namin, medyo do'n ko pinaparada, naglakad na lang kami papunta sa 'yo, sa inyo, sabi sa aking gano'n,
"Sabi ko, "Bilisan n'yo na, marami ditong puwedeng magsabi do'n [kina Charice). Bilisan n'yo para...
"Ayun, naglakad na papunta do'n, kasama ang isang NBI. At 'yong ibang NBI, nasa sasakyan na, sumusunod lang....
"Tinuro ko 'yong bahay na tinatambayan nila." In the same PEP posting, Robert said that, four days after Liza told him that she was able to bring her daughter home, Liza contacted him again. This was on May 12, the eve of the national elections. Liza informed Robert that Alyssa had managed to sneak out of their home again.
Robert picked up the story from here: "Alas dos na ito ng madaling araw... Medyo puyat pa kami no'n, kasi may kandidato kaming dinadala... Tumawag nga sa akin 'yong mommy niya at sabing, 'Kuva, si Alyssa, pinatulog lang kami, nawala na rito. Pero may nagsabi sa labas na meron daw kumuha na kulay gray na kotse."
"Sabi ko, 'Ano'ng plate number?" Kasi, kabisado ko ang mga plate number na puwede niyang puntahan at puwede niyang ano... Meron akong dalawang suspetsa na kulay gray, pero dapat masabi sa akin ang plate number.
"E, di, wala siyang maibigay na plate number. Naka, mahirap magbintang
"Pero kinabukasan, election, may nakakita daw sa kanya [Charice] sa harapan ng bahay namin... May nagsabi sa akin. Tinanong ko kung may kasamang ano, ibang mukha. Meron daw, kaaya lang hindi niya ma-confirm kung sino yon, e.
BELOW In the November 2009 YES! feature on Charice's Tagaytay home, we included a timeline of the young star's phenomenal rise to fame, her milestones. and her fateful encounters with big Hollywood personalities: from America's most influential television hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey to Charice's very own heroes, pop divas Celine Dion and Mariah Carey.
Kaya, hindi 'ko sigurado kung si Alyssa 'yon."
While the public waited to know whether or not Charice's "mystery girl" was Alyssa, another rumor started to spread: that Charice was reportedly losing millions of money fast, and that she was spending it on Alyssa,
The "milyon-milyon" allegation actually came from Charice's Lola Tess. Or in Tess's words: "Nagwi-withdraw daw si Charice halos isang milyon araw-araw."
Still according to the May 19 PEP posting, Robert told PEP in a phone call that he had heard about the "milyon-milyon" rumor from Raquel.
"Si Charice, marami siyang pera sa Amerika. Kaya nga, ewan ko lang naalala mo 'yong nag-withdraw, one million a day? Siguro nakuwento sa akin ni ano [Raquel 'yan mga one week na. Naalerto kami, el
"Sabi ko, 'Raquel, hindi na biro 'yan. Baka bukas-makalawa, wala na kayong pera.
"Sabi, e, E, bahala siya, kanya naman 'yan, e' [Sabi ko], "E, ano, kailangan mo ring ano 'yan, rendahan.""
Like the issues that came before it, that money issue was never really settled. From then on, the rumor mills just kept churning
Things suddenly took a complicated turn on May 20. Raquel told PEP in an email interview that she and Charice were fine and that there was no rift between them: "Hindi kami nag-aaway at walang pag-aaway na naganap. She texted me na she wanted to be with her friends and she's coming back again."
LEFT & ABOVE Charice and her brother Carl-here with their Mommy Raquel-went through the Catholic rites of baptism and confirmation on May 22, 2010, at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Pasig City. Charice was already 18 at the time. Bishop Francisco San Diego officiated at the ceremony, which was attended by Charice's 23 pairs of godparents, including Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda.
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who had Charice for a guest on her show in May 2008, and David Foster, who has worked with Charice on a number of projects. including her first international self-titled album, were also Charice's godparents. They were unable to attend the ceremonies.
Charice celebrated her 18th birthday with a party for 500 poor children. She gave away gifts and sang an a cappella version of her then new release, "Pyramid." Charice said of her double celebration: "Ang dami-dami ko na pong blessings."
Raquel emphasized that whatever was happening to her family was just a simple misunderstanding: "Siyempre, dumarating sa atin na nagkakaedad na tayo at nagkakaisip. Minsan merong oras na magkasalungat ang paniniwala namin, Hindi tayo matututo kung hindi natin pagdaraanan yong mga gusto nating daarsan-tama man o mali ito."
Even if the earlier reports strongly suggested that Charice was gay, Raquel chose to say nothing about her daughter's sexuality. "Hindi ko masasagot 'yan. Siya lang ang makakakumpirma kung ano talaga ang tunay niya na nararamdaman."
Raquel refused to comment on the rumor that Charice was withdrawing millions of pesos from her bank account every day. "Walang basehan para paniwalaan... Kahit ako, di ko dapat ipangalandakan 'yan, dahil wala akong hawak na pruweba."
Towards the end of her email, Raquel stressed that she would always be there for her daughter. "As a mother, I'm always here. Whatever happens, maghihintay ako. Alam ko babalik siya at paghahandaan ko ang pagbabalik niva nang dalawang kamay, dahil anak ko siya.... Nandito lang kami ng kapatid niyang si Carl, naghihintay sa pagbabalik niya. Basta tandaan ni Charice, blood is thicker than water. Whatever happens, family is always there."
On May 28, 2013, or some three weeks after the supposed "tanan" of Charice and Alyssa, Bum D. Tenorio Jr. came out with an article in
The Philippine Star, suggestively titled "You're the Man, Charice!"
Bum, who's also one of Charice's ninongs, served as emcee at Charice's 21st-birthday celebration at a pool resort in Calamba, Laguna. In his article, he wrote that Charice-who had not experienced a debut when she turned 18-had intimated to him that the party was a ""coming out of sorts."
He also reported that Charice, who gave a mini-concert for her 67 guests that night, told him that she felt "free as a bird," which was short of saying that she was finally out of the closet.
That Philippine Star report confirmed several things that Charice herself never got around to addressing in the media before: that her finances were "still very very good"; that her voice "remains the same"; and that she's still in contact with Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey,
In a phone interview with YES! on May 30, Bum says that there is no need for Charice to put into words what the public has been dying to hear her say. He explains: "I gave it away already, but there was no direct quote from Charice. Walang ganyan. Sabi ko nga, it was a coming out of sorts. Pero kahit walang direct admission, 'yong mga quotes niya, quotes ng tivoli!"
(Tivoli, in gayspeak, is a lesbian.)
BELOW Robert Ybera-seen here with the Pempengcos during their many travels and commitments abroad-has been a close friend of the family since Charice's amateur singing contest days. Robert, a neighbor of the P Pempengcos in Gulod, tells YES! that back in 2002, when he was able to buy a Toyota HiAce van with his father's money, he played driver to Raquel and Charice.
"Tulong ko na iyon sa kanila, "he recalls. "Pagka yong sumasali siya sa singing contest, O, sa'n kayo? Kasi medyo ka-vibes ko na. O, sige punta ko diyan, Batangas. "Napupuntahan ko, kasi uuwi sila kinabukasan pa. Wala silang masakyan, kaya sinusundo ko sila. Minsan, nagiging service ako. E. magkano lang naman ang premyo nila, five thousand, so kumbaga, tulong ko na sa kanila 'yon.
"Minsan, bibigyan ako ng five hundred, panggasolina 'yon, pag nananalo, Pero pag wala, bakit ko pa sisingilan? Pero no'ng merong nagbabayad na sa kanila-halimbawa nagge-guest si Charice-medyo malaki-laki ang nabibigay."
Bum, who saw Charice grow up in Barangay Gulod, adds that the singer's physical transformation is far from being a form of rebellion: "I don't label it rebellion because she's just expressing herself. Sabi niya sa akin, "Bakit no'ng bata naman ako, hindi naman ako tinatawag na rebelde? Kasi ang gusto ko no'n, hahawak ako ng Chucky doll ko, hahawak ako ng baril-barilan. So, may point nga naman, it's not rebellion."
(Chucky is the murderous talking doll in a horror movie franchise. The sixth and latest installment, Curse of Chucky, is scheduled for release in time for Halloween this year.)
In the same phone interview with YES!, Bum takes the chance to address netizens and bashers who keep painting an ugly picture of Charice on social networking sites. "She doesn't drink beer, she doesn't drink alcoholic beverages, she doesn't do drugs, she doesn't smoke. Pag nagso-smoke ako, lumalayo ako, kasi allergic 'yong bata sa usok. That's why, di ba, wala namang issue sa kanya na umiinom siya o nagda-drugs siya? Because she really doesn't do all those things, kasi allergic siya sa malt, allergic siya sa smoke."
The big revelation came five days after the much-talked-about Philippine Star article. In the June 2 episode of The Buzz, Charice proudly told host Boy Abunda, "Opo, tomboy po ako."
Speaking slowly and softly, Charice pointed out that there was nothing wrong with being gay: "Hindi ko po alam kung ano ang problema no'n. Kasi, para po sa akin, wala pong problema 'yon. Ngayon, gusto ko pong humingi ng patawad sa mga hindi po nakaintindi, sa mga hindi po ako matatanggap Sorry po. Naiintindihan ko po kayo. Pero sa lahat ng makakatanggap, matatanggap po ako, maraming-maraming salamat po."
With tears running down her cheeks, Charice continued:
"Pero sa ginagawa kong ito, gusto ko lang na sabihin sa inyo na ang gaan ng pakiramdam ngayon. Na makakalabas ako ng bahay na wala akong itatago, na wala akong masasagasaang tao! Dahil wala akong tinatago!
"Sorry, Momity, Carl, pero ito ako. Proud ako sa sarili ko, mahal ko ang sarili ko, kaya ko po ginagawa ito. Sa mga fans ko, alam ko na marami
sa inyo na disappointed. Alam ko nga, ilan sa inyo, siguro tatalikuran na ako, Sorry. Alam n'yo na sincere akong tao. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry. Naiintindihan ko."
Charice also confirmed what her mommy Raquel had denied earlier.
"Opo, nag-away kami ni Mommy. Kallangan ko po siyang intindihin, kasi kung nasaktan niya man po ako, alam ko pong mas nasaktan siya bilang isang ina,
"Ngayon po, hindi po kami yong magkaaway. Kumbaga, nasa stage pa rin po kami kung saan tina-try namin pareho na intindihin 'yong isa't isa! Pero I have to give her credit na talagang tina-try po niya na intindihin 'yong sitwasyon. Kaya po sinasabi ko po na, opo, nagkaaway po kami, pero normal lang po 'yon."
Charice's The Buzz confessional was also the first time she was able to talk about Alyssa Quijano (who, YES! would later learn, was behind the scenes during Charice's interview with Boy Abunda), With a bit of hesitation, Charice said of Alyssa:
BELOW Charice's physical transformation went through stages. The first time the public saw her new look was during the press conference-held at the Marriott Hotel Manila on March 9, 2012-for the Manila leg of her Infinity concert tour.
She had sported long black locks in all her appearances on Glee and on the cover of the January 2012 issue of Preview fashion magazine. But at the Marriott presscon, she showed up with short, layered hair that had been dyed blonde. That was also the first time the public saw her newest accessory: a tattoo on her left forearm. She got the tattoo in Singapore a few weeks before coming home to Manila.
Asked by the media why she had such a drastic makeover, Charice replied: "This is such a huge step for me, and I love it. This is me. This is who I am. I just don't want to stay a person that I don't like... I've been thinking about it for years and years. This is a dream come true for me."
As for the meaning of the tattoo, she said that it was for her loved ones: "The tattoo says 'Love Eternally.' and it has an infinity sign. It's for my love for the people, love for my dad, love for everybody, love for my family."
During the concert itself at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, Charice revealed that her short blonde hair was inspired by one of the characters in the popular video game Final Fantasy.
At left are three Charice photos that went viral on the Net in April 2013. Netizens note that Charice-with her super-short hair, sideburns, and sideswept bangs-looks like Daniel Padilla, who happens to be sporting the same hairstyle.
ADOVE These are the photos of Alyssa Quijano, the girl whom Charice allegedly left her family home for. Alyssa is part of an all-female singing group called A.K.A. JAM, one of the finalists of the talent search X-Factor Philippines, where Charice was a judge-cum-mentor. Alyssa's showbiz career will soon be managed by Manila Genesis Entertainment & Management Inc., which is run by Gary Valenciano's wife. Angeli Pangilinan.
Charice has said in previous interviews that, even before X-Factor Philippines, she and Alyssa had already met, having competed as rivals in amateur singing contests. In her June 3 interview with YES!, Charice also says that she and Alyssa have been living in the same house in Cabuyao for a month.
Charice has had three previous lesbian relationships before Courtney Blooding, her former manager turned lover. Alyssa is her fifth.
"Matagal na po kaming magkakilala. Nagkakilala kami, nine years old siya, ten ako. Sa mga singing contests po, nagkakalaban kami lagi. And then, nagkita po kami uli sa X Factor.
"Pero ang masasabi ko lang po, siya sa buhay ko... she's an inspiration. Isa po siya sa pinagkukunan ko po ng lakas ngayon. She's a very special person."
Boy Abunda then asked Charice point-blank if she's in love with Alyssa, to which a grinning Charice replied: "Sana mabuksan n'yo 'yong puso ko para makita n'yo 'yong sagot!"
The TV host tried to squeeze a definite answer out of the singer: "Kung bubuksan ko 'yong puso mo, is it a yes or a no?"
Charice just responded, "Malakas po ang tibok"
The morning after the Buzz airing, Charice finally sits down with YES! for an exclusive interview to tell her real and complete story, and to give certain details that she failed to bring out in the TV interview,
Seated on a bed inside a small bedroom.
INSTAGRAMA NOEL ORSAL
Charice reveals to YES! that she already knew, at age five, that she was gay.
"Five years old pa lang ako, alam ko na. Five years old pa lang. Alam mo, ayan 'yong nakalimutan kong sabihin kahapon sa The Buzz). Kasi, siyempre, baka iniisip ng ibang tao na, ano ba 'yon, is it something na naging choice lang? Na nag-decide ako na gano'n na lang? Gusto kong sabihin nga na, 'yon nga, it's not something na nag-decide ako, na kahapon lang na na-realize ko na gano'n, di ba?"
Charice believes that her mother Raquel should have had an inkling about her homosexual tendencies back then, because she was not the type of girl who liked playing with dolls. Mommy Raquel just didn't entertain the idea.
"Siguro, ano, feeling ko naman, nagka-idea naman sila Mommy," Charice recalls. "Siguro, hindi lang niya in-entertain. Kasi, no'ng bata talaga ako,
BELOW Charice-here with (L-R) her new business manager Glenn Aldueza and friends Nikko Tenorio, Jomm Alcabasa, and Jeron Geneciran-held her 21st- birthday party at Cool Breeze, a pool resort in Calamba City.
She entertained 67 guests, composed mostly of her childhood friends from Gulod, by singing covers of some international chart-toppers like Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love," Bruno Mars's "Locked Out of Heaven." Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger," and Pink's "Just Give Me a Reason." She also gave slower renditions of local songs "Hinahanap-Hanap Kita" "Ako'y sa Yo at Ika'y Akin, "and "Nasa lyo Na ang Lahat," as well as her first international hit song, "Pyramid."
ABOVE & RIGHT Charice's 21st-birthday party was the singer's "coming out of sorts," in the words of Philippine Star columnist Bum Tenorio, who also stood as one of Charice's godfathers when she was baptized at the age of 18.
"Instead of wearing a pink gown as she walked down the spiral staircase," Bum wrote, Charice "wore a pair of black pants, a pink long-sleeved shirt with a fuchsia bow tie on the night of her celebration. Instead of long locks stubbornly gathered in a bun, she wore a short do that was slightly licked with hair wax; the emphasis was given on her sideburns."
The getup and the look were clearly a statement on who she is.
In a May 30 phone interview with YES!, Bum, who served as the party's emcee, recalls that Charice had three costume changes that night. He narrates a funny exchange between him and Charice when he was helping his inaanak fix herself up for her mini-concert:
"Actually, sabi ko nga no'ng inaayos ko 'yong suspenders niya, sabi ko, Nakakatuwa ka, 'no? Hindi ka naka-pink-gown, hindi ka naka-stilettos, pero naka- Sperry-Topsiders ka. Hindi rin nakalugay 'yong buhok mo. Hindi rin naka-boknay, katulad ng mga nagde-debut. pero put ka nang put ng wax. Sabi ko, 'Sige, padilaan mo pa sa wax yang buhok mo. Maldita kang bata ka. O. yang sidebums mo, mag-Daniel-Padilla ka, wala akong panahon sa 'yo. Sabi niya, 'Hayaan n'yo na ako."
hindi ako mahilig sa mga Barbie dolls. Hindi ako mahilig sa Barbie. Kalaro ko, kapatid ko-yong robot-robot, mga ganyan-ganyan."
But like all growing kids dealing with such a personal crisis, Charice chose to hide her identity for many years. "Takot ako noon pag nalaman," she admits. "So talagang napilitan ako na itago. Pero ang hirap. Mahirap, as in, para kang nakipaglaban sa walang lumalaban."
The child Charice, who saw herself as different from the other kids, wanted desperately to belong and to be accepted by her peers and by other people. That is why, up to the time she became a celebrity, she still had this notion that the only way she could get the approval of others was to behave in the way society expected her to.
"Mas mahirap po, siyempre," she says. "Bale, kung hindi lang siyempre sa ibang tao po, ang iisipin mo muna siyempre 'yong family, yong mga kaibigan. Eto po kasi, kahit 'yong mga taong hindi ko kilala, parang feeling ko, concerned pa rin ako, na parang gusto ko pa ring sakupin 'yong mga taong "yon na "Tanggapin n'yo ako."
Charice confides to YES! that she already came out to her mom when she was 18. At the time, in the year 2010, Charice was still living in the U.S., due to some commitments. So she chose to break the news to her mom in an email, because she didn't quite know how her mom would take it. Charice thought that if she wrote down her confession, there would be no confrontations and less drama.
"Ang hirap kasi, parang sinakto ko na malayo ako," Charice says, referring to her decision to stay in the States in 2010. "Siyempre, takot naman ako kay Mama. Oo, takot ako kay Mama. Baka maipit ako, kaya nag-stay muna ako sa States. I gave her time."
Charice thought that her email solved her "problem." So she carried on with her life in the U.S., pretending that everything between her and her mother was fine. What she did not expect was that her decision to not directly talk to her mom about her homosexuality would create a bigger problem for the two of them in the future.
Sources close to Charice tell YES! that the gifted singer evaded the issue for about a year.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NICE PRINT PHOTOGRAPHY
Robert Ybera, for one, says in his interview. with YES! that Charice was "nagloloko na" at the time: "Hindi umuuwi, ni hindi nagpaparamdam sa mommy niya. Mga 2010 nga 'yon. Basta 'yong time na 'yon, dapat may Christmas presentation na hindi natuloy sa Channel 7, ginawang Valentine's Day ano."
Robert is referring to Charice's One for the Heart concert, which took place on February 11, 2011. That, Robert recalls, was supposed to be a Christmas special concert that should have been presented in December of 2010.
Charice did in fact go home several times in 2010 and 2011. There are no reports, however, that confirm if mother and daughter got to sit down and talk about Charice's homosexuality.
Robert Ybera is not so sure, either. What he is sure of is that Charice's sexuality became a delicate topic that Raquel would rather not talk about. "Wala, walang nangyayaring resolba sa problema. Ewan ko lang kung ako'y wala at sila ay nag-uusap. Pero pag tinatanong ko sila, O, ano, kayo ba'y nag-usap na mag-ina?-hindi pa daw."
The on-and-off relationship between Raquel and Charice would drag on well into 2012. It was a perplexing relationship, even to those who were privy to the affairs of the Pempengcos. "Sala sa init, sala sa lamig," as Charice herself puts it at one point during her interview with YES!
In January of 2012, about the same time her Preview magazine cover came out, Charice threw a lavish 40th-birthday celebration for her mother, complete with an "18 Roses" dance more commonly practiced for 18th-birthday debut parties.
In an interview on the GMA radio-TV talk show Startalk TX (reported on PEP.ph, January 21, 2012), Charice said that the party was a form of thank-you to her mom: "Siyempre, alam ko naman na no'ng eighteenth birthday niya noon, hindi naman po niya na-experience 'yong mga ganito, so sabi ko gusto ko na ma-experience niya ito ngayon. I mean, for me, kulang pa ito sa lahat ng pasasalamat ko for her."
The way Charice said those words, the media and the viewers thought that things between mother and daughter were fine and dandy once more.
After Raquel's 40th-birthday celebration, Charice flew back to the U.S. and stayed there for two months, before coming home to Manila again for her Infinity concert tour. It was at this time that Charice made the life-changing decision to cut her hair short and dye it blonde.
LEFT This is Charice's silver BMW sedan, which she named "Captain." Charice, who learned how to drive from Robert Ybera, says that she purchased this car last May, using money from one of her U.S. bank accounts.
Charice reveals to YES! that getting money from her U.S. account is a "complicated" process. Before she can withdraw money, she has to explain to her management agency why she needs the money and where she will be taking it. "Kailangan ko po talagang ipaalam sa kanila [U.S. management] kung ano yong gagawin ko. Hindi puwede 'yong bigla-bigla lang... Sinabi ko naman po sa kanila na wala akong sasakyan dito, ganyan. Kailangan din, valid 'yong reason mo, e. Hindi puwedeng basta-basta.
BELOW Charice says she has nine tattoos in all, and shows YES! a number of them. All her tattoos have meaning, she points out: "Hindi po ako naglalagay nang basta-basta para ano lang. Lahat, may meaning talaga. Ako rin umiisip ng font, ganyan."
On her left shoulder, Charice has a rose tattoo (not in photo), which she dedicates to her slain father, Ricky Pempengco. She says that her father had a similar symbol on his right shoulder.
Of all the tattoos inked on her body, the one just above her chest, which reads, "Let's start with forever." was the most painful. This now-famous phrase was taken from the American hit movie The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. The complete phrase from the movie goes, "No measure of time with you will be long enough, but let's start with forever."
Charice tells YES! that she dedicates this tattoo to Alyssa Quijano, whom she considers "kapatid ko na nagbibigay ng advice sa 'kin, best friend ko."
She got to the point where she "took a break from Twitter" because she was reading a lot of nasty tweets against her.
"Nakahiga, 'tapos nag-iisip ako. Hindi ko alam kung ano'ng iniisip ko. Basta nakatulala lang ako, 'tapos bigla lang akong tumayo, 'tapos sabi ko papagupit ako. 'Yon lang. Ang haba-haba ng buhok ko no'n. Biglang sabi ko, mapapagupit ako. Parang do'n, parang do'n nag-explode na 'ko, na parang eto na 'yon."
PHOTOS ANNA PINGOL & GABBY LIBARIOS
Charice particularly remembers that, at that point, she already wanted to come out as a lesbian: ""Yong time kasi, kung tutuusin, na talagang gusto ko mag-come-out, gagawin ko dati pa. Alam kong malakas ang loob ko, pero hindi ko ginagawa. Pero that time, na-feel ko na eto na 'to. Sige, dadahan-dahanin ko, kasi siyempre ayoko naman biglaang ano, e."
She did the coming out in stages, experimenting with several hairstyles, colors, and fashion styles. The public saw this metamorphosis on X Factor Philippines. What the public didn't get to see was the personal struggle that Charice was dealing with at that time.
"Umuuwi ako, minsan-minsan. I did X Factor, Pero bumabalik din po ako sa States, kasi, siyempre, medyo uncomfortable pa po ako sa mga reactions, ganyan-ganyan."
Charice doesn't elaborate on what happened during that period, or the months between X Factor Philippines and her controversial Daniel Padilla-lookalike Instagram photos, which would surface online in April 2013. But she does tell YES! that when the year 2013 rolled in, she felt that she didn't have to hide in the closet anymore.
"Ilang buwan na ba ako dito sa Philippines? Dati, umuuwi po ako weeks lang, ganyan. Ngayon, months na. Magti-three-months pa lang. Kasi, parang ngayon, ayan, comfortable na po ako. Kahit medyo may problema po ako sa family, at least nasabi ko sa kanila na personally."
At this stage in the YES! interview, Charice stresses that her coming out on The Buzz was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Before agreeing to do the interview with Boy Abunda, she thought long and hard about the consequences and the people who would get hurt. She knew that not many people would understand her situation.
ABOVE On June 3, 2013, or a day after her confessional on The Buzz, Charice went to Gulod Elementary School, the public school where she had completed Grades 5 and 6. She revisited her Grade 5 classroom. She also showed YES! and the TV crew present where she used to sit.
Classes were ongoing at the time, but the teachers interrupted what they were doing to acknowledge Charice's presence and introduce her to their students. The students, immediately recognizing the "pambato" of Gulod, rushed to have their pictures taken with her. Some took out their notebooks and asked Charice to autograph them.
Charice's visit to Gulod Elementary School was actually her reach-out program, in which she gave away school supplies to more than 100 Grade 1 students and sponsored free haircuts for the boys. The haircuts, it must be said, were timely because June 3 was officially the first day of classes.
Before ending her mini reach-out program, Charice gave this short message to the students: "Gusto ko, uuwi kayo sa tahanan n'yo, 'papakita n'yo 'yong magandang face n'yo, dahil ayan ang isa sa pinakamaganda para sa mga magulang n'yo, okey?" She also told the kids: "Have fun, and mag-aral mabuti, and I love you! Okey? Enjoy-in n'yo na ang pagiging bata n'yo. I love you."
"In the first place po kasi, no'ng na-realize ko pa na gagawin ko 'yon kahapon [The Buzz interview], nag-expect na rin ako na may mga taong hindi makakaintindi at alam ko pong maapektuhan ako. Pero wala akong magagawa, kasi may mga taong gano'n, e."
She has a pained look on her face as she says this. "May mga taong hindi makakaintindi no matter what," she goes on. "Basta ang sa 'kin lang po, sinabi ko po 'yong makakapagpagaan ng loob ko kahapon."
Charice then gives one of the reasons why she has agreed, at the last minute, to this YES! sit-down interview: she wants to let people know that she's now doing okay and that she's happy with her decision to come out.
"Ngayon po, gusto ko lang ipakita sa kanila sa actions ko na okey ako, na masaya ako," says Charice, her tone lighter now. "Kumbaga, ang ipapakita ko na lang po is 'yong something good na gagawin ko naman para sa mga fans ko, ganyan. Kasi, kung papansinin ko pa, kung iisa- isahin ko pa silang sasagutin, babalikan ako nang marami..."
Charice hastens to add that her coming out is not a form of rebellion, although she completely understands why people, especially her fans, see it as such.
"Kumbaga, naninibago lang. Naninibago lang po 'yong ibang tao, kasi hindi ito 'yong napakita ko noon. Siyempre, parang ang laki ng transition from this to this, so naiintindihan ko naman po 'yon,"
In her quest for independence and freedom. Charice knows that she has hurt her family, particularly her mom Raquel (see related sidebar on page 68).
"Hindi ko naman aaminin na tanggap niya, e," Charice says of her mom. "Hindi ko naman sinabi kahapon na tanggap niya. Ang sinabi ko lang po is tina-try niya, dahil kahit alam ko naman po na deep inside niya, no matter what, anak niya ako, kailangan niyang tanggapin eventually.
BELOW During her visit to the public school, Charice was accompanied by some of the people closest to her: (L-R) her girlfriend Alyssa Quijano, her talent manager Glenn Aldueza, and her ninong and confidant Bum Tenorio. These are the same persons who were at Charice's side when she made her brave revelation on The Buzz. They are the people that Charice described in the TV interview as the ones who "would take a bullet for me".
Ang role ko po bilang anak niya ngayon ay ipakita sa kanya na masaya ako, na eto 'yong decision ko, 'yon 'yong kailangan ko. Hindi ko po puwedeng ipakita sa karnya na naaapektuhan ako sa mga sinasabi niya sa akin, ganyan. Kasi alam kong normal 'yon sa initial reaction niya.
"Ine-expect ko na abutin pa ng years 'yan- years bago niya matanggap, na talagang sobrang fully accepted. Pero normal lang po 'yon."
So it is true that Raquel threw a fit when Charice told her that she is a lesbian? Charice agrees that "hysterical" is the right word to describe her mom's initial reaction.
"Sobra, sobra po siyempre," Charice reveals. "Siyempre, dumating sa ano, may mga harsh ganyan-ganyan. Pero again, ayun, in-expect ko 'yon, in-expect ko 'yon. "Yong emotion niya, in-expect ko. On and off nga, ganyan ganyan, kasi alam kong deep inside, tina-try niya talagang tanggapin."
Charice is quick to add that, contrary to rumors that came out in April 2013, their "series of confrontations" didn't reach the point where she had to file a blotter report against her mother in a police station in Alfonso, Cavite, just to get away from her mother.
"Wala naman po. Never happened. Sino po naglabas? Ibang tao sila, palalain 'yong isyu para lang talagang sobrang dramatic. No'ng nalaman ko nga 'yon, siyempre nalungkot ako, dahil alam ko na kong ano na lang 'yong iisipin nila kay Mommy."
Charice then clarifies that her mom did not physically hurt her in any of their confrontations. "Pero hindi 'yong sampalan, hindi. As in, usap na. As in, seryoso talagang usap."
Ar the time of the YES! interview, Charice has been away from the family home for a month. She admits that she misses her family very much, particularly her brother Carl, who has remained neutral on the issue. "Siyempre naman, nomi-miss ko naman po-sobrang na-
miss ko 'yong bonding namin. Ako ngayon, nahihilig sa basketball. Iniisip ko minsan, sana si Carl kalaro ko, ganyan."
While she has not given up hope, Charice doesn't think that a reconciliation is going to happen any time soon. She knows that the wounds that the "tomboy" issue has inflicted upon her and her mother Raquel are still fresh. For now, her only way of communicating with her mother is through email correspondence.
"Si Mommy po, minsan nag-i-email, ganyan. Last email sa 'kin ri Mommy, ayan-God Bless You, So naa-apreciate ko na tina-try talaga niya. Tina-try po niya, kasi parang ang laki na ng pagbabago simula no'ng unang nalaman niya kaysa ngayon."
From the time she left her own home in May 2013, Charice has been staying with Alyssa Quijano in a two-story house owned by the family of Glenn Aldueza, Charice's new business manager.
Inside this house, Charice says, she can do whatever she likes. Here, she feels that she will not be judged for her looks and her actions. She made it clear in her The Buzz interview that she owes this family-her "pangalawang pamilya"-a lot.
LEFT These are the people whom Charice now calls her family in Cabuyao, Laguna: (front row, L-R) Rose Autor, Bianca Autor, Jeff Autor, Jeron Geneciran, Nikko Tenorio, Trisha Opiña, and Monet Bariring: (back row) Kheana Matira, Catherine Matira, Aldrin Matiran, Mommy Inah Aldueza, Gabbie Aldueza, Glenn Aldueza, Jomm Alcabasa, RJ Geneciran, Jerlie Geneciran, and Ronnie Geneciran.
Monet Bariring (front row, rightmost) was Charice's yaya. Monet says she has also been the "tagapag-alaga" of the Alcabasa and Aldueza children- all 25 of them: "Sina Glenn, lahat ng bata dito sa isang pamilya, ako halos ang nagpalaki. Biruin mo, ilang taon na si Glenn ngayon, twenty-six? Yong ate niya, thirty na. Hanggang sa mga anak pa nila, ako pa rin."
The yaya tells YES! that, until the rift between Charice and her mom happened, she was actually "super-close" to Raquel: "Best friend ko mommy niyan [Charice]. Para kaming magkapatid. As in, para kaming magkapatid."
Monet fully understands that by choosing to side with Charice in the "tomboy" issue, she has practically severed her ties with Raquel. "Pero hindi ko naman siya masisisi, "Monet says. "Iniintindi ko siya, kasi nanay siya, e, di ba?"
She said in that interview with Boy Abunda: "Sa sitwasyon ko ngayon, Tito Boy, hindi ko ine-expect 'yong... Ang hirap mag-trust! Ang hirap maghanap ng taong gano'n. Pero again, hinayaan ko ang Diyos na bigyan ako ng sign, bigyan ako ng kung sino ang pwedeng tumulong sa akin.
"Nandito sila sa Laguna sina Mommy Inah, sina Daddy George, sina Kuya Glenn. Matagal na po kaming magkakakilala. Bata pa po ako. E, kaya po no'ng pagdating ko na sa bahay no'ng araw na 'yon, na-feel ko po 'yong komportable po talaga ako."
Mommy Inah and Daddy George are Glenn's parents, Inah Alcabasa Aldueza and George Aldueza. Charice tells YES! that she's grateful that the Aldueza and Alcabasa families accepted her wholeheartedly, no questions asked. "Talagang naisip ko, may mga tao na-pag pupuntahan ko sila kasi kakilala ko-tatanggapin nila ako."
Alyssa Quijano, whether Raquel Pempengco likes it or not, is part of that family now. Charice says she's not ashamed to admit that she and Alyssa have something special going on. What Charice chooses to leave out in this interview are the details of their relationship.
LEFT This two-story pink house, which is impossible to miss when you're traversing the main thoroughfare of Barangay Gulod, was home to Charice for a month at around the time of the YES! interview. It's owned by George and Inah Aldueza. Charice calls Inah her "Mommy Inah." She's the same Mommy Inah that the singer thanked during her interview on The Buzz.
In that interview, Charice described the home this way: "...isang bahay [na] puwede akong humiga, na sabihin [kong], "Hay, pagod na ako. Puwede ko lahat gawin, puwede akong magbaliw-baliwan, puwede kong ipakita kung sino si Charice sa harap nila, nang walang manghuhusga.
"Pero ano po ba'ng itatago kung alam na nila? Siyempre, hindi naman kami 'yong sobrang magiging PDA [public display of affection) na, di ba? Kumbaga, 'yong makita lang siya, okey. Kung makuhanan siya ng camera, it's just that 'yon 'yong proof na andivan lang siya para sa akin, na andiyan siya lagi."
Alyssa's family, Charice says, is aware of their relationship. Charice also assures YES! that Alyssa can go home any time she pleases, and that Alyssa has kept her communication lines with her family open.
"Alam po nila, siyempre. Puwedeng-puwede siyang umuwi, opo naman... Nagkakausap sila ng mommy niya, parang minsan sa email. Parang siya rin po, pag nagkakausap sila, tinatawagan niya."
Charice explains that Alyssa has decided to stay with her for the time being because the "tanan" issue is still hot. Charice also confirms the rumor that she's scouting around for a new house in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. She says that buying a house is really in her plans.
ABOVE During the YES! visit, Alyssa Quijano agrees to sit beside Charice and chat with us. "She's like my everything." Charice says about Alyssa. For her part, Alyssa says that she and Charice have a lot of things in common: "Marami, e... Lahat ng bagay, magkasundo kami."
Throughout the chat, Charice blushes and grins. She picks up a throw pillow and buries her face in it. Then, like a silly schoolgirl, she peers from behind the throw pillow to look at Alyssa and the people around her.
""Wag kasi ganyan, madali akong mamula," Charice says when we ask her to tell us more about Alyssa. ""Yan tuloy! May automatic blush-on ako, e."
"Eventually po siguro, bibili po ako. Pero ngayon po kasi, permananent resident po ako sa U.S. May green card na po ako. Pero siyempre po, maganda rin po sa akin na meron po doon, meron din po dito."
But Charice just laughs off the rumor about her wanton spending.
"Bale ano ako, presidente?" she replies. For the first time in our two-hour interview, Charice laughs out loud.
LEFT & RIGHT Before this interview, Charice and Alyssa had never been photographed together by the media. "Siyempre, meron naman pong may part na, siyempre, hindi naman kailangan na makunan, "Charice says.
What she loves about Alyssa, Charice reveals, is that Alyssa has always been there for her: "Naandiyan siya lagi, and tulad nga ng sabi ko kanina, talagang very, very supportive talaga siya.
Charice also says that she and Alyssa may work on a project together: "Kung papayag siya, e. Opo, siguro po. Depende rin. Depende."
"Ang masasabi ko lang po, may pera, pero hindi ako 'yong sobrang mayaman na tao. Kahit papaano, ang hirap pa ring pulutin ng pera. Kailangan mong kumayod. Kailangan mong magtrabaho mismo nang sobra. Hindi basta-basta napupulot 'yong pera, kaya nao-offend ako pag sinasabi nilang araw- araw nagwi-withdraw ako ng isang milyon. Naku! Oo, kung importante, kung halimbawa po ay may kailangang ano. Pero hindi kailangang ganyan. Sobra naman 'yon."
No doubt about it, Charice's coming out has turned her world upside down. But the beautiful thing about the whole issue is that it it seems to have made Charice realize many things. She has realized, for one thing, that happiness is a choice.
Speaking much livelier this time, she tells us that coming out of the closet is not as bad as she thought it would be. Yes, it created a rift between her and her family. Yes, she lost some fans in the process. But Charice believes in her heart that this is just temporary, that sooner or later all the grudges and biases will be forgotten, all the anger and insults will be cast aside, broken relationships will be whole again, and estranged family members will one day wake up and realize that it is time to move on and put the dark past behind them.
"So far po, masaya ako sa mga nakikita ko," Charice says with a smile. "Masaya ako sa mga naririnig ko. May mga iba na medyo tumatagilid, pero mas marami po akong nakikita na mas maraming nagmamahal. At sana, 'yon 'yong makita nila-na sa ibang tao, okey na okey.
"Okey na okey lang ako. At sana, 'yon na lang yong i-consider nila na part. Hindi na 'yong ibang medyo sarado pa 'yong isip."
PHOTOS ANINA PINGOL
Charice Pempengco's mom, Raquel Pempengco finally broke her silence on June 7, six days after her daughter's much-talked-about coming out on TV. Mommy Raquel called for a press conference in a private house at Rancho Estate, a Marikina City subdivision. She said that the owners of the house "adopted the Pempengcos during their struggling days, before Charice rose to fame.
After apologizing to the press for previously turning down all requests for interviews, Mommy Raquel, who's reserved but feisty, read her official statement regarding the Pempengco family's current predicament. Then she bravely answered everyone's questions.
She said she had known about her daughter's sexual preference for quite some time and that she was okay with it, for as long as Charice kept it private for the time being.
"Gusto ko lang po i-clear na matagal ko na pong natanggap. Nagsalita po ako kasi hindi ko na kaya yong hinuhusgahan ako na bakit hindi ko matanggap anak ko yon
"Kung sinuman ang unang nakakaalam no'n, ako yon. Pero ilang taon kong itinago dahil ayoko siyang masira. Pero ngayon, siya na ang nagsabi..."
Addressing her absent daughter directly. Raquel said: "Kaya, Charice, huwag mong sasabihing hindi ka naging masaya sa amin, sa loob ng twenty- one years. Huwag mong sabihin na hindi ka nakakakilos sa loob ng twenty-one years sa gusto mang ikilos."
Then Mommy Raquel addressed the press again: "Si Charice lang po ang makakaalam niyan, na naging open ako sa bahay namin. Si Charice lang din po ang makakapagsabi, hindi man niya aaminin in public, na lahat ng gusto nilang gawin sa buhay nila, nasusunod nila.
Mommy Raquel said she did not need to watch the interview with her daughter by Charice's Ninong Boy Abunda. Anyway. Mommy Raquel added, she already knew about the secret that would be revealed on The Buzz. But her daughter's public confession, when it finally happened, still reduced her to tears. "Itinulo na lang ng luha ko dahil naramdaman kong hindi ako importante sa anak ko." She said she had earlier requested her daughter: "Alam ko ang nararamdaman mo. Kung puwede sana, itago mo, dahil may pangalan kang iniingatan. Hindi mo naman kailangan na ipakita sa buong mundo ang katayuan mo sa pamamagitan ng pag-ibang anyo. Napakarami ng lesbian diyan na hindi nagbabago. Kailangan pa ba na ilahad mo na Ito ako, lalaki ako. Ito na ako ngayon. Lalaki na ako ngayon kasi marami na akong tattoo.
She had made that same request back when her daughter was still involved with Courtney Blooding, Charice's former American business manager-turned- lover.
"Pinakiusapan ko na siya-kay Courtney pa lang- pinakiusapan ko siya na, Itago n'yo muna hanggang sa maitatago ninyo. May itinatayo siyang pangalan. Yon lang pagkanta] ang field na alam niyang work....
"Sayang. Bata pa siya, wala siyang alam. Ang iniisip ko naman sa kanya, yong kinabukasan niya, hindi ang kinabukasan ko. Dahil ako, matanda na ako."
The mother's roller-coaster relationship with her daughter has been going on for several years now. At some point, as Charice herself told YES!, she had opted to stay more often in the United States just so she could be away from her mom.
Raquel said at the presscon that, early this year, when she and her daughter were still communicating via email, she had seen a glimpse of hope. Her daughter was in the Philippines, and she had seen a chance to patch up their differences for good.
"Itong pag-uwi niya na to, gusto ko siyang magtago. Hinimok ko siya sa email-hindi pa kami nag-uusap sa phone-sabi ko, 'Anak, mag-aral ka Kung ayaw mo nang kumanta, ipagpatuloy mo na ang pag-aaral mo, tutulungan kita.
"Sinabi niya, Totoo po, Mommy, ayaw n'yo na akong kumanta? Mag-aaral na lang po ako? Kung gusto n'yo po 'yon, yon po ang masusunod."
"Napaluha ako sa email lang Sabi ko, Ang anak ko, nagbabago na. Ang anak ko, bumabalik na sa akin Anong saya ang naramdaman ko no'ng gabi na yon. Sa loob-loob ko, Sana, anak, mag-pray ka kung anuman ang desisyon mo ngayong gabi na to.
"Umaga, alas otso ng umaga, tumawag sa kin ang anak ko. Mommy, sunduin mo na ko. Nagpapagawa ako ng sasakyan noon. Sumigaw ako, "Wag nang ipagawa yan. Nagpapasundo ang anak ko! Tulungan n'yo na lang ho ako sa anak ko! Bilisan natin!
"Hindi niya naramdaman yong excitement ng isang ina no ng susunduin ko siya dahil 'yon lang 'yong kauna-unahang time na magkikita kami ulit.
"Pero no'ng nakita ko siya, kasama niya si Alyssa Anak, puwede kang umuwi, pero 'wag mong isama si Alyssa, dahil sobrang sakit na ng nararamdaman ko.
"Nagbigay ako noon [sa iba), tinanggap ko sa bahay, pinakisamahan ko. Pero by this time, si Alyssa, hindi ko matatanggap.
Raquel wouldn't say why she cannot accept Alyssa. But she gave hints that Alyssa and her family were up to no good.
"Matagal ko nang kilala si Alyssa. Si Alyssa ay isang kakompetensiya niya sa pagkanta. Alam ni Charice yan. Kung maibabalik yong panahon, ayaw niyang makasama yong mga tao na yon. Pero ang kinahinanakit ko lang. bakit ngayon, 'yon ang pinagmamalaki niya na do 'n siya masaya?
"Nagkita lang sila ulit sa X Factor. Sa ganoong kaikling panahon, masasabi na niyang Ito na? Kasi ilang taon din sila nagsama ni Courtney.
"Sinabi ko kay Charice, Maraming babae. Marami kang mapipili kung gugustuhin mo. Pero ayoko kay Alyssa. Hindi ko siya matatanggap kailanman."
The bottom line, it would seem from this, is that mother and daughter are at war because the mother refuses to accept her lesbian daughter's paramour.
At the same press conference, Raquel, to get some points across, went as far as revealing her past identity: that at a certain point in her life, she, too was a lesbian.
"Tomboy din ako noong araw. Pero sinunod ko nanay ko. Nasasaktan pa ako noon ng nanay ko. Magpakababae ka. Hanggang sa nireto ako ng nanay ko sa asawa ko, sa daddy nila [Charice at Carl]. Kasi walang nanliligaw sa akin. Puro mga babae kasama ko. Hindi ako nagpapalda, hindi ako nagdadamit-babae. Kaya nga sabi, Mana lang sa yo ang anak mo.
"Sinabi ko naman yon kay Charice: "Na-experience ko na rin naman yan. Pero nagbago ako. Kaya ko, e Kinaya ko kasi ayokong masaktan ang nanay ko. Kasi pakiramdam naman yon, e. Puwedeng baguhin kung gugustuhin mo lang. Naniniwala akong kayang-kaya niyang baguhin kung gusto niya."
Only time will tell how this story will end.-Anna
Chicago: Pingol, Anna, and Gabby Reyes Libarios. “Charice Coming Out.” YES!, July 2013.
Originally taken from YES! Magazine July 2013. © Summit Media.