Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Mar, Korina Exchange 'I do's' Today

Mar, Korina Exchange 'I do's' Today
The Philippine Star
By: Joanne Rae Ramirez
October 27, 2009


Undated photos show Sen. Mar Roxas and Korina Sanchez as toddlers: ‘Whatever happens in the future, it is Korina who is with me and we’ll go through it together.’

MANILA, Philippines - After five years together, a two-day postponement (from Oct. 25 to 27), two-life altering events (a political decision and a super typhoon), Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas and broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez walk down the aisle of the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City today before some 2,000 guests in what has long been touted as the “Wedding of the Year.”

The Roxas-Sanchez nuptials unite high society with the working middle class, politics and show business, the newsmaker and the news reporter. And despite bets (mostly from women) that it wouldn’t push through, tales of disapproval and political strategizing (mostly from men), the wedding unfolds in what the groom describes as the beginning of “a great adventure.”

Roxas says no one knows what the future will bring, “what and where every twist and turn will be, what the peaks and troughs are, what the surprises will be.”

“The only certainty is magkasama naming haharapin ang lahat na ito (we will face all this together),” Roxas, 52, who has a 15-year-old son Paolo Gerardo, told The STAR. Paolo will be his father’s best man.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s like starting off on a great adventure with a traveling companion, someone I want to be with,” Roxas added. “The adventure is not in what we’ll see or encounter but that whatever it is, it is Korina who is with me and we’ll go through it together.”

The “adventure” will begin with an eight-day honeymoon in Japan after the wedding.

Sanchez, 45, who will wear a Pepito Albert wedding gown of embroidered piña that she will accent with antique tambourine brooches belonging to her late mother Celia, told The STAR that for Roxas, she is ready to say goodbye to her 25-year career in broadcast journalism.

“As I have agreed to marry, I am even closer to saying goodbye to my 25-year career in news. I will continue doing Rated K but hard-core journalism may have to wait a while before I can get back to it. This is a very serious matter for me and a difficult decision to have made. Mar knows how much I love him,” she said.

Roxas gave up his presidential bid just over a month ago to give way to Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, one of today’s principal sponsors. They are running under the Liberal Party, to which their late fathers, Senators Gerardo Roxas and Benigno Aquino Jr., respectively, belonged.

Aside from Aquino, the sponsors are Chief Justice Reynato Puno, former Senate president Jovito Salonga, ABS-CBN president Eugenio Lopez III, Jorge Araneta, Red Cross governor Rosa Rosal, broadcast journalist Cheche Lazaro, Ruby Roxas, Baby Fores and Helen Costales.

Aside from her mother’s brooches, Sanchez will wear one of her late father Ramon’s cufflinks “somewhere on my body.” She says she will miss her parents, “who came from families of meager means but worked hard and well to afford the good life they gave us, their children.”

“My parents will be part of this ceremony, no matter what,” Sanchez vowed.

Sanchez admitted that having been an independent-minded journalist and commentator, adjusting to the role of political wife would not be easy. “I’ve never liked politics, I like it even less now that I am so close to it. So marrying into politics is not a prospect I particularly savor.”

But she is entering into the marriage with eyes wide open, saying, “I am aware of whom I said yes to marrying. I think he also is aware of who he has asked to marry him.”

Due to the devastation wrought on the country a month ago by tropical storm “Ondoy,” the couple has decided to forgo a reception at the Araneta Coliseum and instead donate the money earmarked for the reception to rehabilitation efforts.

In a daze

Roxas, who had withdrawn from the presidential race to give way to Aquino, has always said that matters of the heart were separate from politics when speculations floated that his wedding might also be called off.

“Ask me tomorrow about how I feel,” Roxas said as he admitted he was in a daze.

Yesterday afternoon, Roxas and Aquino swore in to the LP local executives from Cavite led by Gov. Erineo “Ayong” Malicsi, who were previously allied with the administration and the LP group led by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza.

The Filipiniana-themed wedding at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City at 3 p.m. is expected to gather the who’s who in politics and show business as well as representatives from various political organizations, non-government organizations and communities.

“We can sacrifice our dream wedding. What’s important is that we’re finally getting married,” said Sanchez, whose matron of honor will be Dang Cecilio-Palanca.

The ring bearer will be actress Kris Aquino’s son, James Yap Jr., while Miguel Sanchez and Matthew Garcia will be the coin and Bible bearers, respectively.

Aquino quipped during the program for the swearing in of Cavite leaders that he was at first reluctant to be the godfather of Roxas and Sanchez because “I would like to be married too” someday.

He said there was a traditional Filipino belief that single men who become sponsors at a wedding would remain bachelors. Roxas said it was not true because he stood as sponsor in many weddings before he himself decided to marry.

Aquino told reporters he could not say no to his friends Roxas and Sanchez and agreed to stand as sponsor in place of his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino.

Aquino, an ex-boyfriend of Sanchez, said he had not yet prepared a gift for his godchildren and that he was happy for them.

He said there would probably be no need for him to give any advice as godfather because “the two are not having any problems.”

Aquino said he would like to have his own family too but at the moment his engagement was to the people and marriage would have to wait.

Meanwhile, Malacañang wished Roxas and Sanchez good luck in their new life as a married couple. – With Aurea Calica, Paolo Romero

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