By Farah G. Decano

 

WITH philandering politicians still getting elected even to the highest positions and adulterous showbiz personalities remaining at the top of their careers, we thought that having paramours is already an accepted way of life in the Philippines.   The reactions of most netizens towards third parties in marriage relationships however, indicate that betrayal of spouses remains frowned upon by the public.

So lately, Abegail Rait decided to make a very public admission on a popular Youtube(YT) channel. She narrated her love story with Francis Magalona that developed two years before his death.  She presented their private photos and love notes as proofs of their affair.  She also introduced their 15-year old love child who has expressed her decision to enter showbiz.  Ms. Rait stated that, after fifteen years of staying in the shadows, she merely wanted the public to know that she and her daughter do “exist.”

There was mostly an uproar among Filipino netizens.  While they absolved the child for being an innocent fruit of forbidden love, they condemned the brazenness and insensitivity of Miss Rait to come forward and be proud of her relationship with the legendary singer.   While Miss Rait granted interviews left and right, Pia Magalona, Francis M’s widow, chose to maintain a dignified silence.

One netizen questioned how Miss Rait spoke about her painful invisibility for 15 years but conveniently forgot to consider the anguish of the deceased rapper’s children and wife.  Another argued that if Miss Rait truly loved Francis M, then she should have just savored the memory of that love in her solitude.

Viewers also imputed malice in the timing of Ms. Rait’s disclosure after it was reported that she is running as “kagawad” in the barangay elections.  It does not help her cause, as well, to admit that she is now in a relationship with a man who treats her daughter as his own.  Others do not only question her motives but the manner she came out by cashing in on her former lover’s jersey on a pawnshop-styled vlog.  She was labeled “palaban” and called many other objectionable names.

One famous split due to an alleged third party is that that of famous vlogger, Pambansang Kolokoy (PK), and his wife, Miss Grace a.k.a. Marites.  The contents of his vlogs centered on the timeless comedy of a hen-pecked husband and his domineering wife. Their sudden separation shocked their fans especially when the PK introduced a much younger woman as his new love soon after the breakup. Most netizens begrudge him as a liar and a deceitful jerk.  As a consequence, his viewership suffered a steep decline.

Interestingly, Miss Grace did not behave like the typical martyred wife who gave a chase.  Neither did she suffer in silence.  Instead, she calmly agreed to a divorce, proceeded to establish her own YT channel and reinvented herself. The formerly old-fashioned Marites can now be seen exposing her shapely figure, sporting her newly restyled eyebrows, and speaking very eloquently as Miss Grace. The curious twist is that PK’s new girl allegedly began stalking his ex-wife.  Could PK be having second thoughts?   The netizens seem to love the way Miss Grace is handling her bruised female ego.

Another famous separation this year is that of team Tarah which is a portmanteau of Tanchelie and Sarah.  They were flight attendant-vloggers with a huge loyal following from all over the world.  Upon Tanchelie’s prodding, they got married and both became pregnant through a donor.  During pregnancy, Tanchelie fell for a fan who hosted their stay in the USA and chose to leave Sarah.

As a result of their split, the Tarah Youtube channel had to be deactivated. A month thereafter, each of them opened her own YT space. Guess whose channel was not patronized? Yes, the unfaithful one-Tanchelie!

PK and Tanchelie seem to have lost their fan bases and their YT channels’ views took a nose dive.  In contrast, Sarah and Miss Grace seem to have gained subscribers in the multitude.

Betrayal is betrayal.  It knows no gender.  Our politicians and some celebrities may get away with their lifestyle, but looks like infidelity, for Filipinos, still leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

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