Vilma plays title role in Cory filmbio

Posted on August 10, 2009 blogtopia

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cory_aquino_signs Already immortalized in many different ways, including by Time magazine which features her again on the cover of its latest issue (the same magazine named her Woman of the Year in 1986), the late Pres. Cory Aquino will be the subject of a filmbio to be produced by Star Cinema, with Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos being eyed to portray the Icon of Democracy. Perfect casting!

I got this interesting information from Kris Aquino herself during a casual phone chat last Saturday. She’s now nursing little son James who got sick after Tita Cory’s burial last Wednesday, Aug. 5.

“I’m also catching up on sleep,” said Kris.

Although she has been interviewed for TV newscast during her mom’s wake, Kris said she’s waiting for the ninth day (which fell yesterday) after Tita Cory’s death before she returns to “live” television and that’s tonight on SNN (Showbiz News Ngayon), her late-night ABS-CBN show with buddy Boy Abunda.

I know that Kris is going to make a “very important announcement” on the show but I promised Funfare sources not to preempt Kris, so I’m keeping mum about it until tonight. Is it going to be a “make or break” thing? Stay tuned — and keep your eyes and ears wide open.

Back to the Cory filmbio…

No timetable has been set yet when it will start shooting, or who the director and other members of the cast will be (such as who will play Kris), but it won’t definitely be shown maybe until after one year because Vilma is running for reelection and she’s not supposed to have a movie shown or appear on TV longer than the time and space allowed by the COMELEC or have her product-endorsement billboards on display during the campaign period. Besides, Vilma has just finished shooting In My Life, also for Star Cinema, which is showing in September.

Why not show it in August next year as part of the commemoration of Tita Cory’s first death anniversary?

“I’m asking Paul (Cabral) and JC (Buendia) to help us sort out my mom’s dresses,” said Kris. (It was Paul Cabral who made Tita Cory’s burial dress.) “Maybe Vilma can wear them for the movie.”

Aside from the Cory filmbio, Charo Santos-Concio is also doing an episode on one of Tita Cory’s bodyguards (one of them delivered a touching eulogy last Tuesday night at the Manila Cathedral during Tita Cory’s wake) for her long-running drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK).

Kris casually mentioned that Tita Cory’s house on Times St., Quezon City (which she left as pamana to son Sen. Noynoy Aquino) might have to be torn down and replaced with a bigger one, construction of which Kris herself will finance. Noynoy is mulling the idea and his sisters (Ballsy, Pinky and Viel) are teasing him, “Ayaw mo n’yan, ipagagawa ka ng bahay ni Kris.”

“The lot area is big, more than 1,000 square meters, and the (new) house will have a pool specially built for Joshua and James Jr.,” said Kris. “We have regular family reunions and we plan to hold them in that new house.”

Kris and her sisters have started going over Tita Cory’s personal effects.

“I cried again when we came upon an unopened box of Ensure,” said Kris. “When Mom was sick, that was what she was taking, Ensure. Now, it’s Joshua who’s taking it.”

After my phone chat with Kris, I received the following text message from an unnamed sender:

Cory Aquino died Aug. 1, 2009 at 3:18 in the morning. That’s 08-01-2009 3:18. Remove the 0’s and put the numbers together and they will result to 8129318. Rearrange the numbers and they will result to 8-21-1983. That’s Aug. 21, 1983, the day Ninoy Aquino died.

I forwarded the text message to Kris.