QC Mayor Herbert Bautista Turns 47 On May 12, Making A Movie Comeback With Maricel Soriano

QC MAYOR HERBERT BAUTISTA is turning 47 on May 12 and he hosted a lunch at Annabel’s Resto to celebrate it with his friends from the press last Friday. Now managed by Viva Entertainment, he’s making a comeback movie with Maricel Soriano. “The title is ‘Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin’,” he says. “It’s actually a trilogy. We appear in the second episode, a spoof of horror movies and the title of our story is ‘Shake, Shaker, Shakest’. Mag-asawa kami ni Maricel and we have three kids. Kasama namin dito sina Ryan Eigenmann, Shy Carlos and AJ Muhlach, directed by Andoy Ranay.”

Is it his first time to work with Maricel? “No, we’ve worked as kids on TV in ‘Kaluskos Musmos’, then we did ‘Oh My Mama’ na magkapatid kami. Ang nakakatuwa, siya raw nag-request kay Boss Vic del Rosario na ako ang gusto niyang makapareha rito sa ‘Lumayo Ka Nga’. Na-flatter naman ako. A few days after our first shooting day, she won best actress sa Golden Screen Awards. O, suwerte ko sa kanya, di ba? Yung first episode ng movie is a spoof on action movies with Benjie Paras and Candy Pangilinan at ang third episode is a spoof on romantic comedies with Anne Curtis and Dennis Trillo.”

So how is it working with Maricel as his leading lady? “Okay, masaya. Pareho kaming naga-adlib sa eksena at nagugustuhan naman ni Direk Andoy. Very open siya sa suggestions namin. Most of the time, ako yung feeder sa batuhan ng linya at siya ang bahala sa punchlines. Gamay na sila ni Direk Andoy kasi they’ve worked before sa ‘Dalawang Mrs. Real’ kaya sumasabay na lang ako sa kanila.”

So is it true he’s running for the senate next year? “If you’d ask me, I’d like to complete my three terms as QC Mayor, kasi may last term pa ako. But it will all depend on the Liberal Party kung ano decision nila for me. Right now, I’m attending their workshop for public speaking to train us how to speak in public.”

Will he continue the Quezon City Filmfest that he started last year? “Oh yes, from August to October, marami kaming activities lined up, kasama na ang QC International Filmfest at ang Pink Filmfest. Meron din kaming 80th anniversary ng Commonwealth kunsaan si Manuel Quezon ang first president.”

About his lovelife, how’s his alleged romance with a Fil-Korean assembly woman named Jasmine Lee? “It’s no romance at all. Minsan lang kami nagkita, sa dinner in the house of an ambassador. They took our picture and the next thing I knew, we were already being linked, when we never saw or heard from each other again after that first and last meeting.”