Showbiz Roundup: Kris Aquino braces for ‘crucial’ 6 months, and more

It was Kris Aquino‘s birthday week, but what she revealed about her recent health condition was heartbreaking to her fans and followers.

As Valentine’s Day was winding down, Bea Alonzo and Dominic Roque finally confirmed that they have called off their engagement, although they did not specifically say that they have parted ways for good.

Meanwhile, Ivana Alawi and Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez denied any romantic involvement with each other after their supposed sighting at an airport while heading to Japan, calling it a chance encounter.

Rounding up this week’s entertainment headlines is Rita Daniela who made the surprising revelation that she was a third party in a celebrity couple’s relationship.

All these and more, as we look back at INQUIRER.net’s explosive showbiz news from the week of Feb. 9 to 15.

Kris Aquino’s health battle

Kris Aquino celebrated her 53rd birthday and Valentine’s Day with a heartbreaking interview with close friend Boy Abunda, saying the next six months will be crucial for her.

“[Nag-manifest din into] a diffuse scleroderma at inaatake nito ang lungs. You can get pulmonary hypertension from that,” she said. “Meron na akong maliliit na nodules at tama dahil hirap na hirap na ang right lung. Until now, part of Churg-Strauss is that you have this persistent dry cough at nagkaroon ako ng adult onset of asthma.”

The Churg-Strauss/EGPA has been one of Aquino’s autoimmune diseases and she has now developed cardiomyopathy, which affects the heart. This can be closely related to her father’s side as her grandfather Benigno Aquino Sr., father Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., and her brother, former president Benigno Aquino III all dealt with a heart condition.

Aquino “would’ve been okay” with this, but as she is dealing with five autoimmune diseases at the moment, she said the battle was extra challenging for her since the could not take regular pain relievers, being allergic to them as well.

She also shared that she would be taking a “baby dose” of a biological medicine that would save her heart. “On Monday, papasok ako sa ospital. May susubukan kaming biological gamot, this is a chance to save my heart. Kung hindi ito tumalab, I stand a very strong chance of having cardiac arrest. Pwedeng in my sleep or ginagawa ko, pwedeng tumigil ang pagtibok ng puso ko,” she said.

The Queen of All Media then asked for prayers, as she vowed not to give up til the end for her kids Josh and Bimby.

Bea and Dominic call off engagement

Bea Alonzo and Dominic Roque decided to “mutually” end their engagement, but the couple did not categorically say if they are no longer in a relationship.

In a joint Instagram post on Feb. 11, it was not immediately clear if Roque and Alonzo had indeed broken up, although they referred to people who confirmed their “breakup” without their consent.

“After much thought, consideration, and care, we have decided to amicably end our engagement. It was not an easy decision. We wanted to have more time to carefully deliberate and pray about it, but there have been many speculations, questions, and insults,” they wrote.

“Unfortunately, some even confirmed our breakup without our consent,” they said. “Some created ridiculous stories that had no basis and were utterly false, so we felt the need to share this announcement with great sadness for our peace of mind and our families.”

Talks about their supposed breakup, Roque and Alonzo said, led to others making “utterly false” rumors about how their relationship ended. Despite their “painful” decision, they appealed to netizens to stop making “cruel and very hurtful words.”

The couple, who announced their engagement in July 2023, have been hounded by breakup rumors after the actress was spotted without her engagement ring on multiple personal and work events. This, along with them giving out vague responses when asked about their wedding plans.

Alonzo and Roque’s supposed breakup was first reported by showbiz insider Ogie Diaz on Feb. 4, then by entertainment columnist Boy Abunda on the Feb. 6 episode of his talk show.

Ivana Alawi on ‘romance’ with Albee Benitez

Ivana Alawi denied any involvement with Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez amid rumors of a supposed romance between them, although she revealed that she is in a relationship with a “respectable businessman.”

Alawi broke her silence on her Facebook last Feb. 10 where she addressed the allegations linking her to Benitez, who is also the owner and producer of Brightlight Productions.

“I tried to stay quiet at dumedma na lang dahil sa paniniwala ko na hindi ako dapat magsalita lalo kapag alam ko na wala akong ginagawang masama,” she said. “But because of the false accusations and hurtful words that are being thrown to my Mom and Mona, kinailangan ko nang linawin ang mga bagay.”

Alawi stressed that she is not the girlfriend of Benitez, adding that this would be the “first and last time” she would address the allegations.

“Hindi po ako ang nasasabing girlfriend ni Mayor Albee Benitez,” she said. “I met him when I had work in Bacolod. He was very accommodating and friendly. At hindi lang sya ang politikong nakilala ko at naging kaibigan.”

She, however, clarified that she is in a relationship with a “respectable businessman” who makes her happy.

“I am currently seeing someone who makes me happy. All I can say is that he is a respectable businessman and not a politician,” she said. “Sana this helps clear my name and clarify all rumors. Maraming salamat.”

Alawi’s post came after she was alleged to be in a relationship with Benitez after eagle-eyed netizens claimed they were spotted together on trips to Baguio and Japan, per report of show biz insider Ogie Diaz, citing anonymous sources.

Just a ‘chance encounter’

Meanwhile Albee Benitez also broke his silence on the issue, citing an alleged video of them being spotted at an airport en route to Tokyo, Japan.

In a statement on Facebook on Feb. 11, Benitez said that his airport sighting with Alawi was “clearly a chance encounter” as he was traveling to Japan for a “business trip.”

“I am fully aware of the video footage that has been circulating which unfortunately does not accurately explain why I was in Tokyo. I went there on a business trip as stated in my official travel order,” he said. “Speculations involving Ms Ivana Alawi are untrue and only serve to put malice into what was clearly a chance encounter.”

Benitez then apologized to Alawi and her family after they were “unfairly dragged into issues” in his private life, saying “there’s no truth” about his alleged involvement with the actress.

“I apologize to Ms. Alawi and her family who have been unfairly dragged into issues concerning my private life,” he said. “There is no truth to [all] the rumors spreading and I am setting the record straight to avoid further hurt and damage to them. Maraming salamat po.”

Benitez asserted his interactions with Alawi are merely “professional,” and that he and his wife Nikki have not been together for “several years.”

His wife, on the other hand, said she and the politician are “united” and are still living under the same roof for 31 years.

Rita Daniela as the third party?

Rita Daniela confessed she became a third party in the past, saying the guy made her believe he had already broken up with his girlfriend but did not.

During the “True or Charot” segment of “Sarap, ‘Di ba,” she said she experienced being the third party in a relationship, and the couple broke up because of her. She, however, didn’t confirm their identity in the show.

Rita also gave clues on when the affair happened by saying it took place roughly from 2017 to 2018, without being specific as to the identity of the couple. “Pwede,” she said, when asked if the couple is also part of showbiz.

When she revealed that her statement was true and that she had become a third party before, she explained that the guy involved told her that he was single despite the presence of the girlfriend.

“Kasi usually sabi kapag mga ganiyan wala na sila, ‘di na sila okay tapos meron pa rin pala so nung nalaman ko syempre tinigil,” she said. “So nung tinigil medyo naging makulit si guy so ako naman ginawa ko lahat para hindi siya matuloy pero syempre nung nalaman ni girl naghiwalay sila. But also nangyari ‘yon kasi wala pa akong God sa buhay ko.”

Rita shared that she apologized to the couple many times and revealed that the two are married now.