Mega war and peace

MAMA Helen and Sharon end family feud. Bayani San Diego jr.

After 34 years in the biz, singer-actress Sharon Cuneta knows the perks and perils of technology. And yet, shortly after joining Twitter in January, Cuneta got entangled in an online skirmish with bashers.

In March, she took a short break from the social networking site after a word war with fans of actor Piolo Pascual, who had a very public breakup with her daughter KC Concepcion last year.

During this last long Halloween weekend, Cuneta had another heated Twitter exchange with bashers who were again identified as Pascual’s followers. She was bothered that some Netizens had twisted her Twitter messages to confirm a number of blind items about Pascual. “It’s one thing to quote me and then give your opinion,” she explained to the Inquirer. “But to not understand where I was coming from and then misinterpret me, it’s either [the hater] doesn’t comprehend or chooses not to comprehend.”

Cuneta rued that she had been  taken out of context in Twitterverse. “A certain basher said that I tweeted like I grew up in a squatters’ area. I retorted: Sorry, I don’t know how it feels to be a squatter.” It wasn’t meant to disparage the less fortunate, she said. “I’ve met people in slum areas who have better manners than those bashers… who are plainly rude.”

In the end, she insisted, she’s just a mom defending her child:

“I am first a wife and mother, daughter, sister and friend. My fault is that I love the people who matter to me too much and that I love my work that has given me so much and that I love my fans who have supported me all these years—whether I was thin or fat, successful or not.”

Bright side

On the other hand, she got to patch things up with aunt Helen Gamboa with the help of technology.

Texting broke the ice for them, Cuneta said. “The first time I texted her, she was with [my cousin] Lala in the car. Lala told me later that Mama Helen started crying as soon as she got my message. But I texted funny messages after that.”

On October 24, Gamboa, along with husband Senator Tito Sotto, attended the birthday party and dedication of Cuneta and Sen. Francis Pangilinan’s youngest son Miguel, publicly ending the long-running spat.

According to previous reports, politics had driven a wedge between the two families, as the two senators were often on opposing sides of discussions on the Senate floor.

In an exclusive interview, Cuneta told the Philippine Daily Inquirer: “It was important for me to show my children—KC, Frankie, Miel and Miguel—how to humble yourself when someone you love is hurting.”

She explained that the Sottos had always regarded her as their firstborn. “It was only right that I made the first move,” she pointed out. She went to the Sottos’ house in White Plains months before the children’s party. She earlier made arrangements with cousins Apples and Ciara, who made sure their mom was home.

Cuneta recounted: “Mama Helen was in the kitchen [when I got there]. She was surprised; she cried and said she missed me. I was so happy, especially because she showed no anger. She just hugged and kissed me and all I felt was love. When it was time for me to go, Mama Helen made me bring home all sorts of goodies.”

Pangilinan had approved of her move, Cuneta said. “Kiko was very supportive because he knows how much they mean to me.”