Love saga provides political respite

Manila: A television love triangle between a professional basketball player, his celebrity wife and a pretty nurse, is providing an entertaining alternative for Filipinos bored with endless political campaigning.

Actress and game show host Kris Aquino has admitted that she has been severely affected by the running scandal between her husband James Yap's alleged involvement with another woman, a certain Hope Centeno, a nurse at a popular skin clinic which the actress' spouse allegedly frequents.

"What hurts me most is that now I am the one who has to face the people and explain everything," Kris tearfully said in Tagalog in an interview published by the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) website.

Near miscarriage

Kris, the daughter of former president Corazon Aquino, is seven months pregnant with her baby by Yap. She said she nearly had a miscarriage upon learning about her husband's alleged involvement with another woman.

"My blood sugar shot up and I had premature labour pains," Kris said.

Reports initially said Kris had ordered her husband out of the house upon learning of the affair several weeks ago.

Centeno faced the public for the first time on Sunday over television network GMA. Prior to her public appearance, the pretty nurse admitted she and Yap had been regularly meeting at a clinic where she works as a facial care consultant.

Centeno said during those meetings, she and Yao had sexual encounters inside the clinic's premises.

Yap for his part, said he had also been outraged by Centeno's allegations that both of them had been long time lovers even before Kris came along.

"This is too much, I'll sue her for this," Yap said while denying he had a relationship with Centeno.

The real-life soap drama involving the popular showbiz couple and a previously unheard off third party has regularly featured in tabloids and entertainment columns since news of the alleged scandal broke out.

Affairs

Kris, who had figured in several other similar love affairs in the past with married men, said she is "standing by" James despite the scandal.

Over the past several weeks since the political campaign for the May 14 2007 elections started, Filipinos have been bombarded hour-after-hour with senseless political adverts showing candidates mouthing the same lines rehashed from the last elections.

The Kris-James-Hope love triangle has been viewed by watchers as a welcome change from the dreary pace of local television.