(NI RONNIE CARRASCO III)
FOR all the vast cosmic expanse knows ay baka isa pa ngang welcome precedent para iba pang mga loveteams ang pagkalusaw ng Alden Richards-Maine Mendoza tandem.
For Maine, wala kasing liberating ang kanyang blog entry three days before her birthday (March 5) giving the best albeit unwrapped gift to herself: ang magpakatotoo.
Finally, sa mismong bibig na ni Maine nanggaling na bagama’t hindi katanggap-tanggap sa kanyang mga fans ang pakikipagmabutihan niya kay Arjo Atayde ay puso pa rin ang dapat manaig.
About the same time, this was validated by Arjo whose caption of their photo together reads: “May reason for my being.” This ended all speculations.
Mahina na lang ang pick-up ng hindi makaka-gets sa caption na ‘yon reinforced by Arjo and Maine’s sweetness which said it all.
Kung bakit namin nasabing the AlDub collapse might even turn out to be a welcome precedent is the fact that theirs is not an isolated case. Kung nangyari ‘yon sa binansagang phenomenal loveteam, then it could likely happen to others.
Being tied to a loveteam — sa tanggapin man natin o hindi — can be limiting and restrictive. Wala na itong puwang for experiment, for some daring act to prove either party’s individual strength. Career-wise, that is.
Sa aspeto ng kanilang personal na buhay, the effect can be worse. Being stuck to a loveteam curtails either party’s freedom, his or her right to personal happiness.
Noon pa ma’y inaalmahan na ni Maine ang ganu’ng sitwasyon. Labag man sa kanyang kalooban — all for career’s sake — ang pakikipagplastikan kay Alden na kunu-kunong magdyowa sila didn’t allow her to be herself.
Against her silently rebellious will, pinilit niyang ngumiti even she wanted to frown. Pikit-mata siyang tumalima sa ipinag-utos ng kanyang career manager or adviser even if she wanted to disobey orders.
But enough is enough.
Itiniyempo ni Maine ang deklarasyon ng kanyang independence as her birthday neared. And nothing could be more relieving and liberating than that.
As the truism “It takes two to tango” goes, nakiayon na rin si Arjo, hayaan nang ma-bash siya ng mga AlDub fans (binabantaan na nga ang buhay ng kanyang pamilya, ‘di ba?).
Ang importante, wala na silang dapat itago, and the result is one of contentment na kaya nilang ipagpalit sa kanilang career.
As for Alden, he isn’t the left-out guy. On his own ay kaya niyang mag-survive. With the fourth branch of his Concha’s resto already up in Biñan, Laguna, Alden cannot go literally hungry.
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