Once there was a big hit screen love team in Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, popularly known by its portmanteau, KathNiel.
The tandem had been the No. 1 in generating revenue in the ads and box-office receipts of ABS-CBN, its erstwhile free TV Channel 2 and other tube broadcasts and Star Cinema, the movie production arm of the network.
Although cable systems in the country and live streaming apps are still screening their films past, these are considered rare collections, indeed blockbusters.
Their horde of fans were frantic, fanatic and ever supportive of them.
As a matter of course, they had established a certain image of "too-good-to-be-true" duo whether in the reel and real setup.
That's why they became endeared to the public.
Until Kathryn recently spilled the beans that she and Daniel, also known as DJ, had called it quits, primarily as lovers in real life, off-screen.
Although the reason for the breakup wasn't exactly mentioned by Kathryn, it was speculated that the split was caused by DJ's ghosting fellow Star Magic and Kapamilya artist Andrea Brillantes.
Or the flaunting of a newbie Gillian Vicencio whose initials GV allegedly caught the fancy of DJ when they were doing the ABS-CBN teleserye "2 Good 2 Be True"--an allusion to KathNiel.
Or the perceived "playboy image" of Padilla which the whole Padilla brood is known for--Robin, Rommel etc.--chips from the old casanova block of Roy Padilla.
The KathNiel Nation is at a halt.
Many are affected by the mess--the young once and the young ones.
Mostly moms, who are ardent followers are sad, if not devastated, even crying to death over the dissolution of the team.
Even dads are curious about the breakup.
Millennials, Baby boomers, Gens X, Y and Z, teeners, name it, they are there, sympathetic if not downright emphatic, males and females, who may or may not be conscious about it, but the KathNiel collapse is an indication of another phenomenon of collective frustration over an ideal young Filipino couple symbolically endeared to parents dreaming of a model if not a perfect union in boyfriend-girlfriend or marriage among their children, surrogate or biological.
This middle class--as well as the lower class and the masses--filial pursuit is seemingly molded by the illusion fed to them by film and TV on the love narrative (on and off-stage) of Kathryn and Daniel.
Wait till the next creation of another media fantasy love team Pinoy romance in the landscape of capitalist mass media consumerism, again, a panacea, consciously or unconsciously, to social ills and deprivations, whether one accepts it or not.
Now, the market weighs who is the spoiler and spoiled between the major players and picks and buys up the item, sides with who is the underdog and blindly, the oppressor, based on the spin copies of the story churned out by their respective camps.
Kathryn hasn't said anything against DJ, and just simply described the bond as an apparent stormy romance.
Although there are insinuations from Bernardo herself on some of her past interviews that she wouldn't take enough pain from a man she loves because of womanizing.
How could Daniel resist temptation if he's adored by girls and women?
In a gender equality positioning, is he the culprit in the debacle of this Pinoy romance?
In a statement, DJ expressed his sadness over the fate of KathNiel and said he is setting Kath free.
Interestingly, it has been said that prior to Kathryn's revelation, there was already a cooling off between her and Daniel.
There is also an economic issue involved about business partnership where shared properties can now be legally divided.
Lawyers were reportedly hired by their respective clients.
A point to ponder in the recent and a distant past compared and contrasted.
What makes KathNiel different from the shattered AlDub of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza?
Well, AlDub lived in the shadow of KathNiel.
The only difference, however, is the image of the lowly assistant or nanny role of an idol named Yaya Dub of the marginalizef and the underprivileged who was courted by a rich guy in Alden.
KathNiel was the nouveau riche representation and harbored subliminally on the working classes, and the unemployed, hand-to-mouth existence of Philippine society.
It was the modern version of Guy and Pip who also took the nation by storm during the tumultuous era of social unrest, protests in the 70s when teenyboppers were taunted as bakya (kitch).
Then and now, love teams like KathNiel are escapist fares to etherize the masses to complacency and from taking radical action against oppression from many directions to change for the betterment of each one of us.
Shorts: In her guesting at Richard Hinola II's Philippine Pageantry Excellence Awards held at the Teatrino in Greenhills, 1979 Miss International Melanie Marquez said she is very proud of her daughter Michelle Marquez Dee, 2023 Miss Universe Philippines who represented the country at the 71st Miss Universe contrst held in El Salvador.
Melanie expressed her pride in the independent-mindedness of her daughter. "Michellle has her own mind," said the mom.
Meanwhile, action star Derek Dee, Michelle's dad is likewise happy for his daughter who has been his personal caregiver when he fugured in an accident recently...6th Eddys' Best Actress Max Eigenmann for "12 Weeks" who tied with Janine Gutierrez for "Bakit Di Mo Sabihin" of the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) and Max, again, now sole Best Actress winner at the 46th Gawad Urian from the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP) for the same film, said she believes she is lucky to have worn an Albert Figueras gown when she personally, separately accepted her two acting trophies.
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