Everyone says that love from our family and our significant other is something that we cannot live without, but apart from that, every individual needs a friend. And let’s be honest, we all need a girl’s night out from time to time to get away from all the stress! For us women, sisterhood is vital part of our life as well, because we need to be surrounded by the right people when we are vulnerable or when we want to get away from everything. That is why it is imperative that we make time and effort with our friends, because we need them to be there, especially when times get tough. For today’s episode, Magandang Buhay host’s Jolina Magdangal and Melai Cantiveros welcomed Karla Estrada’s friends Ruffa Gutierrez, Donita Rose and Vina Morales who talked about their kind of friendship that stood the test of time.
Karla, Ruffa, Donita and Vina were considered as among the beautiful and hottest celebrities in showbiz back in the 90s and are known to have made their marks in the entertainment industry as successful women. They all met in the variety show That’s Entertainment, where Donita and Ruffa instantly got along because English was both their native tongue. But the girls stressed that it was during that show that their friendship was established. “Lahat tayo nagsimula kay Kuya Germs talaga. Dun nagsimula at dun nabuo ‘yung pagkakaibigan natin,” Vina elaborated.
In their younger years, the girls would go out, have fun, meet people – particularly boys. There were instances when they would date the same guy, which apparently lead to some petty issues and rivalry. According to Donita, there was one time that she caught Vina with her ex-boyfriend Gary Estrada, an incident that she said broke her heart. “I saw them holding hands sa premiere night. Tapos sabi ko ‘sinaksak ako’,” Donita narrated. She got back at Vina while they were filming a movie and slapped her during a scene, but they were able to iron things out in the end and they eventually became good friends.
Ruffa began to narrate everything they have been through with boys, but said that she and Vina never had an issue with the same guy. “Kami ni Vina hindi kami nag-away kasi iba taste namin. Pero ‘yung kapatid niya, nag-away kami,” she disclosed and laughed out loud. Ruffa said that she, Donita and Vina shared one thing in common. They all dated Robin Padilla while Karla had a relationship with another Padilla, Rommel, Daniel’s father. Ruffa pointed out that Jolina was the last one the actor dated, to which Jolina retorted, “Hindi ako kasali diyan!” Ruffa added that there was also a time that she and Karla had a rift because they both dated Zoren Legaspi. The MB host couldn’t help but be bewildered and laughed at the fond memory of dating Zoren, now the husband of Carmina Villarroel.
The girls described Ruffa as being the most talkative one in the group, to the point that they have to remind her to be careful of what she says. This of course was something the 1993 Miss World 2nd Princess attested to, “Ako talaga pinagsabihan ni Karla. I’m the quietest person on earth.” The momshies also all agreed that Ruffa is the one who likes to gobble up the food. “Ako hindi talaga marunong magluto. Gusto kong matuto. Taga kain lang ako,” she teased. Ruffa told the momshies that Karla can be a tough cookie, because there was a time when she defended her from girls who were not being nice to her. “They were making me taray. Eto naman si Karla, nanunugod. O ‘di ba. Bagay naman sa’yo, girl.” she said proudly.
It’s no secret that Annabelle Rama has always been strict with her daughter Ruffa. However, Donita revealed that she too has seen and experienced Annabelle’s tough moments. Ruffa’s mother would blame Donita for almost everything and write her letters about her shortcomings. “Kung ano ano ‘yung binibintang sa akin…” she said chucklng.
On a more serious note, Ruffa expressed how proud she is of Karla now that she sees her friend as successful and very generous to others. She added that for her, friendship is not just about the happy times, but it is about being there for each other through thick and thin. “Even through our most trying times and darkest moments, nandiyan kami para sa isa’t isa,” she uttered seriously. “Ruffa was also lauded by her friends, particularly Donita, for never making money an issue to them. Donita recalled the time when she borrowed a piece of jewelry from Ruffa, which unfortunately got stolen. She was able to return it though, but even then Ruffa never really made a big deal out of that incident because their friendship mattered more than any material thing. “Girl, it’s just money,” Ruffa told Donita.
Now that they are all momshies, unlike before that they would go out and party, they would rather do low-key activities like a quick trip to the salon for facials or boxing. The gals stressed that they make an effort to do these things despite their busy schedule. “Sa akin importante na nandiyan tayo para sa isa’t isa,” Vina stated. They stressed that beautiful or sad stories have to be shared, and a person cannot just keep their feelings inside. Vina emphasized that now that she is a single mother, just like the rest of her friends, her main priority is her daughter, Ceana. “Pareho kami eh, na ‘yung main priority namin ay ang pamilya namin at ‘yung mga anak namin. At ako natututo ako sa kanila na wow ang tatapang nila. Kailangan kong maging matapang rin. Kung nakayanan nila, kaya ko rin.” she elaborated.
As friends who are also single parents, Vina stressed that they also pray together and are God-fearing. Ruffa added that one thing that they share in common as single mothers is that there all very hardworking and that they don’t forget to prioritize themselves. Donita added that people should not judge their friends for what they are going through, and it is best to always love one another. Karla exclaimed, “Isa lang naman ang layunin namin para maging mabuting mga magulang. Lahat ng ginagawa namin para sa inyong (to children) lahat ‘yan.”
Donita shared how to cook one of her specialties on Magandang Buhay. When Donita was done cooking her Crispy Pork Ensaladang Binagoongan with Fried Rice, the momshies tried the dish, and were very impressed with the finished product. “Donita, super sarap!” Karla exclaimed.