By Ricardo Lo
The Philippine Star
It’s back to normal for Cesar Montano — meaning back to showbiz — almost five months after he lost his bid for the Senate in last May’s elections (but, according to his provincemates, he could have won hands down had he run for congressman or governor in his native Bohol where he finished No. 1 among the 30-plus senatoriables).
Unruffled by his defeat in his first venture into the murky waters of politics (and hardly so by the post-election rumor that his marriage to Sunshine Cruz was adversely affected by it), Cesar has regained not only the weight (seven pounds) he lost during the back-breaking campaign but also, more so, his enthusiasm for the arts — movies and painting.
He has just signed a contract with ABS-CBN for three shows with him as topbiller, starting with Pinoy Mano-Mano (local version of The Contender), featuring celebrity boxing matches among eight bets, good for one season starting anytime now (with P.5-M, a car, and house and lot for the grand champion); a TV remake of the ’60s Bernard Bonnin starrer Alyas Palos which premieres first week of November; and a soap with Maricel Soriano, which is a welcome change from their past two sitcoms (Kaya ni Mister, Kaya ni Misis and Bida si Mister, Bida si Misis) on the same channel.
"I’m a huge fan of Palos," said Cesar during a one-on-one interview held at his newly-opened Bellissimo Ristorante ("serving Italian goodness hot from a wooden oven") at 105, Units E and F, Scout Castor cor. Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City (for inquiries and reservations, call 376-5746, 411-8385 or 412-3553). "I’ve seen all the Palos movies, with Bernard wearing a black cap and black, turtle-necked, long-sleeved sweater. The big challenge for me is the stunts and the fight scenes and I’m preparing hard for them. I’m studying mixed martial arts. I’m boxing, I jog and I bike. I have to lose the weight I gained after elections. I have to be light because I’ll be jumping a lot. Di ba si Palos patalon-talon sa mga rooftops? He’s slippery like an eel. Kaya nga Palos dahil madulas, mahirap hulihin."
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