Feisty show biz talent manager Lolit Solis dropped a bombshell on an otherwise lazy Monday morning. That of an alleged Hotel Sofitel (formerly the Westin Philippine Plaza) rendezvous of two matinee idols by the poolside.
Lolit bared in her tabloid column that she got “lost†inside the hotel purportedly searching for the venue of an exhibit she was invited to attend. While seaching she ended up in a cafe restaurant by the Sofitel pool, which had a few patrons on that Friday afternoon. As she tried to look for a way out of the cafe, Lolit noticed two male patrons on the far end of the cafe from where she was standing who were “sweet†to each other. They whispered and talked intimately, she said, with their faces almost touching each other at one point. This was when she tried to get closer and take a clear look to confirm what she suspected. Restaurant staff, she said, called her by name and when they did, the two left the place in a huff. But before they did leave, she was very much sure who the “couple†wasâ€"Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby. This, she said, the restaurant staff confirmed. They said the two frequent the place because of its discreet location, which is far from any show biz follower’s prying eyes.
Camps of the two actors, however, belied Lolit’s tale. In a PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) report, Piolo’s handlers said the actor was doing a shoot for a Timex commercial at the time the alleged sighting took place, a claim corroborated by the watchmaker’s executives. On the other hand, Sam was at the Essensuals Toni & Guy Salon in Makati at that time, a separate PEP report said. From there, the actor-model then proceeded to a shoot in Alabang, Muntinlupa.
Was it a case of mistaken identity? Or did the actors find a way to “sneak in†a short yet blissful encounter despite their hectic schedules?
Either way, it was quite strange for Lolit not to use the sleek camera phone she owns. If I had the chance, I would use it and create the biggest showbiz scandal of the century â€" something unheard of even by paparazzi-laden Hollywood standards. Despite the potential “mother of all showbiz scoops,†it remains a tale, which you would either believe or debunk depending on the biases you have. This can’t be a valid story unless the waiters Lolit spoke to would agree to corroborate the talent manager’s claim for the record or if her Startalk staff could find eyewitnesses in Sofitel who could state without any doubt that the alleged “sweet couple†were actually at the hotel at that time. This kind of claim can’t hold with just one person talking about it.