"Hindi lahat nadadaan sa kilig."
The line has been quoted a few times since KC Concepcion uttered it in a tearful interview with Boy Abunda last November 27.
And while some fans deemed the KC-Piolo romance promising because "they look good together," others were doubtful and took a "wait-and-see" attitude.
The singer-actress' confirmation of the breakup didn't come as a surprise.
"I saw it coming," answered 45.87% of the 749 PEPsters that participated in the November 28 poll.
About 25% said, "Nakakaawa si KC," while 10.01% described it as "sayang."
However, 18.27% chose, "I didn't care."
The couple chose to keep mum about the cause of their split.
That did not prevent people from speculating.
Two different versions of the alleged reason why Piolo broke KC's heart have circulated in the inner circles of showbiz.
It's a waste of time to pursue a story based on hearsay.
Sooner or later, the truth will out. But for now, let's give KC and Piolo time to heal.
THE PULSE. The eight published articles about the issue generated a total of 1,571 comments on the site and reactions via e-mail.
One particular letter caught the attention of PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
It was written by Ms. Monin Navarro, president of the KC-Piolo fan club PASIONistas.
We decided to publish it in full, as it gives an overview of "fandom" in the country.
Following is Ms. Navarro's e-mail dated December 5, 2011:
I wasn't going to write this—too much has been said already by too many people.
But as a fan I think I should be heard.
I belong to a group that supports both [KC and Piolo] but these are my personal thoughts and not necessarily the opinion of the group I belong to.
I'm new at this game—being a fan in the Philippines.
Nowhere else in the world are there more fanatical fans than there are in P.I. (sic) Remember the threat to Gerald Anderson's life after he split with Kim Chu?
In the U.S. that fan would have been easily found and charged with threat of bodily harm. In P.I. (sic) his co-fans hailed him/her a hero. No charges were filed.
Are all fans like this? Most definitely not.
There are three levels of fans I've noticed.
The masa fans—the ones that will spend their last peso to watch a movie of their idols. These are the fans that the movie studios cater to because they bring in the money to make the movie a blockbuster.
These are also the fans that are fast to lambast their idols at the first sign [their idol has] feet of clay.
Their minds [are] made up, closed, and no amount of convincing will change [their thinking].
Woe to the actor/actress who falls in love with the wrong person as far as these fans are concerned. They can be fiercely loyal or comically fickle.
Then there are the fans that are movie-based.
If the story line is good, it doesn't matter who the leads are, they'll watch the movie. The studios would love for these fans to increase and multiply so they can churn out quality movies the way they should if they're not only after profit.
Then there are fans that started liking an actor/actress because they are strikingly handsome or stunningly beautiful, but in the process, also discovered that their qualities do not end there—their idols are, in the simplest of terms, good people.
These are the fans that are inspired to do more, to contribute to their idols' charities and to help their advocacies in addition to supporting their projects and endorsements.
This is where I belong...and what do I think about the breakup and the circus that followed?
Stripped of the pathos, innuendoes, malicious tongue wagging and what have we got?
Two people suffering in public, being crucified for being human. It doesn't matter who started what. What's disturbing is people find this public flogging entertaining, and the network is feeding on the frenzy, like shark to bloody bait.
So I say to PJ and Kristina—move on, get on with your lives; this, too, shall pass; that which doesn't kill you will make you stronger. All the clichés are clichés because they are true.
And to this one fan, all that has been said and will be said do not matter, because I know you for who you are and you are far better than all your detractors put together.