What do people know about Nadia Montenegro?
People who lived through the ‘80s would remember her as the young Dyesebel (1990) and the lady who portrayed the life story of Julie Vega+. Nadia was also a Regal baby, noted as one of showbiz's prettiest faces.
In an exclusive interview with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last October 4, she smiled coyly when we mentioned that description. "I don't know how to take compliment kasi, e," she began. "Hindi ko naman dinibdib iyon. Wala...I never used it. I mean, it's nothing."
Those who belong to the ‘90s era would remember her as the young lady who captured the heart of former Caloocan Mayor Macario "Boy" Asistio. When she gave birth to her eldest Ynna 19 years ago, she chose to stay out of the limelight.
She related, "When I started my family, I had to [quit showbiz]. And then it took me a while before Boy had to allow me to do, little by little...Siguro mga eight or ten years din na hindi ako lumalabas noon."
But even if she disappeared from the local entertainment scene, Nadia continued her close ties with friends in showbiz. She aptly described herself as "Mother Goose," whose network in showbiz ranges from the industry's who's who to fellow Regal babies, to the That's Entertainment personalities, to Ang TV kids, and StarStruck alumni.
She told PEP, "I can start from Nora Aunor, who's my kumare, my best friend's mother, and the ninang of Boy's daughter; and Ate Vi [Santos], who's the ninang of my daughter, down to Sharon [Cuneta], who's the ninang of my daughter. Sino ba naman ako? Pero you know that these people, yung isang text mo, 'andiyan."
But what tops her list of friends are the people behind the camera.
She said, "From up there to down, even to the legman from the ‘80s to the photographers, I may not know them by name but by face, you know, when they approach me...Kasi bata pa ako, nagshu-shooting ako, hindi mo ako makikita sa lamesa ng mga artista. Andun ako sa crew, dun ako nakiki-pusoy. Ganun na ako...Bata pa ako, ganun na. Alam ko kung paano makisama."
And then, in the first years of the new millennium, she became visible again in celebrity sport events, like Goma Cup, Nivea Celebrity Challenge, and badminton tournaments. These activities paved the way for more friendships in showbiz. She decided to put up her own events team, and also gave politics a shot.
Nadia played the role of confidante to most of her friends, and ironically, this put her name back on the map of intrigues and controversies.
"In the beginning, wala naman talaga, e," she mused. "It only started when yun nga, yung ke Gretch [Gretchen Barretto]. I got involved with that. Although yung sa personal namin ni Gretch, it's because I was just overprotective of what they were getting into, which everybody knows. And I was kontra from the beginning."
ISSUE WITH GRETCHEN BARRETTO. Nadia's 27 year-old friendship with Gretchen was put to test last February, the month when the hush-hush about La Greta's "affair" with government official Dody Puno grew louder. The item reached PEP and the tabloids.
It will be recalled that the youngest of the Barretto sisters told PEP in an interview with contributor Melba Llanera last February 10: "Soon, ire-reveal ko kung sino ang naglalabas niyan. Tanong ko nga, bakit hindi namamatay ang isyung ito? Dahil pala mayroong isang insider sa showbiz na naglalabas at consistent siya sa mga balita niya. Marami na akong napagtanungan at na-confirm na rin nina Gretchen at Tonyboy.
"Hintayin na lang ninyo na si Gretchen ang magsalita. Hintayin na lang ninyo na lumabas yung pangalan ng artista na ‘yan. Akala pa naman namin kaibigan namin, pero hindi pala. Ever since naman, questionable na ang credibility ng taong ito."
The "artista" that Claudine Barretto was referring to as the culprit of the "Gretchen-Dody sightings" was Nadia. And it was Cristy Fermin, who has a column in five tabloids, who dropped her name.
Nadia narrated, "I think her [Gretchen's] sister asked si Cristy, ‘Bakit mo tinitira si Gretchen? Sino'ng nagsabi sa iyo na me relasyon siya ke ganito, ke ganyan?' Ang unang-unang binitawan ni Cristy, sabi niya: ‘Si Nadia.' Yun lang.
"So, ako naman, kung sinabi niyang si Nadia, sana humingi ka ng pruweba. Sabi niya, may text message daw ako. Until this day, I do not remember forwarding her a message."
The supposed content of the text message allegedly received by Cristy was: "‘Halika, nandito kami sa Serendra, magdala ka ng crew dahil naghahalikan sila.'"
The claim, according to Nadia, caused the fall of her friendship with the controversial actress-recording star. "Naniwala na si Gretchen," she said. "That was how it all started until sumobra, grumabe na iyong away."
In an effort to patch things up between the two women, her sister Tanya Montenegro and Dody Puno located Boy Asistio in a golf course. Based on Nadia's account, "They asked Boy kung puwedeng magkita-kita sa Rembrandt [hotel in Quezon City]." He agreed.
Recalling what Boy told her: ‘Matanda na ako. Tart, haharapin ko ‘tong Cristy Fermin na ‘to. Seventy-one na ako. Haharapin ko ‘to. Ngayon, ‘pag walang napakitang text sa akin ito o pruweba...Pero ‘pag nagpakita, hingi tayo ng pasensiya.'"
At that time, Nadia admitted that she initially gave Cristy the benefit of the doubt, "Kasi baka may nakaligtaan din ako, e. Hindi naman perfect yung memory ko, e." But she stressed in her interview with PEP, "I know in my heart, I did not do that."
Nadia narrated what happened at Rembrandt:
"Nung nasa Rembrandt sila, unang-unang sinabi ni Boy [kay Cristy], ‘'Asa'n yung text?'
"[Sagot ni Cristy], Tito Boy, wala pong text. Tinawagan niya ako.
"So all this time nagkagulo-gulo kami. Sinasabi [niya] may text ako. That's also the first thing I asked Claudine [Barretto], ‘Did you see a text?' ‘No, she just told me that.'
"So parang yun lang yun? Sinabi lang ni Cristy yun ‘tapos naniwala na kayo? Sinabi niyo sa TV na ganito akong tao? So walang text?"
No text message was shown to Boy that fateful night, but Gretchen allegedly secured Nadia's "call transactions."
Nadia continued, "Sinabi ni Gretchen, may transaction sila ng phone ko. But they saw the incoming and outgoing calls ko, I called up Channel 7, Channel 2, may names pa, Ricky Lo, Gorgy [Rulla of Startalk], lahat daw. Samantalang I was also thinking na every time I would call Ricky Lo, grabe na yung issue. Ricky Lo missed calls, gusto kong i-record kasi hindi ako sumasagot."
But it turned out, "Wala rin yung transaction record na sinasabi nila. Nagalit ang asawa ko, ‘Asaan? Wala naman pala, e. Di katarantaduhan lahat ito!' Until Gretchen asked Boy, ‘Please let Nadia come. I wanna fix this.' Tinawagan ako ni Boy, ‘Please, Tart, kayanin mong pumunta dito.' I was already ano...breakdown na ako nun. Akay-akay ako. Dumating akong Rembrandt.
"Pagdating ng Rembrandt, they brought me up to the second floor, ‘I don't know.' Basta mga bodyguards na ang nagdala sa akin sa second floor. Sabi ko, ‘Nasa'n si Boy? Nasa'n si Boy?' He's downstairs. Until my phone rang, ‘Tart, nasa'n ka? Umakyat ka dito. Halika dito.'
"Sabi niya, ‘Nakikusap si Cristy kung puwede ka niyang solohin.' Sabi ko, ‘Ayoko nang makita ang pagmumukha niya!"
And even if it was against her will, Nadia agreed. When she came face to face with Cristy that night, Nadia remembered the emotions brewing inside her: "Me feeling na, ‘Anong ginawa ko sa iyo? Ba't mo ginulo ang buhay ko?'
"Umupo siya, sabi pa sa ‘kin, ‘O, umiiyak ka pa diyan.' Ginanun ako. Sabi ko, ‘Anong ginawa ko sa iyo? Anong kasalanan ko sa iyo?' Umupo siya sa tabi ko, hinawakan niya ako, ‘Anak, pasensiya na, trabaho lang. Kredibilidad ko ‘to, e.' Sabi ko, ‘Ano? E, mga anak ko? So parang, she was practically putting words to my mouth, asking me to admit that I did text her.
And the dialogue based on Nadia's recollection:
Nadia: Hindi ko matandaan. Akin na, patingin.
Cristy: Di ka nag-text sa akin, anak. Tumawag ka.
Nadia: Anong sinabi ko sa iyo?
Cristy: Sinabi mo ganito...
Nadia: ‘Nay, hindi ko sinabi iyan! Wala akong ginawang ganyan.
In her previous inteviews and statements, Nadia never revealed that she had a brief talk with Cristy. She told PEP, "Ngayon ko lang sinabi iyon. Ni hindi ko sinabi sa The Buzz iyon." She was referring to her September 27 interview with Boy Abunda. And again, she stressed: "But I know in my heart, wala akong ginawa."
The former Regal baby chose not to give details about her confrontation with Gretchen at the hotel. "I don't want to elaborate on what happened to me and Gretchen that night," she said. "Pumasok na silang lahat. It wasn't good. It wasn't good. Nagawa't nasabi ko na'ng lahat ng nagawa ko. Hindi na maganda yung nangyari."
She continued, "And then, so umalis kami ni Boy. Alam mo, going down the stairs, parang okay na ‘ko. Bumaba ako. Umuwi kami.
"Until everything came out. They're saying na nasiraan na ako ng bait. At nag-agree daw si Boy na ipadala ako sa Amerika dahil sira daw ang ulo ko. How I wished somebody just recorded what happened there but I know I came out the winner."
Nadia lost one close friend that night. She actually described the entire hubbub with Gretchen as "the biggest disappointment."
At the height of the controversy, one of the thoughts that plagued Nadia was, "CD was coming out, that's all I could think of. A CD was coming out!"They needed the [promo]. Somebody told me na she was having so much bad, bad, bad write-up na they had to divert.
She added with a mocking laugh, "Sana man lang sinabihan ako para tumulong na rin ako sa promo, di ba?"
And at press time, her stand on the possibility of reconciliation is unyielding, "My friends know me, e, and in fact, if I do give in, I mean, kung magbabati kami, ang daming mawawala sa friends ko, na parang talagang they know na, "Nad, kapag isang beses pa ulit...coz they know naman the truth, e. Hindi ko ugaling manumbat. Hindi ko rin ugaling magbilang ng pabor na ginawa ko."
Quite gravely, she added: "Hanggang dun na lang yun. I don't wanna feel that hurt ever again."
Nadia did not only lose a friend that night. She gained an "enemy."
Part 2: Why did Nadia Montenegro describe Cristy Fermin as "walang budhi"?