NOEL FERRER
Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, eksklusibong nakapanayam ng PEP Troika si Miggy Buenavista-Bautista, ang boyfriend ng unica hija nina Congressman Richard Gomez at Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez na si Juliana Gomez.
Nakausap namin si Miggy sa inauguration nina Richard at Lucy sa Ormoc City Superdome kahapon, June 28, 2022.
Read: Who is Miggy Bonnevie-Bautista in Juliana Gomez's life?
“This is my very first media interview, Tito,” bungad ni Miggy sa amin.
Pero sabi namin sa kanya, this will be a happy one, painless, and a family talk.
Si Miggy ay 20 years old. Third year na siya sa kursong BS Legal Management sa Ateneo de Manila University.
Nagkakilala sila ni Juliana sa fencing training at competition sa Ormoc.
Nang minsang nag-alok ng tubig si Juliana sa grupo, pabirong tumanggi si Miggy para raw maiba at mapansin na rin.
Nang kausapin namin si Juliana noong isang araw, nabanggit ko ang mga pamantayan (at checklist na rin) kung OK ang kasama/karelasyon/kaibigan mo):
1. You are at your best — gumagaling ka! Sabi ni Juliana, check ito. Ayon naman kay Miggy, tama ito, pareho silang gumagaling, lalo na sa paborito nilang sport na fencing.
2. You are kinder, a better person. Totoo rin ito. Pabirong sabi sa akin ni Juliana na mas mabait sa kanya si Miggy, pero oo, mas nagiging mabait sila dahil sa isa’t isa.
3. You make God part of the relationship. Totoo ito. Hangga’t kaya ay nagsisimba sila online together (dahil na-lockdown sila sa Ormoc noong pandemic), at mahalaga sa kanila pareho ang pagdarasal.
4. Integration with family and friends. Maganda ang pakikitungo nina Goma at Lucy kay Miggy, at lagi raw silang nariyan para rito especially during the lowest times noong pandemic. Si Juliana naman daw ay naipakilala na rin ni Miggy sa kanyang magulang at kapatid at cool naman daw sila.
Read: Juliana Gomez, di pormal na ipinakilala sa mga magulang ang boyfriend na si Miggy Bautista
5. You try to look good and be your best self. Sabi ni Miggy, malaki ang naitulong sa kanya ni Juliana bilang stylist niya kaya mas maayos na raw siyang magdamit at magdala ng kanyang sarili.
Napakarami pang naikuwento ni Miggy sa PEP Troika at kalmado lang siya at masayang nilalang, di ba?
GORGY RULA
Ang cool tingnan ng magkasintahang Miggy at Juliana.
Nung in-interview si Miggy ng PEP Troika pagkatapos ng oath taking nina Congressman Richard Gomez at Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, parang nagkagulo ang mga pinsan ni Juliana na tila natatawa silang celebrity na ang dating ni Miggy at ini-interview na ito.
Nakita ko si Juliana na napatakip ng mukha nang ini-interview namin ang nobyo.
Sabi nga ni Miggy, hindi niya naramdaman ang intimidation dahil pamilya ng kilalang celebrity ang pakikisamahan niya. Ramdam daw niya kasing tanggap na tanggap siya.
“They’re very welcoming people. I never felt like alienated it any way. I really do feel like I’m welcomed in their home.
“We spend a lot of time with them also,” nakangiting pahayag ni Miggy.
Pero ito palang si Miggy, bukod sa pagiging athlete ay celebrity na ring maituturing dahil pamangkin siya ni Dina Bonnevie.
Bonnevie ang middle name niya dahil magpinsan ang mommy niya at si Ms. D.
The PEP Troika with Miggy Bautista
JERRY OLE
Friends ba sina Juliana Gomez at Sandro Marcos?
“We say hi and hello to each other, when, you know, we bump into each other at events,” kaswal na tugon ni Juliana nang mainterbyu ng PEP Troika noong Hunyo 26, Linggo ng gabi, sa Ormoc Museum.
“Yeah, but I haven’t seen him since after elections. I think he’s busy na as congressman.”
Nakaramdam ba siya ng anxiety o depression nitong nakaraang dalawang taon na lumaganap nang lubos ang pandemya?
Mabilis na sagot ni Juliana, “No, no, I wasn’t anxious because I was lucky enough to be with my parents here in Ormoc.
“If anything, we were able to spend more time with my mom’s side, my lola and lolo, my little cousins, my mom’s siblings.
“So we were lucky that we had a beautiful life. That’s a privilege.”
Naging plantita ba siya?
“You know what? I was for a month. And then my plants died,” natatawang sambit ni Juliana.
“Besides the plantita thing, I started cooking and baking. Yes, I love to cook but I’m not confident enough to cook for my family.
“Pag minsan lang. It comes naturally to my dad. But for me, it’s really when I bake that I’m at peace.
“I like to make bread. I like to make ice cream. So, dad’s in charge of dinner, and I’m in charge of dessert.”
Nagba-volleyball si Juliana sa UP Diliman. Pero dahil ipinagbawal ang contact sports na gaya ng volleyball sa panahon ng COVID-19 pandemic, natuon ang pansin ni Juliana sa fencing na isa sa sports na allowed.
“I guess, I don’t know, it’s a combat sport, not really a contact sport. So, I did it just to stay active,” lahad ni Juliana.
“Coz I also gained so much weight my first year in UP, coz the food’s so good there, yeah…
“Slowly, I realized, ‘Oh, wow! Fencing feels right for me!’ Parang I really developed like a passion for it.
“Coz I’ll admit, I really don’t have the talent for fencing. But there was something about the sport that made me put the hard work talaga.
“It’s so cool because I started at the same time with kids my age.”
Sa kanyang ama rin nakuha ni Juliana ang passion sa fencing — na naging daan upang magtagpo sila ng kasintahan niyang Miggy Bonnevie-Bautista.
Gaano na sila katagal ni Miggy?
“Ahh… almost two years.”
Oh, pandemic boyfriend?
“Yeah.”
Habang iniinterbyu namin si Juliana, pasulyap-sulyap si Miggy. Nang si Miggy naman ang kausapin ng PEP Troika noong Hunyo 28, Martes, sa Ormoc City Superdome, patingin-tingin si Juliana.
Part ng national team ng fencing si Miggy.
“We just finished SEA Games and then we came from Korea two weeks ago for the Asian Fencing Championships,” sabi ng binata, na magtu-21 years old sa Oktubre.
Mas matanda si Juliana nang isang buwan kay Miggy. Siya ba ang naka-influence kay Juliana para magpursigi ito sa fencing?
“That’s what she told me. She said me that she wasn’t super-serious but then you know, seeing the national team come to Ormoc a few years ago really inspired her to take a fencing lesson,” tugon ni Miggy.
Na-inspire din si Miggy kay Juliana at sa mga magulang nito.
Aniya, “Ahhm, I like to think that I’m more goal-driven, you know, like… because, you know, being around such inspiring people you know — Tita Lucy, Tito Richard.
“With all the things that they’re doing, it just inspires you to do so much more with your life, you know.
“So, wala lang, you know, I’m just trying to aim high. Take it day by day.”
Siyempre, naging bonding nila ni Juliana ang fencing.
“Yeah, we do. We practice a lot, sometimes in our house, sometimes kaming dalawa lang.”
What about Goma, Juliana’s dad?
“Yeah, sometimes we fence with him also.”
Sino sa kanila ni Juliana ang mas competitive?
“I like to think we’re the same amount of competitive. But she gets pikon. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Paano ba sila nagkakilala?
Napangiti si Miggy, “Paano kami nagkakilala? Ahhm, yun nga, the national team went to Ormoc for training.
“One time, I was sitting at the stage here in the oval, and then she went up to me and my team and asked us if we wanted, like, a bottle of water.
“And then, I said ‘no’ kunwari para… para maiba naman!
“Kasi siyempre, the normal answer is like, ‘Yes, can I have some, please?’ But I said ‘no’ para pansinin naman niya ako.”
And the rest is… pandemic romance.