Sa mahabang aria ni Sharon Cuneta sa Facebook, pinatunayan niyang blood (or is it blood relation?) is thicker than water:
“We all say things we regret every once in a while. We are all only human, after all. We forgive because we know how it feels to ask for forgiveness.
“I am sure that just like I and many others, we sometimes mention things that we do not mean to include the entire population in or about.
“Madami pong single mothers, single fathers. Hindi lahat ay mapagmahal at maaruga.
“Pero NAPAKARAMI namang single parents na ibibigay ang lahat maging ang sariling buhay para lamang sa ikaliligaya at ikabubuti ng anak.
“I MYSELF was a single mother. My two beloved cousins whom I consider true sisters, mga anak mismo ng kilala ko bilang ‘Fath’ at ‘Daddy,’ at kilala n’yo bilang Tito Sen o Sen. Sotto, ay single mothers din.
“Bakit naman niya babalahurain ang mga tulad naming mahal niya kung ‘yun nga ang pakay niya?
“As his ‘panganay,’ and without even having spoken with him about this, I offer my sincerest and deepest apologies sa lahat po ng nasaktan at na-offend ng comment niya.
“Minsan po siguro, lahat tayo ay nauuna sa pag-iisip ang pagsasalita. At tulad po ng narinig ko ngayon lang, humingi na rin siya ng paumanhin.
“Sana po ay matuto tayong magpatawad. Lahat po tayo ay nagkakamali.
“At lahat tayo ay nangangailangan din po ng patawad sa anumang nagawa natin para makasakit ng kapwa, sadya man natin o hindi.
“Huwag po sana kayo magalit sa akin o masamain ito. Lahat ng anak ay nasasaktan din.
“Lahat ng Ate ay dumudugo ang puso kapag ang kapatid — ang akin ay si Ciara Anna — ay nadadamay sa pagkakamali ng ama. Napakatinong babae po ng mga kapatid ko.
“Si Ciara ay di pa natatapos sa pagluluksa, pagluha, sa sakit na di nya inaasahang dadanasin pala niya.
“Patawad po. At maawa po sana kayo. Please spare her, like other good single mothers who were surely not meant to be included in a single, unthought of moment.
“Maraming salamat po. And if you believe in any word I have stood by to you over four decades, believe me please when I say that yes, Sen. Sotto is not perfect and is only human just like us. But he is a good husband, father, and a person with a darn good heart.
“Again, I am so sorry on his behalf. And thank you so much for reading this.
“This is the first and the last time I will be addressing this issue as I have said everything I have already had to say about it. Thank you for your understanding.
“God bless you, God bless us all. (I love you, Daddy.) Tito Sotto Gian Sotto Diorella Sotto-Antonio Kiko Pangilinan.”
***
Sharon, Sharon, sharon, as someone who I Idolized you for the longest time, ang masasabi ko lang sa mahaba mong aria, I cannot believe what I have just read.
To say that (and I am sure some of the Sharonians are in agreement with me, and most of the single mothers out there) we are disappointed with this post is an UNDERSTATEMENT.
I will try to rise above my feeling of discontent. Hindi pa rin ako talaga makapaniwala.