GRACE LEE, P-NOY CROSSED PATHS AT
112th ANNIVERSARY OF MANILA BULLETIN
[PHOTO - PRESIDENTIAL ENCOUNTER:
President Benigno S. Aquino III and the girl he is currently dating, Manila
Bulletin columnist Grace Lee, leave no room between them as they arrive at the
112th anniversary celebration of the Manila Bulletin at the publishing firm's
head office in Intramuros, Manila, Thursday night, Feb. 2, 2012. (Photo by RICHARD V. VIÑAS)
MANILA, FEBRUARY 4, 2012 (BULLETIN) Following their admission that
they are dating, President Benigno S. Aquino III and TV and radio personality
Grace Lee crossed paths at the 112th anniversary celebration of the Manila
Bulletin last night in Intramuros, Manila.
The President was the guest of honor at the occasion also attended by Lee,
who writes a column in the Manila Bulletin's Entertainment Section.
Lee, who is born of Korean parents but grew up in the Philippines, is also
showbiz news presenter of GMA News TV's noontime newscast "Balitanghali" and
hosts a radio program.
The President was seated beside Manila Bulletin Chairman Dr. Emilio T. Yap
and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio
"Sonny" Coloma when Lee arrived in a red dress at the Penthouse of the Manila
Bulletin at 6:45 p.m.
[PHOTO - The Photo circulating on the Internet]
Aquino stood from his seat and pecked Lee on the cheek, offering her a seat.
The President stayed for a few more minutes chatting with the other VIPs
attending the event while the other guests had their pictures taken with Lee.
Finally, Aquino stood from his seat with the Presidential Security Group
(PSG) in tow.
He waited for Lee, going down with her on the elevator.
Both President Aquino and Lee had admitted on Wednesday that they are dating.
"Well, we're seeing each other," was the bachelor President's reply when
asked on the real score between him and Grace Lee.
He however did not disclose other details, invoking his right to privacy.
On Wednesday, Lee confirmed she is dating the Chief Executive in
Balitanghali, wherein she presents the Starbites segment.
She said the country's first-ever bachelor President is "very simple and
truthful."
FROM ABS-CBN
Who is Grace Lee? ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at
02/02/2012 12:32 PM | Updated as of 02/02/2012 12:41 PM
[Grace Lee was at No. 57 on FHM's list of 100 Sexiest Women in the
World, which is based on fan votes.]
MANILA, Philippines -- Now that President Benigno Aquino III himself
confirmed that he and TV personality and radio DJ Grace Lee are seeing each
other, all eyes are on the 29-year-old Korean.
Aquino and Lee made it to the top local trending topics of microblogging site
Twitter on Thursday, a day after the President's admission. The hashtag #Grace
Lee was at No. 7 while #PNoy ranked eighth on the list on Thursday morning.
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, netizens welcomed the news of
the budding romance.
"PNoy dating Grace Lee.....Go for it Mr. President, your (sic) better off
with her than your Porsche ;-D," tweeted user Del Valdes.
"Just in time for the VDay♥ go PNoy!" tweeted user Lui R.
"Ah, Mr. President... I may disagree with some of your policies, but I'm
happy for you re Grace Lee," tweeted user Dax Lucas.
Blogger Professional Heckler also couldn't help but notice: "Eh 'yong
kinikilig na smile ni Presidente kanina when asked about the real score between
him and Grace Lee?"
The President confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that he and Lee are seeing
each other, but refused to give more details.
Lee one of FHM's 100 Sexiest Women
While Aquino first met Lee only last year, during the inauguration of the
Korea Electric Power Corp. power plant in Cebu, Lee has already caught the fancy
of many Filipino men.
On that issue, FHM wrote: "Anytime with Good Times co-host Grace Lee is
indubitably a good time. She's been a media darling because of her gorgeous
Korean features and bombshell body, and too modest a personality, Ms. Lee is a
Grade A, a classy woman who's got the brains to match the body."
There is even a Facebook page called "We want Grace Lee to be in the cover of
FHM," which was set up after Lee supposedly said that she would agree to grace
the cover of the popular men's magazine if she makes it to the top of the 100
Sexiest Women list.
While Lee never agreed to be on FHM's cover, she did appear in another men's
magazine, UNO, wearing an unbuttoned white polo dress to reveal a pinstriped
satin slip, showing plenty of cleavage.
"I'm Korean in blood, but definitely Filipino in nature. Totoo 'yan," Lee
told the magazine.
Lee was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea and moved to the Philippines
when she was 10 because of her father's business. She finished her high school
at St. Paul's College in Pasig City, where she had studied since Grade 3. She
took up Communication Arts at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Even then, Lee was already a beauty. She won third place in the Miss Chinese
International pageant held in Hong Kong, according to her profile in a
newspaper.
Before becoming a TV and radio personality in 2007, Lee actually got to work
at Malacañang as an official interpreter.
News broke on Twitter
The news about Lee and Aquino first came out after her "Good Times"
co-host Mo Twister, who is currently in the United States, said on his Twitter
account: "We are talking about Grace Lee's date last night with President
Aquino. #itsmorefuninthephilippines."
This after a certain Adrian Abella tweeted Mo Twister: "Just asked Grace Lee
if it's true that she had dinner with President Aquino. She said she did."
Lee initially denied a newspaper report claiming that she admitted dating
Aquino. "I never said we dated. Nor did I say we are text mates. Nor that he
comes to visit me," she said on Twitter.
But after Aquino's admission on Wednesday, Lee was quoted as saying, "What
the President said is true."
Kris excited to meet Lee
This is not the first time Lee's name has been linked to the Aquino family.
In 2010, there have been blind items linking her to James Yap, who was at
that time still married to Kris Aquino, the president's youngest sister.
Lee, however, vehemently denied the rumors, telling the Manila Bulletin at
the time that she and Yap have never been introduced to each other and that they
just happened to go to the same beauty salon.
This particular issue obviously fizzled out since Kris doesn't seem bothered
by the news of her brother and Lee.
Kris even revealed that the President has already introduced Lee to one of
their sisters.
"My ate has met her. Hindi ko pa siya nakikilala but my ate has really nice
words to say about her so I'm so looking forward to also meeting her," Kris told
ABS-CBN News.
There were also rumors linking Lee to other politicians, which she also
denied. However, she did admit on TV at that time that she cried over such
issues.
But this time around, Lee is said to be more prepared to face public
scrutiny.
Her manager Arnold Vegafria told ABS-CBN News that Lee is obviously inspired
these days.
"Based on my observation with Grace, iba yung spark niya ngayon. Iba ang
smile niya when she talked to me about this," Vegafria said.
FLASHBACK: YEAR 2010
Grace Lee on James Yap: 'We were never introduced'
Saturday, July 24, 2010 2:34 PM Pinoy G No comments Showbiz Eye by
Gerry Plaza Special to Yahoo! Southeast Asia
[PHOTO - GRACE LEE Photo courtesy of
GMA-7]
As Kris Aquino's nullity of marriage case appears to go full steam, with her
lawyers revealing its strong case against James Yap –notably a claim that the
talk show host-actress' grounds for separation would "shock" the public — there
are developments in the story that would not help James' cause to avoid such
proceedings and save their marriage.
Such is the emergence of another claim, which was published on gossip columns
in the form of blind items that James was spotted in a beauty salon with a
popular Korean TV news anchor, host and radio DJ. In yet another twist to this
story, Grace Lee comes into this sordid picture.
According to the reports, James and Grace were allegedly seen in the beauty
parlor "together."
Grace, who hosts the GMA-7 morning talent show "Diz Iz It" and anchors
showbiz segments on QTV-11's "News on Q" and the weekend "24 Oras" edition,
denied this.
In a text message to Yahoo! Southeast Asia, Grace puts that particular "link"
to James in proper perspective.
"We go to the same parlor. That's it," Grace said.
Grace further revealed that while they were in the same room, there was no
chance by any figment of imagination that they came and left the establishment
"together" at the time.
"We were never introduced. Although I saw him there twice, (there were) no
hellos or anything."
Grace would not relish the idea of being on the list of purported girlfriends
of the basketball star while he was very much married to the TV talk show host
and actress.
For her, it's downright absurd.
Grace is very much happy with her real romance, a Seoul-based Korean book
publisher whom she met through a friend. She said she met him right after
graduating from the Ateneo when he visited Manila for a business trip.
Also the popular DJ, who hosts the widely followed "Good Times" radio program
wherein she shares the top billing with fellow DJs Mo Twister and Mojo Jojo,
said her relationship with her boyfriend began "way before" she first started
her career in media.
And, she doesn't mince words in describing her unnamed partner in a previous
chat with this sleepless blogger.
"He was my boyfriend before I started and he sees the transition I'm going
through," Grace said. "He's proud of what I've achieved and he's also worried,
which is why he's trying to be my guide if I'm going off track emotionally,
mentally."
"He is such a strength for me. He's such a rock in my life. He holds me down.
He makes sure I'm level headed at times when I might not be. He always pulls me
down to the ground whenever he feels that when something good that is happening
in my life might carry me away too much. He makes sure I'm very down to earth,"
Grace added.
Grace said she looks forward to marrying her boyfriend, although not in the
immediate future. According to her, she would like her future family, with four
children, to permanently settle in Manila.
Gerry Plaza is a longtime entertainment editor and writer who would not like
to get "linked" to Megan Fox, especially in tabloid blind items, Perez Hilton,
or worse TMZ, just because we were seen beside each other in the LAX arrival
area. Totally absurd…
Story lifted from Yahoo!News, photo from
unomagazine.com.ph. Pinoygroundzero holds no copyright over this/these
material/s.
FROM GLOBALPOST: ON SOUTHEAST
ASIA
The Philippine president's new girlfriend is a wacky radio DJ
BY Patrick WinnFebruary 1, 2012 23:59
Confirmed: Korean-born morning zoo host dating bachelor
president
[PHOTO - Grace Lee, a Korean-born radio personality living in Manila,
has confirmed she's dating the Philippines' bachelor President Benigno Aquino
III. (Facebook)]
Meet the Philippine president's new girlfriend, Grace Lee, a milk-skinned,
Korean-born host of a morning zoo-style radio show in Manila.
The cheesy plot of "Love Actually" appears to be playing out in Manila with
President Benigno Aquino III reprising Hugh Grant's role: bachelor head of state
smitten with sexy commoner.
The pair have confirmed their romance, according to the Associated Press (and
every gossip site in the Philippines.)
The president, who has made a futile request for "privacy" regarding his new
girlfriend, has even introduced her to his family, according to Manila's ABS-CBN
news. And Grace's manager, ignoring Aquino's privacy request, divulged that her
eyes "sparkle" when she speaks of the president.
How this coupling will play out politically is yet to be seen. Celebrities
and politicians in the Philippines are sometimes one and the same (boxer Manny
Pacquiao is a congressman) and politics are covered in tabloid fashion.
Devout Catholics might not like that the president is dating a presenter on a
goofy, irreverent radio show in which hosts drink pee for charity. (I'm
referring to Grace's co-host, Mojo. You can find this post on her Facebook wall,
she posted: "Oh Lord... he did it! it downed his urine!!!!)
Some Filipino guys might dig the fact their leader is dating a 29-year-old.
(He's almost 52.)
Young women might dig the fact that an assertive, fashionable female (who
recently hosted a show called "Diz Iz It!") has the president's ear.
Grace certainly personifies the region's ideal of modern female beauty:
slender, fair skin, etc. (I cite, as my source, every soap opera and shampoo
commercial televised in Southeast Asia.)
If they remain an item for some time, the voting public in the
Catholic-majority Philippines may expect given them to marry and procreate.
Is she the future first lady of the Philippines?
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
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