*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
Before I met Katrina Paula personally, I must admit that I did not particularly like her.
I had watched some of her interviews. Her provocative remarks, sexy image, and the intrigues surrounding her public life had shaped my impression. I thought I had seen enough to form an opinion.
Then we sat down and talked.
As our conversation moved into law, politics, and impeachment, that opinion began to change. I found myself listening more closely. I saw potential, an intellect behind the teasing remarks, and an interest in understanding what is happening to our country.
Napaisip ako: gaano karami kaya ang hindi ko nakita dahil nakabuo na ako agad ng opinyon tungkol sa kanya?
Our common friend, Gina Aquino-Aspiras, whom I know as Mrs. Philippines-Universe 2005 and a founding officer of the Doktor ng Masa Movement, introduced us. We were exploring a collaboration as hosts of Talakayan sa Timog, a planned weekly media forum at D’Baristroe in Timog, Quezon City.
That introduction gave me an opportunity to discover a side of Katrina I had previously overlooked.
This playful quotation captured the spirit of our exchange:
“The law is like sex, darling: it touches ordinary lives, yet some professionals act as though they own the subject. If you think my interpretation is wrong, show me why. Flashing your credentials isn’t enough to satisfy a curious mind.”
It is naughty enough to catch attention. Yet the political insight beneath it was what stayed with me: understanding the law and engaging in its interpretation should be open to ordinary citizens, too.
Lawyers bring professional expertise. Citizens, meanwhile, have every reason to study, question, and discuss the laws that govern their lives. A person’s interpretation deserves to be examined through reasoning rather than dismissed simply because that person lacks legal credentials.
That does not make every interpretation correct. It makes explanation essential.
Katrina’s point, as I understood it, concerned participation: who gets heard, whose questions receive a serious answer, and whether ordinary people are made to feel welcome in discussions about public affairs.
Para sa akin, doon lumitaw ang lalim ng kanyang pananaw. Behind the playful language was a democratic idea with real meaning. The law reaches into our homes, our work, our freedoms, and our responsibilities. It is natural for people to want to understand it and express a view about what it means.
That was the intellect I began to appreciate. She had put an important thought into language that could make people laugh and then make them think.
Our discussion of impeachment and politics took on a deeper ideological dimension: how we understand authority, accountability, fairness, and the society we want to build. I did not need to agree with every interpretation to recognize that the person offering it deserved to be heard.
May nakita akong talino at malasakit sa bayan na hindi ko napansin sa mga interview niya. Our conversation opened my eyes to how incomplete my earlier impression had been.
Our second meeting made that appreciation more personal.
My vehicle was subject to number coding that day, and Katrina drove me back to my residence. I appreciated her taking the time to bring me home. The traffic gave us an opportunity to continue our discussion.
In the backseat was Pia Moran, the actress and dancer widely known as Miss Body Language, whom I think of as our Body Language Queen. She was there as a witness to a conversation that made the journey more enjoyable.
Habang mabagal ang usad ng mga sasakyan, lalong naging masarap ang usapan. Serious reflections mixed with humor, and the exchange felt easy. I had another chance to appreciate Katrina’s views in an ordinary setting, away from the formality of a meeting.
There was something quietly meaningful about that ride. The woman I had once judged through interviews was now bringing me home while sharing a lively conversation about our country.
The first meeting opened my eyes to her intellect. The second gave me a warmer appreciation of her character.
I also valued her willingness to give her time while our forum was still taking shape. In our meetings, her involvement did not feel dependent on a talent fee. I felt that she appreciated the conversation, the partnership, and the possibility of building something worthwhile.
Artists deserve compensation for their work. Her openness to participating during these early discussions nevertheless meant something to me. May pagpapahalaga siya sa samahan at sa layunin ng aming binubuo.
In the way she treated me, shared her thoughts, and extended her kindness, I saw integrity and class. Her playful confidence carried dignity, and her kindness earned my respect.
Many viewers first knew Katrina through films such as Selda 14: Mga Babaeng Makasalanan in 1998, Strip Show, Indayog sa Gabi in 1999, Bala sa Bala in 2000, and Venus: Diosa ng Kagandahan in 2001. GMA also identified Sa Iyo ang Sarap, Akin ang Hirap among the films associated with her rise during that era.
Her public life has included difficult headlines. In 2011, she faced allegations connected with the Raymond Dominguez case, but PEP reported that the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the car theft with homicide complaint against her for insufficient evidence linking her to participation in the crime. In 2023, she publicly disputed Sabrina M.’s account of a long-term relationship with the late Rico Yan, becoming part of a widely reported exchange of personal claims.
Those stories form part of her public history. Other accounts deserve attention, too.
In June 2024, PEP reported that Katrina offered space in her Quezon City building as a possible home for members of the Golden Gays. She connected their situation with her own experience of being forced to leave a rented home. The report documented her offer, although it did not confirm that the proposed housing arrangement had been completed.
Claudine Barretto also publicly thanked her in November 2024 for visiting and supporting her during a difficult period. A 2018 GMA feature described how Katrina worked in Japan when film opportunities declined and supported her children’s education. These accounts give substance to a portrait of friendship, perseverance, and responsibility.
My own encounters added an appreciation of her political curiosity and personal thoughtfulness.
Two meetings cannot reveal everything about a person. They can reveal enough to make us reconsider an assumption. I had formed my judgment before giving Katrina much opportunity to show me how she thinks.
Hindi porke mapangahas magsalita ang isang tao ay mababaw na siyang mag-isip. Hindi rin porke sexy ang kanyang imahe ay wala na siyang pakialam sa bayan.
Intellect, nationalism, and patriotism can find expression in personalities very different from our own. Their substance becomes clearer when we listen to people’s views, examine their reasoning, and observe how they act on their concern for others.
That lesson will stay with me as we prepare for Talakayan sa Timog.
Our planned weekly forum will discuss politics, sports, show business, and issues affecting ordinary Filipinos. We intend to keep the discussions balanced and nonpartisan, giving guests room to explain their positions while asking fair and meaningful questions.
With Katrina, there will be humor, teasing, and an occasionally naughty or sexy dimension. Puwedeng may kilig, tawanan, at makulit na tanong. There will also be opportunities to pause, listen closely, and pursue an answer that deserves further thought.
The insight from our conversation belongs at the heart of that undertaking: people should feel welcome to ask, interpret, disagree, and seek an explanation. Our responsibility as hosts will be to help make those exchanges thoughtful and worthwhile.
At Talakayan sa Timog, you may discover a side of Katrina Paula that you have rarely had the chance to see.
For me, that discovery began across a table and continued in a car caught in traffic, with Pia Moran in the backseat.
I arrived at our first meeting with reservations. After our conversations, I found curiosity, respect, and a reason to believe that we could build something worthwhile together.
Akala ko, kilala ko na siya.
Mabuti na lamang, nagkaroon kami ng pagkakataong mag-usap.
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