Brouhaha over Kris' choice for president.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Raul J. Palabrica

WHAT is it about Kris Aquino that when she talks about something that is outside of her field of expertise, entertainment, she lands on the front page of the Inquirer or other newspapers?

Two months ago, Kris hogged the headlines with her revelation that Paranaque City Mayor Joey Marquez pulled a gun on her when they had a lovers' quarrel and that he had infected her with a sexually transmitted disease. That confession made Kris a virtual poster girl for abused women in the country.

All that drama came to naught however when she withdrew the criminal complaints she filed against Marquez after the latter declared on nationwide television that he did not call her a liar and he apologized for whatever hurts he may have caused her.

The Inquirer's coverage of le Kris-Joey affaire came under fire from many readers. They disapproved of the front-page treatment given to the charges and counter-charges of the two "kiss-and-tell" personalities. The readers felt the newspaper acted like a tabloid in its coverage of that scandal.

Last week, history repeated itself in the Nov. 22 and 23 issues of the Inquirer. The banner of the first edition of the Nov. 22 issue read: "Kris goes for opposition." The accompanying story related her alleged decision to support the presidential candidate of the opposition in the 2004 elections. A photo of Kris and Sen. Panfilo Lacson leaving the restaurant where that endorsement was supposedly hatched occupied almost half of the front page.