Saturday, July 12, 2008

Tom Babauta

While reading about the 30 Top Female Bloggers, I realized that one of those who compiled the list was named Leo Babauta. Hmmm. Of course, I recalled Tom Babauta. So where was he? I searched and got mostly Ige Ramos. Until this from dyesebel:
Filmography


Actor:

1. Strangers in Paradise (1983)
I couldn't stop laughing when someone requested pictures of Tom Babauta. Yes that gay icon of a hunk in the 70s, who was imported from Hawaii to star with teenage actress Snooky Serna in Stranger in Paradise, apparently to match the Maricel Soriano-Danni Vanni [another hot import who got famous locally in a TVC mixing his Sarsi cola with egg, for crying out loud!] tandem.
Tom Babauta in local gayspeak means "I'm hungry" apparently a take on gutom [hungry] . But in the 70s Tom Babauta was a person, a B-list actor famous for that urban legend about his schlong. For years, nothing much has been heard about Tom. Apparently he was the toast of Manila in 70s showbiz for having, well, a big moa kākala or manu kamaāina. Rumors abound that he was the male model in that big painting in the abandoned Film Center about that naked Filipino in the myth Malakas at Maganda, with Coca Nicolas as the female counterpart.
[To digress a bit, Coca Nicolas was one of the three softdrinks beauties then who lorded it over at the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. The three, Coca, Pepsi Paloma, and Sarsi Emmanuel starred in the disturbing sexploitation flick Snake Sisters, which was remade years later with Sunshine Cruz as one of the sisters. Snake Sisters told the story of three cloistered and skimpily-clad mountain maidens who competitively fornicate with the visiting lowland hunk, to the point of murder. Plausibly, this movie spawned the Tagalog idiom inahas which meant inagaw as in Inahas mo asawa ko! And no, there were no softdrink beauties by the name of RC Rosal or Fres Gusto Francisco!]


Back to Tom Babauta. He is now a married man, employed at the Hawaii Employee Assistance Services [HEAS]. Picture below is a recent photo of the hunk. Here's more info about the guy, from the HEAS website:



"Tom received his masters in Social Work on 1994 and has worked in the mental health field in various capacities. Tom started his career with Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse as psychiatric social worker and moved to Psychiatric Social Worker supervisor position.
Currently, Tom oversees the Division of Special Education Program for students with Emotional Disabilities. Tom is a licensed Individual, Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice with Family Pacific.
Tom is married to Bobbie San Nicolas and is the proud father of 4 children. His two oldest children have developmental delays. Tom is actively involved in the disability community. He has served as the Chairman for the Guam Developmental Disabilities Council for the last three years. Tom also is a member of the Guam System of Care Council and Vice Chairman for Guam Mental Health Planning Council."


I'm not so sure how old he is now, but judging from the studio picture, he still would work wonders in local showbiz, just in case he wants to come back.





Tom Babauta.JPG
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Friday, July 11, 2008