Weathering intrigues, Pacman’s lady shines in her newest magazine cover. Here’s what happened behind the scenes of the shoot SHE’S MARRIED TO the man who’s being touted as the greatest fighter in the world and is a Filipino national hero. Naturally, she’s sharing the blessings of the incredible fortune he’s amassing—she collects designer bags now, and is endorsing the products and services of surgeon to the stars Vicki Belo.
That’s why Jinkee Pacquiao, also known as “Pacman” Manny Pacquiao’s better half, is looking great these days—enough reason in itself for Look, the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle Inquirer glossy mag, to put her on the cover.
With fame and fortune, however, come the usual intrigues, and finding out how Jinkee copes with the downside of being a celebrity made her an even more attractive cover subject for Look’s November-December holiday issue.
“For this issue, we wanted to do away with the usual models and actresses for a change,” says Look editor-in-chief Melanie Cuevas. “Our readers are keen on substance as well as beauty, so we felt they would be interested in reading about Jinkee and her lifestyle, and how she deals with newfound fame. After all, she’s married to the most famous man in the country! What could that possibly be like?”
Jinkee graciously agreed to the shoot, which was scheduled just a few days after Tropical Storm “Ondoy” whipped Manila, and which saw her heading straight to the studio after flying in from General Santos City.
Photographer Lilen Uy was waiting for her, with stylist Kat Cruz, writer Ana Santos, makeup artist Robbie Pi?era, hair stylist Raymond Santiago of L’Oreal Professionnel, the Look staff, and a bunch of gorgeous clothes from Mango and Guess Jeans.
The first thing the staff noticed, in the words of Look managing editor Stefanie Cabal, was her “paper-white skin that would put any actress’ complexion to shame.”
There was, expectedly, the small entourage that came in a chauffeured Mercedes-Benz CL 350, the Porsche Cayenne escort, and with the expected number of Louis Vuitton bags (she has since traded up to H?rmes, the staff heard). Identical twin sister Janet even had people doing a double-take.
Other than that, however, Jinkee left the attitude at home, sitting and smiling quietly in the corner and speaking only when spoken to. In fact, she asked if it was possible to talk only to the writer, with no other listeners in attendance. When asked about a huge diamond ring on her ring finger, Jinkee said enigmatically in response, “peace offering.” That must have been some war the Pacman was trying to end!
Jinkee described herself as “simpleng tao,” basically shy. She talked about the simple life they had in Gen. Santos City, and how they want their children Jimuel, Michael, Princess and Queen Elizabeth to be familiar with this life and the simple folk around them, even if they were born the children of a world champion and the sixth highest-paid athlete in the world, with a take-home loot of $20 million (minus endorsements and pay-per-view earnings) in his last fight versus Miguel Cotto.
Still, Jinkee has had to make some adjustments, including admittedly wearing makeup at home because she never knows who is going to show up. It helps, though, that she does like to dress up. “Dati pa mahilig na ’ko sa makeup,” said Jinkee, who was working as a beauty consultant for Pond’s in a GenSan mall when she met Manny.
They were married seven months later, and Jinkee told Look that he has been blessed ever since, prompting the magazine to label her “Pacman’s lucky charm” on the cover.
Jinkee did let readers in on her favorites, like makeup brands RMK and Mac, and Belo skincare products. She favors wearing dresses and high heels, likes stuff by designers Kate Torralba and Paul Cabral, and diets and plays badminton to stay in shape.
She shows off a lovely white jersey dress with a daring d?colletage by Jun Escario for the cover, for which Lilen Uy brilliantly captured her sexy, softer side.
Look’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect; as the magazine went to press and Pacman won his seventh world title last Nov. 14, news exploded of the alleged other woman in the boxer’s life—and no, we aren’t talking about Nanay Dionesia, either. The presence of starlet Krista Ranillo and her entire family at ringside and Jinkee’s tears and aloofness to her husband at a Mass held after the match fueled rumors of domestic trouble in Pacman paradise.
Soon after, however, the couple was again presenting a united front, culminating in very public displays of affection when Pacman filed for his candidacy for a congressional seat in Sarangani—proof positive that, no matter what the intrigues, the Pacman’s lucky charm is standing by her champ.
Read the whole story in the November-December 2009 issue of Look, now available at selected magazine outlets nationwide.
