This tip I got from a friend in the aviation industry: That a Jose Antonio S. Leviste had booked a flight from Manila to Los Angeles Monday night Philippine time.

Jose Antonio S. Leviste, who? That’s no other than Batangas vice governor Marc Leviste, who continues to be romantically linked to Kris Aquino despite the constant changes in their relationship status.

My friend from the airline company kept asking me why Marc was flying again to Los Angeles. Wasn’t he just there a few weeks ago? Is he traveling there to visit Kris Aquino?

Search me – I pleaded. I do not know. Do not ask me. And if I may be frank, I don’t care anymore.

My Marc Leviste exclusive interview that still continues to garner views in this online’s talk show, This is Showbiz, was one of my most difficult assignments in my 25-year career as host. First of all, to be able to interview Marc, I had to use the friendship card.

Marc and I go back a long way. He was actually set to move in to a house built by the Levistes, but it was sold to me instead. That will always be our main connection to each other.

Marc and I, however, were not in touch for decades. But as friendships go, it was as if it was just yesterday when he had our last conversation.

Besides, Marc has the best public relations skills in the world. He can charm even Rendon Labrador. Or perhaps turn things around for Chot Reyes and make the beleaguered coach lovable again in the eyes of Filipino basketball fans.

But to have Marc sit down for an interview wasn’t all that easy. It took close to three months for him to say yes.

And when he finally agreed to be interviewed, it was at the last minute. To make matters more complicated for me, he set it at the Ayala Alabang Country Club, which I consider another planet from where I live.

My cameraman, Melo Balingit, and I were this close to riding a witch’s broom just to get to Alabang from Quezon City given an hour’s notice. Thank heavens for the Skyway ramp in Araneta Avenue. Finally, a government project that’s useful!

My interview with Marc went well. After the on-cam conversation, I asked about his father, Tito Conrad Leviste, and I was glad everyone in his family was doing okay.

That was a Wednesday. By Friday, Marc was on the phone asking that we do not use the interview. Hah! Was he kidding? After all I went through?

When I calmed down and had conferred with this site’s editor, Anna Pingol, we reached an agreement. We’d send him the video before uploading it. That’s not usually done, but Anna and I just gave in to maintain peace in this side of the universe. There is already so much turmoil in the world and we didn’t want to add anymore to that.

Three weeks had passed and everything seemed to be quiet in Los Angeles where Kris is currently based with her boys, Joshua and Bimb. No word from Marc either.

But last Saturday, Kris Aquino was in the news again. ABS-CBN online news picked up an Instagram message from Kris addressed to Marc. What Kris basically wanted to tell Marc was to stop communicating with her.

So they are at war again? When my interview with Marc was uploaded, they were together in Los Angeles.

Had they fought because of that (which I doubt because everything there was positive), I would have heard from Marc. But there was no call or anything from him. To me, I’ve always believed that no news is good news. So I presumed that they were okay the past several weeks.

Reading carefully the online news, Kris has three issues she has to resolve with Marc: 1) That they have grown apart. 2) That the long distance relationship had not been working for them. 3) The agreement to keep their relationship private had not been respected.

Ever since the Marc-Kris romance was revealed in social media, the public had been thrown into a state of confusion. The couple – or is it uncouple now? – had been asking everyone to respect their privacy.

But this much, netizens had been asking: Why plead for privacy when they themselves are the ones who keep posting about their private lives?

The breakups, the arguments – even the rings – all those came from their social media accounts. And now, Kris is asking Marc to stop getting in touch with her through social media. Is it any wonder that netizens are again having another field day discussing their current state of affairs?

During lulls in my sit-down interview with Marc weeks ago, I was indirectly hinting to him the challenges he has to face having a relationship with Kris at this point of her life. Given her health condition, I can imagine she is given to mood swings. And I can’t blame her.

It is a difficult battle she is facing and my heart goes out to her. Of course, Marc is aware of that. One reason he agreed to do that interview with me is so that he could address the public and ask for prayers for Kris to be well.

His pleas didn’t fall on deaf ears. I know of a Metrobank branch manager who had always been a Kris follower who now offers prayers for the multi-media star.

By the time this piece gets uploaded, Marc’s plane should have already landed at the Los Angeles International Airport or LAX. Or maybe he could already be by Kris’ side – assuring her that everything will be okay.

It’s best that we just wait for further updates from them. I’m sure that’s forthcoming.

My prayers at this point is not for them to get back together because that’s all up to them. My personal wish is for Kris to get over the hump because it’s not easy being in her situation given all her health problems.

Would it be too much to ask everyone to pray for her? It won’t hurt if we add her as another item in our grocery list of prayers to heaven.