MANILA, Philippines — It was a shining moment for an actor whose courageous disclosure of his sexuality appears to have triggered discord within his tightly knit family. At Thursday night’s rain-drenched 2007 Gawad Urian at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater on the Ateneo de Manila University campus, he said he hoped his victory was a step closer to “being with [them] again.”

The now openly gay Rustom Padilla, who had been launched as a matinee idol in the past decade, brought home the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino’s top male acting plum for his work in Regal Films’ “Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Moveeh,” in which he portrayed as a homosexual character.
The moment was extra special, he said, because the trophy was presented to him by his brother, Robin Padilla, a previous winner of the same award for “La Visa Loca.

After announcing that Rustom had won in a tie with veteran actor Mark Gil — who was cited for his portrayal of a disillusioned tabloid reporter in the independent film “Rotonda” — Robin promptly approached his brother and hugged him.

By Gerry Plaza INQUIRER