By CARLO ANOLIN
Magnolia star Paul Lee and wife Rubie Chua-Lee have made sure to spend more quality time as a couple and as parents to two-year-old daughter Tokyo during the quarantine.
That’s why when the PBA finally announced its continuation last month, Lee, as a doting father, knew he had to prepare himself from being away from his family for more than two months should Magnolia’s campaign in the bubble go its way.
Only a few days left before PBA players mark their first month inside the bubble. But to Paul and Rubie, nothing much has changed since the couple had already adjusted to their long-distance relationship.
In the couple’s recent vlog uploaded on Rubie’s YouTube channel Thursday, the couple gave several updates on Paul’s life inside the bubble and showed their viewers how they spend quality time in a lengthy video call.
The 30-year-old Magnolia guard revealed that this has to be the longest conversation they had since the start of bubble life, adding that most of their talks would only last a few minutes after exchanging daily updates.
“Heto lang ‘yung mahaba naming time na makapag-usap kaming mag-asawa and nag-enjoy naman ako,” said Lee. “Nakakatuwa kasi, medyo alam mo ‘yun, parang long distance relationship ‘yung datingan namin. Parang nagliligawan ba, parang ganon.”
Rubie, for her part, did her wife and reporter duties as she bombarded her husband with lots of questions throughout the 30-minute video.
One of the crucial updates the couple discussed was the suspect case of COVID-19 inside the bubble. The PBA reported earlier that a referee had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
But on Wednesday, the PBA, the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said in a joint statement that the suspected case yielded a negative result from an antigen test, raising the possibility of a false positive.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said the incident served as a wake-up call for everyone to stay vigilant and practice safety protocols during the entire duration of the bubble league.
In one instance, Paul recalled how a staff of Quest Hotel called him out for wearing a pair of sunglasses instead of wearing an authentic faceshield.
“Nag-shades ako, tapos sabi, ‘Idol, faceshield.’ Sabi ko, ‘Ay, sige po,” Lee narrated, lauding the PBA in its strict implementation of health protocols.
Fortunately, for Lee, he always brings himself a faceshield and a facemask. “Ang nakakatuwa, talagang sinita ka. Kung baga wala rin silang [pinipili],” he added.
The long-time couple, who has been married for three years, will mark their fourth anniversary on Sunday on the day of ‘Clasico’ as the Hotshots collide with the Ginebra Kings.
They are blessed with daughter Tokyo, who just turned two years old on Oct. 8.
Embed: https://youtu.be/yxWIIa1Dy_E
