For a lot of fans and the plain curious

who checked out the Celebrity Tiangge organized by Ruffa Guiterrez for the benefit of the Southern Leyte landslide victims, the event was a great occasion to get real intimate with the stars.

Donita Rose and Gary Valenciano bonded closely with buyers of their used clothes and zealous fans who never got tired posing and clicking their phone cameras.

Iza Calzado and Jennifer Sevilla gamely hosted part of the auction proceedings onstage. Jean Saburit and daughter Nicole Anderson chatted with families looking for something to buy from their stall.

Backstage, the Gutierrez clan led by patriarch Eddie beamed with pride, watching daughter Ruffa, who took turns with Gretchen Barretto in persuading the crowd to bid for clothes for a worthy cause.

The venue had a festive atmosphere, with food stalls offering hot meals, Nescafe serving free coffee and a guitar/sax duo playing jazz music.

There was commotion every time a celebrity strolled inside. And when Alex Bovick was about to leave, I just had to run after her to check out how cool her bald pate looked – in person.