Top of the Morning: Newlywed Cai Cortez is Pregnant!

1. Cai Cortez is pregnant!

Just a month after getting hitched, comedienne Cai Cortez announced that she and husband Wissem Rkhami are already expecting their first child. In her Instagram post, she revealed that she was pregnant when they had their civil ceremony on July 15. "We were planning to just have a small ceremony. Just you, me, my immediate family, your adopted family in the form of your friends, chosen witnesses and of course the very important guest who had a front seat in my belly," she wrote. Cai added that they didn't want a grand wedding, saving the big celebration for when their baby boy arrives. She thanked everyone who helped them in their wedding, especially her husband. "Thank you for loving me the way you do. A single glance from you makes me feel safe and complete. I couldn't ask for a better man to be the father of my [baby]. You will be a great father because I know that you are an amazing husband," she said. (pep.ph)


2. Sunshine Dizon still in good terms with father-in-law

Despite the legal battle between actress Sunshine Dizon and estranged husband Timothy Tan, the mom of two is still in good terms with her father-in-law. Sunshine posted a photo of her and her kids with their "Lolo daddy" Lito Tan, Timothy's father. She wrote as caption, "Happy weekend with Lolo Daddy. We missed you dad," with heart emojis and the hashtag #chinadollandtonyboy. In an interview after a court hearing held last week, Sunshine mentioned that her relationship with Timothy's family is okay. "Well, not necessarily suportado in the sense... kumbaga, nilalagay lang nila sa tama. Hindi naman nila kinukunsinti yung mali," she explained. Sunshine remains firm in her stand to fight for her right as legal wife and pursue the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children and concubinage cases she filed against her husband. (pep.ph)


3. Nadine Samonte had her baby belly immortalized with a cast

"Thank you @castedtreasure [Casted Treasure] for my belly casting. This is so awesome. I can’t wait for the result," she posted on Instagram. Nadine's husband Richard Chua also had his hand casted while holding Nadine's pregnant belly, and posted photos on his Instagram account. A belly cast is a 3D representation of a woman's pregnancy belly made from plaster, which is kept as a keepsake of the pregnancy journey. The happy preggo is due to give birth soon to her firstborn, a girl they will name Heather Sloane. The excited parents-to-be have already set up their baby's nursery and have their hospital bag ready.

4. Iya Villania officially on maternity leave

The TV host has officially started her maternity leave, and the first thing she did was go to the salon. "Approaching D-day so taking the time now to get a trim to keep whatever freshness I can during labor. I've accepted that #Primo will be keeping me busy for the next couple of months so availing of the ME time before I push this watermelon out!" she wrote in the caption of an Instagram video. The video also shows her baby bump moving. "The boy is still in my belly but already wants all of my attention. I wonder what he's doing in there?" she added. Last week, Iya said that her hospital bag is ready and shared her labor kits. It looks like the mom-to-be is all set for childbirth -- and we think baby boy Antonio Primo is already excited to come out. (pep.ph)


5. New "high-security" passport to be distributed starting this week
Starting August 15, Filipinos will be issued new passports that will feature an impressive design promoting the regions of the country, plus the added security features such as a microchip to capture the personal data of the applicant, invisible ultraviolet (UV) fluorescent ink and thread, and elaborate design when subjected to UV light.
 Presidential Communications Office (PCO) secretary Martin Andanar also assured citizens that the new passports' APO printing system is faster. "This means the new passport printing system results to delivery of passports from press to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in an average of five days compared to 7-14 days previously," he added. The government aims to cut down processing and delivery to four days by 2017. (mb.com)