While Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee have been pouring their hearts out to the press, initially in conflicting terms but now more or less “in sync,” Krista Ranillo, the woman caught between them, continues to shy away from the public. Sign of, uh, guilt? In law, when a suspect takes flight and resists, you know, “dancing to the music” he or she is presumed guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.

Instead of evading the issue, running away like a headless chicken — is she Pacquiao’s “mistress” or is she just Pacquiao’s “friend” who is, as her father Mat Ranillo insisted, “not having an inappropriate relationship” with Manny? — Krista should do a Tiger Woods. Early on, Woods made a clean breast of it and said sorry for having been a serial womanizer.

If she’s guilty as perceived by the public, all it takes is three words — “Yes, I am” — and also three words if she’s not — “No, I’m not.” And then, as Jinkee has been indirectly suggesting, apologize for, in Jinkee’s words, falling for a very much married man and thereby risking breaking up a family — “Kung may pamilya siya, gusto ba niyang mangyari sa kanya ‘yon?” said Jinkee in a TV interview while vowing to fight for her rights as Manny’s wife and not letting anybody ruin her family.

Krista was whisked off by an influential airport official when she belatedly arrived from L.A. last Saturday morning, making fools out of reporters and photographers waiting for her. In the afternoon that same day, Krista reported to the “off-limits-to-the-media” set of Wapakman, her 2009 Metro Filmfest starrer with Pacquiao, to shoot her remaining scenes. Her aunt, Suzette Ranillo, incurred the ire of Krista’s co-star Bianca King when she took out Bianca’s things out of Krista’s tent and left them outside of it, making poor Bianca feel that she was unceremoniously kicked out of Krista’s tent.

The other night, Manny, Bianca, Rufa Mae Quinto and their other co-stars (among them Mura), had dinner with the press at the Star City to mark the movie’s last shooting day. Krista was a no-show.

After she explained her side of the tent incident, when asked what she would do if she were in the shoes of Krista (wtih whom Bianca shares a manager, Arnold Vegafria), Bianca said, “I wouldn’t hide; I would apologize to those that I have offended.”

Korek ka d’yan, Bianca!

Now that peace apparently reigns again in the Pacquiao home, with Manny and Jinkee hopefully back in each other’s arms (he even gave her a 5-carat diamond ring as “peace offering”), Jinkee has delivered a warning to potential/prospective “homewreckers” — “Hindi sila magwawagi; kakampi ko ang Diyos!” — at the same time thanking Gina Alajar for giving her this Facebook reminder, “Don’t leave Manny; Krista is not worth it.” That’s the voice of experience. Adamantly refusing to please Mat Ranillo with an apology, Gina instead insisted that it’s Krista who owes her and her sons an apology that’s taking Krista forever to do.

Keeping a cool and composed facade through it all, Manny said that, 1) he doesn’t want to meddle in the issue involving Jinkee and Krista, although he said sorry to the Ranillo family for having dragged into the mess; 2) he’s concentrating on his training for his bout with Floyd Mayweather on March 13 next year, and then on the campaign for his bid for congressman in Saranggani in the 2010 elections; and 3) he’s excited about his biography, simply titled Pacquiao, which will be released early next year. “Part 1 pa lang ‘yon,” he joked. “Mayroon pang Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. Marami pang ‘parts’.”

He’s celebrating his birthday on Dec. 17 and Christmas quietly with his family in GenSan.

Asked if he has any birthday wish, if there’s anything more he can ask with all the blessings he has been getting, Manny said that when he prays he never asks for anything from God, not even when he was a struggling boxer eating only one meal a day.

“I’m not materialistic. All I do when I pray is thank God,” he said. “And I ask for forgiveness.”

Meanwhile, Krista keeps the guessing game going as she continues to play hide-and-seek with the media.

Now, if the whole world calls Manny Pacquiao Pambansang Kamao (Pacman), his wife Jinkee Pambansang Misis and his mother Dionisia Pambansang Mom (Pacman), what “title” shall we give Krista?