Former Glee Star Charice Pempengco to Join 2 Other Filipino Celebrities Who Admit They’re Gay; 5 Others Rumored to Be Queer (VIDEOS & PHOTOS)

The much awaited admission by international singer Charice Pempengco that she is a lesbian, expected to be made over the weekend in a Philippine gossip show, would likely be the talk of tinseltown and social networking sites.

It would be similar to the outing of Filipino international model Bb Gandanghari, the erstwhile action star Rustom Padilla, in 2006, in a Big Brother Celebrity Edition viewed by millions of Filipinos in the country and overseas.

Like Bb Gandanghari, the sexual preference of Charice has been the talk of Philippine show business but the young singer had previously brushed aside the gender question as an unimportant matter.

However, over the weekend, her mother, Raquel Pempengco, had hinted in Charice's home studio, ABS-CBN, that her daughter would likely admit to being a lesbian in a local talk show. Speculations of Charice's preference for girls over boys were fueled by her recent make-over with a more masculine haircut and get-up.

Unlike Bb Gandanghari who was even once married to a female Filipina actress, Carmina Villaroel, Charice has never been known to be romantically involved with a male, though she had been briefly linked with American Idol runner-up David Archuleta.

Charice's admission, if it pushes through, would end all speculations but it may lead to more debates over Twitter and other social networking sides as her millions of fans air their sentiments about her gender preference. It doesn't help that Raquel and Charice's grandmother publicly disagree with her new physical appearance, although out of love for her, they are willing to embrace her sexuality.

It appears Charice has more luck in that area than Bb Gandanghari, whose younger and very masculine brother, action star Robin Padilla, is not speaking to his sibling since he publicly outed himself on national television.

However, other members of the large Padilla clan, who are politicians and actors as well, have accepted Bb's cross-dressing and taking on female or gay roles in movies and stage plays. But his mother places the line at gender reassignment, although the former Rustom Padilla, now in his 40s, who used to brandish machine guns in his old movies as a military man, is reportedly preparing to undergo surgery to have a woman's full physique.

He recently starred in a stage play in a Philippine adaption of the Hollywood hit, Kiss of the Spiderwoman.

The silent cold war between the two famous Padilla siblings, it appears, is due to Gandanghari's insistence on a feminine appearance which is becoming a rarity since a lot of gay men now prefer to retain their masculine look even while admitting they are queer.

One of them, like Charice, is also a YouTube product - model and singer Sebastian Castro, actually Peruvian-Japanese by citizenship but Filipino at heart, has acknowledged that he prefers men over women. However, his parents, who are Jehovah's Witnesses, initially disowned him after finding out he is gay but eventually accepted him.

Castro is known for the gay song Bubble which has over 700,000 hits.

He has recently made an indie movie shot in Germany where he plays a painter.

With the public admission of the gender preference and still having careers, which would also likely be the case for Charice, local showbiz observers would likely ask when will other Filipino celebrities (actors specifically) finally come out of the closet?

There are several of them rumoured to be gay, mostly contract artists of Charice's home studio, but they have consistently denied being gay and some even had relationships with female celebrities to disprove the rumours.

Among them are a matinee idol whose breakup with the daughter of a big Philippine actress fueled further speculations about his gender preference and another actor/singer who was once rumoured to be the first actor's real beau.

Two popular male singers, one of whom won several medals in an international competition, are said to be in the same boat as the two actors, cum lovers.

Finally, from the rival network, a TV host and who belongs to a showbusiness clan also has his fair share of rumours about his being gay because of his preference for the more feminine side of his crafts, particularly fashion and gossip.