(SPOT.ph) According to Philippine Star columnist Ricky Lo, Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero and his wife of ten years, Christine Elizabeth "Tintin" Flores have called it quits.

"They've been living apart for five months now," Lo quoted a Very Deep Penetration Agent (VDPA) in his column "Funfare" yesterday. The VDPA, whom Lo bumped into in a recent trip to Cebu, said, "I don't know (if there is any third party). What I know is that they just drifted apart."

Lo said he asked the couple to comment but neither replied to him. "Close friends of the un-couple are also mum on the matter," he wrote.

In his column today, Lo said Escudero appealed for them to be left alone. He claimed that Escudero's close friend relayed the message to "Funfare" after the Senator received requests for interviews about the supposed breakup. Lo wrote, "Although Chiz and Tintin... neither confirmed nor denied the story, 'Funfare' stands by the 'scoop' as 100 percent true."

Rumors of the couple's marriage being on the rocks started circulating two years ago, after Escudero announced his intention to run for President in 2010, according to Lo. Some thought the rumors came from his possible opponents but the issue persisted even after the May elections, Lo said. He added that he did not believe the subsequent rumors linking Escudero to actress-host Kris Aquino, and his wife to a member of an all-male dancing group.

For more on this story, log on to Philippine Star.