There is eminence in being a woman. And this trait is propelled by her desire to live her life to the fullest, setting her goals while being mindful of her surroundings; achieving her dreams without abandoning an attitude of just taking care of herself.
To be a woman is to recognize success with humility, to face challenges with generosity of spirit, to conquer the world with magnanimity.
In her everyday endeavor, a woman uses her heart to discern what is best for her and for the people she loves; her mind, to pre-gauge the impact of her choice; and her soul, to keep her afloat with all the things life has to offer her.
In her honor, the Allure section of The Philippine Star presents Women of Allure on its third year. It partners with NOKIA this year to celebrate her — her joys and fears, her dreams and accolades, her exceptionality and expertise, her style and substance.
Every Sunday this March, Allure and NOKIA enjoin you to celebrate the distinction that is Women of Allure. — Büm D. Tenorio, Jr.
• Mons Romulo-Tantoco: Generous at heart
By Büm D. Tenorio, Jr.
When time and effort are spent lovingly by someone to make a difference in other people’s life, that act is called generosity. If we use the same logic, we will infer that Mons Romulo-Tantoco, indeed, is a picture of a complete woman living through the beats of her generous heart. Just consider the advocacies she involves herself with — she is vice chairperson for Bantay Bata, treasurer for Pink for Life and chairperson of Responsableng Pasigueño — and you will wonder how she is able to manage everything with a breeze.
“I particularly love children and I am happy to help in any way I can in securing a better future for kids who have been abandoned, abused and left out by their own families,” Mons says of her participation in Bantay Bata, adding that the foundation’s priority is to raise funds for the children’s village in Bulacan.
As for Pink for Life, Mons is active in helping breast cancer patients (of stages 1 and 2) with their chemotherapy expenses.
On the other hand, she gets to feel the pulse of people from Pasig by chairing Responsableng Pasigueño “which aims to help uplift the lives of my fellow Pasigueños through medical missions and improvement of the city’s surroundings. Her brother Roman Romulo is congressman of the lone district of Pasig.
Though she herself is not a politico, public service is something Mons is not alien to. She says her parents, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto and Lovely Romulo, taught her and her siblings Lupe, Roman, Berna and Erwin, “to always do our best and be sincere when someone calls for our help no matter who he or she is.”
Mons, who shares with her readers her views and other people’s opinions and perspectives about anything under the sun through Wordsworth, her Sunday forum column in The STAR, is a devout lover of family and God.
“I cannot imagine my life without my family, without my faith in God,” she says.
Though she is very active in her organizations, Mons gets to balance her life by living a meaningful one with her husband Sander Tantoco and their three children Simon, 17; Cheskie, 14 and Cara 13.
She says her husband has a very kind heart and is not judgmental and sees the positive side in every person. From him, she learns a lot. Her kids teach her every day how to see the world with an innocent heart and a hopeful spirit.
“My children remind me that genuine friendships still exist. From their generation’s perspective, I see that the world ahead of them will be a better one,” she says.
Mon’s positive outlook helps her keep her family and her advocacies in the proper and perfect fulcrum of life. Her guiding philosophy — “It can be done!” — keeps her going, keeps her on believing that nothing is impossible “for as long as you set your heart and mind in whatever you want to do or happen.”
She does everything with the simple belief that things get accomplished when the doer has the generosity of heart.
• Kaye Tinga: Role mother
By Jerni May H. Camposano
To be a mother, for Kaye Tinga, is her highest calling. She is the bank where her four children — Kyle, Kerry, Kody and Kristian — deposit all their worries and withdraw strength and love. She is also the cement that keeps her family together.
“It’s very important to me to keep my family close because the age of my kids range from 12 years old to seven months. That’s a big difference. So I try to get the older ones involved in the upbringing of the younger ones. Now, they’re very into it,” she smiles. Kaye reveals that between her and her husband Freddie, she is the more approachable one — the one the kids could go to if they worry about something. “As a mom, I’m very hands-on,” she adds, “Now that I have a new baby, I’m still learning a lot of new things. You see, every baby is different. It’s a whole new experience.” Just like any other mom, she wants to spend as much time with the kids because “time goes by so fast and before I knew it, my kids are already grown up.” As a matter of fact, Kaye makes it a point to be home just in time when the kids get back from school so she could attend to their homework and other needs.
As for her relationship with her husband, what’s important to her is they find time for each other. “It doesn’t have to be regular. What we do is when he’s free or I’m free, we try to do something out of the ordinary. Plus, Freddie wakes up early even if he has no early appointment so he can spend time with the kids,” she discloses. Kaye admits that their life took a 180-degree turn when Freddie first took office as mayor of Taguig. The family used to be very private. In fact, when he won the election, they were living abroad. “Now, it’s very public. Everything we do, we think about the bigger consequences compared to when we were just in the private sector.”
But don’t get the impression that this attractive lady is complaining. She isn’t. In fact, when Freddie became the father of his constituents, Kaye took on the role of being the city’s mother. “I’m fully aware that he’s very busy. I also know that there are areas where I can contribute to like day-care programs,” she explains. As a mother of young children, Kaye is particularly interested in this project. “This is something I think I can give valuable inputs to.” The mayor’s wife is also engaged in her many community projects and housing programs. “I work closely with our daycare teachers. We make sure that we not only provide free schooling to the children but also livelihood to their parents through training programs.”
It is not at all easy to be the ideal mother. There are no hard and fast written rules. Kaye Tinga, at the prime age of 40, just carries out what she thinks will do her children good. After all, mothers know best.
• Mandy dela Rama-Santos: Mother with a mission
By Gabby Libarios
Someone once said that in this world, there are only two lasting bequests that parents can give to their children: one is roots and the other wings. Roots so that a child grows up on a good, solid foundation; and wings, so that when time comes for the child to leave the nest, he can fly on his own.
Young entrepreneur Mandy dela Rama-Santos has been living and breathing this wisdom. As early as now, the careerwoman behind MR Knitwear has been trying to give her three-year-old daughter Solenne wings.
“I want my daughter to grow up independent and responsible,” says the young mom. “When we travel together, for instance, we don’t bring her yaya anymore. Even when we go to the mall, it’s only me, my daughter and my husband Duane. Or, say, when we’re about to leave the hotel, she would check under the bed. She’s aware of those little things.”
But it’s not only independence and belief in herself that Mandy wants her daughter to have. Because she knows from the very start that a child doesn’t come with a manual or instruction booklet, she tries to give and do everything to make her daughter discover herself and what truly matters in this world.
Letting her daughter see the world also means opening her eyes to the bitter reality of life. This early, Mandy would bring Solenne to the orphanages and charitable foundations that she has been supporting for several years.
“I am very active in this foundation called White Cross Foundation, which helps abandoned children survive or find new homes or families,” shares Mandy, who looks up to strong woman leaders like Hillary Clinton and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “I’ve always had a soft spot for the less privileged. More so now that I am a mother. I know how important it is to have a home and parents. And I want my daughter to get involved.”
Even if she knows how painful it is for a child to part with her things, Mandy has taught Solenne to keep only certain number of toys; the rest would be donated to orphanages. Once in a while, she and her daughter would drive around the city and give away sandwiches to street kids.
“She’s usually quiet after she gives away her toys. There was this one time she cried because she learned that those kids at the orphanage didn’t have parents and yayas,” says Mandy. “We also want to start a soup kitchen. My daughter has to give something back. God gave her this kind of life, she should learn to give it back to others. This is the legacy that I want to leave if I die. I want her to care for the people around her.”
It’s true that trees don’t learn to dance gracefully without the aid of the wind, nor do plants grow green and healthy without the sun. A child doesn’t learn to stand without the support of his mother, nor does he learn to love others without being loved first.
For Mandy dela Rama-Santos, considered one of the most stylish women around on account of her being very private and low-key, it’s raising a child who has an interest in life — her own and others — that has made motherhood the best thing that ever happened in her life.
• Carmi Durano: From a distance
By Jerni May H. Camposano
A book author once wrote that distance cannot and will not hurt a bond between two people, especially so if the bond is based on mutual respect, trust, commitment and love. Together with more than 10 million couples around the world coping with long-distance relationships, Carmi Luzuriaga-Durano looks at the brighter side of having to spend only the weekends with her very busy husband. After all, she is married to Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, one of the busiest government officials.
Believe it or not, but this lovely wife considers her husband’s new post as a blessing. “Actually, it was better for us in terms of seeing each other. When he was in Congress, he was in Manila. When he would come home, he would still be very busy because he had to attend to his constituents’ needs (in the fifth district of Cebu),” begins Carmi, who’s from a prominent clan in Bacolod. “But now that he’s in the Tourism department, when he’s at home during the weekends, he really has the two days with us.”
Married for 15 years now, Carmi reveals the secret to their long-lasting love affair. “It’s hard,” she admits. “But we don’t fight. There is no reason for us to fight because we seldom see each other. We just make the most out of our time together.” Even without personally seeing each other most times of the year, the couple keeps their communication lines open — burning phone lines even. “We talk every night and update each other on our day-to-day activities,” she smiles.
The 37-year-old Carmi shares that she bonds with her husband through their mutual love for running. Ace, who has been into running for quite some time now, encouraged his better half to put on her running shoes and do her heart a favor by doing this exercise. “I recently found out I have high cholesterol,” says Carmi, who surprised the creative team when she arrived at the photo shoot with her best buddy — someone who looks exactly like her.
“It’s great to have a twin sister,” she says of Carmel, her identical twin. “We have been there for each other in almost every event in our lives.” Yes, Carmi was there when Carmel was married to Ace’s elder brother. It was in their siblings’ wedding day that a future love affair started to blossom between Carmi and Ace. “My kids treat Carmel’s kids like their own siblings,” she gushes, referring to her kids: AJ, 14, and Cara, 13.
Carmi’s commitment to being a dutiful family woman, however, doesn’t mean that she is not busy with her own work. A Liberal Arts and Commerce graduate from the De La Salle University, she is the chief executive officer of Ace Bottlers, Inc. in Cebu. The task of giving directions towards the achievement of the company’s philosophy and missions falls on her lap. And just like her many responsibilities as VP for finance of Colegio de San Antonio de Padua (which she and her twin sister founded five years ago) and as franchisee/owner of many other business ventures in the Queen City of the South, Carmi carries out all these duties with an impeccable grace.
“I understand my husband’s job because I myself am a workaholic. I bring my work at home,” she muses. “But when my kids need me, I’d leave my work for them.”
Most days, Carmi Durano could only watch her husband from a distance. But she completely understands with her heart. “I think it’s the kind of person that you are. I am not demanding,” shares Carmi, who once teased her husband that in the 365 days of 2007, they’ve only been together for 95 days.
“Our set-up is hard,” she repeats. “But distance will never be a barrier for two people in love.”
• Bernice Palanca-Go: Pursuit of happiness
By Bianca R. Salonga
Hers is a simple and no-nonsense approach to life. There is no frou, no frills. The idea is to stick to elements that are pragmatic and intelligent — and yet, it is the pursuit of happiness that fuels her. The same principle is best mirrored through her distinctly chic style. Her sleek and streamlined aesthetic may very well explain why she makes for a fitting marketing consultant for Laurel et Ross Enterprises, a company that provides chic designs for multinationals around Asia and the Middle East, headed by its creative director Rajo Laurel. Her love and fascination for dynamism, on the other hand, is best embodied through the many projects and endeavors that she engages in with public relations firm Ysmael, Moyer, Valenzuela & Associates. She balances her time between projects, meetings and her personal life declaring that, “There’s always time for all these things in a day. All it needs is proper planning and scheduling each activity as a day goes by. I always think about what I am going to do the next day and try to figure out the best way to go about it.”
When she is taking a breather from the maddening shrouds of the city, one will most likely find Bernice in exhilarating Boracay where she, yet again, pursues another of her passions — overseeing the operations for a quaint and charming serviced beach establishment Chalet Y Beach House. “Eventually, I would like to do something bigger in Boracay. I love that island. I could live there,” she reveals.
Family, without doubt, stands as one of the most essential components in Bernice’s life. One who maintains close relations with her mother, public relations maven Rosary Ysmael, she discloses, “One main source of inspiration is my mother. She kind of raised me on her own and to this day, everything I do goes by her. We are more like sisters and friends.” Truth be told, a tight kinship such as that which Bernice shares with her mother is precious and rare. As she herself is about to enter into motherhood, Bernice is simply radiant.
Bernice truly has much to look forward to — a list of exciting projects at work, lasting relations with family and friends, a baby on the way and, of course, the many possibilities that await a woman with much verve and spirit.
• Jeannie Javelosa: Be light!
By Büm D. Tenorio, Jr.
The spirit of stillness is instilled in you right after you talk to her. You feel light. You feel empowered. You realize that contentment is just within reach. Such is the power — others call it energy — Jeannie Javelosa unleashed in me when one time we saw each other in a photo exhibit of a common friend.
My attempt to capture her in a few words is simply a Quixotic task for definitely there are a million and one positive and beautiful things to say about her. But let me put it simply by saying that Jeannie is an artist in a seemingly corporate package and a healer who talks straight from her heart and mind. To simplify it even more, Jeannie is body and soul.
“At my heart I am an artist — having had more than 15 solo painting and printmaking exhibits, won awards for printmaking and jewelry design. I am a writer, but somehow, in the course of my professional career, I seem to have developed a ‘corporate package’ and managing cultural projects. Then I began to move in the realm of corporate communications, marketing, branding and such agency work,” she says, adding that she does yoga at least four to five times a week and teaches it once a week.
Jeannie is the curator of the Yuchengco Museum. About 10 years ago, she helped set up EON that started as an events management company but now grew to become a stakeholder relations firm and a full service communications company. She also writes a column in the Allure section of The STAR where she always speaks about contemporary spirituality, which involves the awareness of the inner self towards evolving into a better individual.
“At my heart, I am also a healer who does counseling sessions, chart readings for more than 20 years. I love the artistic and spiritual path, yet I can sit in boardrooms, think of corporate strategies, work on crisis management situations and project manage things,” she says.
“I would like to think my spirituality and flights of artistic fancy and expressions are very grounded in everyday living,” continues Jeannie, who finished a degree in Painting at the College of Holy Spirit after attending primary and secondary education in Assumption College. She then studied in Yale University art school in the US, and then finished with a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts, Painting from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Jeannie confesses that she loves being alone but she always finds herself surrounded by people. “If we do not find our grounding inside us, our outer world will go berserk for it makes no sense to latch on to everything impermanent and changing outside us,” she quips, adding that, “those of us who see a higher and more expanded view have a duty to help others see what a wonderful view it can be!”
Like her favorite greeting — Be Light! — Jeannie is indeed a purveyor of anything and everything that will make life a walk in the park.
“To be Light would mean to aspire to be like God who is goodness, love and all other attributes of positive energy,” she ends.
• Amparito Lhuillier: A woman complete
By Leahliz Sia
Always impeccably dressed, coiffed and bejeweled, Amparito Llamas Lhuillier is an established fashion icon who has captivated us with her keen sense of style and sophistication over the years. Born and raised in Manila, she was studying at St. Scholastica’s College when she met her first boyfriend and future husband, Michel Lhuillier. She taught at the San Lorenzo pre-school, but at 22, she got married and relocated to Cebu. In the next seven years, she bore two sons, Charles and Michael, and two daughters, Yvette and Monique.
Amparito is currently on the board of M. Lhuillier Philippines, a financial institution; president of the Jewelry Division of M. Lhuillier Jewelers; and owner of specialty restaurants in Cebu like Hola España, Gustavian and Pino. This businesswoman/philanthropist is quite busy as president of Amigos de España; president of Chaine des Rotisseurs-Cebu, a gourmet society; and co-chair of the Cebu City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission.
The STAR chatted with Amparito at her stately bungalow on Kamagong Street in Cebu City where she warmly welcomed the creative team. Over tea and bruschetta, the perfect hostess revealed that philanthropic work is one of her biggest passions, focusing on education and children’s welfare through the Amparito Llamas Lhuillier Foundation, which has been in existence for the past 10 years. Her foundation has 100 full scholars — 60 in high school and 40 in college. She is also a yearly donor to Bantay Bata and Gawad Kalinga’s Donate A Village program. Apart from philanthropy, she is equally passionate about the environment. She believes that all Filipinos should do their part in keeping Mother Earth clean and green for our children’s future.
Her beautiful face took on an added glow when she talked about her family, particularly her nine grandchildren who call her “Bella,” a term inspired by “Abuela.” As a hands-on mom, she was very active in school PTAs and was very much involved in her children’s growing up years. Amparito is proud that her children knew what they wanted to do early on, and are all successful in their respective careers. The discussion naturally veered towards her famous youngest daughter, world-renowned fashion designer Monique Lhuillier. She laughingly pointed out that Monique is her daughter in Cebu, but she is known as Monique’s mom in the US.
Asked what makes a woman alluring, Cebu’s style and society icon said that apart from physical beauty, it is a woman’s personality and charm. These are what give her substance. She also espouses healthy living by eating the right kind of food and exercising regularly, no smoking and no alcohol. She stresses the importance of having regular facials, spa visits and massages. Lastly, Amparito believes that a modern woman has to have discipline and consistency in order to focus on what she wants to accomplish in life.
• Gaby dela Merced: A winning Formula
By Jerni May H. Camposano
For Formula 3 (F3) race driver Gaby dela Merced, every day is about finding out who she is and being that person, deciding what comes first and doing that, discovering her strengths and using them. Ironically, Gaby, in her more than seven years in the fast lane, learned that the best way to reach the top is not always the swift and speedy way. “It’s a gradual ladder,” she says.
A stunning lass in a race car? But Gaby enjoys the “dance between me and my car, and the track as our stage.” A self-confessed dance- floor disaster, it’s a far different story when she steps on the pedals.
This extreme sport gives Gaby a natural high. “I usually cannot sleep the night before and I’m agitated when I get up on the race day,” reveals Gaby, the only Filipina driver who competed in a full season of the Asian Formula 3 series. She is also overwhelmed at how extreme emotions fill her up before she starts the engine and how all these feelings just stop when the light goes off and the car begins to speed up.
Since this passion of hers is very physically demanding, Gaby keeps herself in shape through cross training, capoeira and flag football. This sports enthusiast watches her diet and sleeps early during race week. “Sometimes, I am even particular on how I put on my racing outfits,” she says. Her secret weapons: her ID bands and her “lucky” socks. Gaby also acknowledges the tremendous support and encouragement from her family and friends. They are undoubtedly her “driving” force to win any race.
After her newfound fame from her stint in a popular reality show, Gaby’s schedule is busier than ever with a new show, Gaby’s Xtraordinary Files, set to be aired today on ABS-CBN. The “never ending search for sponsors” also keeps this hyperactive young woman busy because as most people know, F3 racing is quite an expensive hobby but is considered as a key investment in a young driver’s career.
“I’m hoping to race in the US this year and hopefully, I’d get to race in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix at the end of the year,” she shares.
In many instances in a race, Gaby also has her fair share of errors. But she never uses this as an excuse not to finish the race. She may not be able to reverse an error but she chooses to move forward and focus on winning. A combination of passion for her craft and the fervent desire to go for what she wants has been Gaby’s winning formula in the many races of life.