Illustrado Magazine March 2013 by Illustrado Magazine

15 MARCH- 15 APRIL 2013

SURVIVAL OF THE PRETTIEST

LOOKING YOUR BEST CAN GET YOU IN THE DOOR

WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE HONOREES CONTINUING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

THE EMANCIPATION OF MARIA CLARA

JUST HOW FAR HAS THE FILIPINA COME?

MOVE OVER HOUSEWIFE! HOW WOMEN ARE REDEFINING “WORK”

STORIES OF FEMMESPIRATION: JESSICA COX, JOSETTE BIYO AND REINA REYES

REAL STYLE, REAL PEOPLE FASHION:

SATURDAY IN THE CITY

Step Up

PHOTOGRAPHY by EROS GOZE

Editor’s Note

It’s not easy being a woman. We hold the most demanding job in the world (I’ll pull the “childbirth card” and go out on a limb to say that it’s more complicated than Barrack Obama’s occupation.) We are born multi-taskers and go into the world juggling career, family and home; our community, our relationships, as well as our personal up keep and growth. Unlike our male counterparts who are mostly expected to be the providers of the family, women the “ilaw ng tahanan” (light of the home) as we call it back home, are the ones who are mainly responsible for taking care of the family, seeing to it that all their needs are met; bringing up the children, ensuring that they grow up as decent and productive human beings; making sure the household runs smoothly – that there is delicious food on the table, the house is clean and cozy, and that everything is working as it should. We are expected to do all that, while some of us run after careers, while we provide support to our extended families, sometimes even volunteer in the community, keep our friendships alive, and

So you’re a Superwoman. It’s complicated. Get over it. pull it off without looking like we broke a sweat - always immaculately put together, smelling good and looking youthful and fit. That is not to say that our men do not support us. But really, when you put it into perspective, isn’t it amazing how much women are expected to do and can actually manage to accomplish at any given time? ‘Superwoman’ is a term that’s very apt. It’s quite a gift. There is nothing like the feeling of having it all - a loving family a fulfilling career, a household in order, coupled with the fact you have contributed something to your family, your community and even the world in your own little way. But it could also be a curse. It is quite easy for us to tire and stress ourselves out, to be unhealthy, and at times forget about our own welfare altogether. Superwomen, who try to manage all these, despite their smiles and strong resolute front, are often the worse for wear. Hence, we need to learn some new things too. The first one is that we can’t have everything, every single time. We also

have to realize that we can’t do this alone – in fact, it isn’t fun to do all of this alone. If we are good time managers, we should also be good at managing our own expectations. We should know when to keep on going and when it’s time to put our feet up and have a cocktail. We need to listen to our bodies, especially when it is begging for some down time. We need to train ourselves to allow for the less than perfect, and realize that life is richer than the mere pursuit of perfection. We should enjoy life, get on with it and take it easy on ourselves – realizing that we are our own worst critic and most unforgiving slave driver. Best of all, we need to know that we don’t need to be a Superwoman; that “Almost Superwoman” would do. This issue is dedicated to all my girls out there. LALAINE CHU-BENITEZ Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

MARCH 2013

Contributors Krip Yuson

Esteemed writer Krip Yuson has co-authored travel books (among these APA Insight Guide to the Philippines and Philippines: Islands of Enchantment). He has earned distinctions as a literary author of over 20 other books — from poetry, short stories, children’s stories, biographies, and translation. A Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Hall-of-Famer, he has also received the SEAWrite (SouthEast Asia Writer’s) Award from Thai royalty and the UMPIL or Writers’ Union of the Philippines’ Gawad Balagtas for lifetime achievement. This month, this Illuminati writes praise for a woman of substance he would love to see in our government: senatorial candidate and daughter of the “The King” Grace Poe.

Dr. Marlon Pecjo

This issue’s elegant style editorial set in the metro is captured by a force to reckon with in the fashion photography field in the Philippines, Dr. Marlon Pecjo. His works have graced the covers of the country’s top glossies and have featured the most stunning models and fashions. Originally trained for the medical field, but eventually diverted to his real love of fashion photography, ‘Doc Marlon’s’ images are known for their crisp decisiveness and decidedly first world fashion flare.

Bo Sanchez

You’ve probably already read his best-selling books, attended one of his seminars, or even seen him on TV or online. Bo Sanchez – or Bro. Bo, doesn’t really need any introduction. This Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee, best-selling author and respected speaker shares worthwhile words of wisdom with Illustrado readers in his column on Spirituality. This month of love, he writes about how each and every person can be a PERSON of Substance.

Ishwar Chugani

Joining Illustrado this month for a kabuhayan column focused on managing business, Ishwar Chugani, the Executive Director of Giordano International, Hong Kong and Managing Director of Giordano Middle East (FZE), is a prominent figure in the retail industry in the UAE respected for his business acumen and exemplary management skills. Well-loved in the Filipino community and proudly carrying the moniker “Utak PinoyDugong Bumbay,” Ishwar was born and raised in the Philippines where he has 300 family members. He studied Business management at De La Salle University in the Philippines where he graduated with honours.

Anna Oposa

Environmentalist and Chief Mermaid/Co-Founder of Save Philippine Seas writes this month’s post-modern feminist piece,”The Emancipation of Maria Clara”. “I thought writing the article would be easy,” shares Anna. “I’d just have to interview three respondents about how dating, career choices, and womanity have changed over the years. I assumed it would be like having lunch with girlfriends. But my three respondents provided so much more insight than I expected. So much has changed, yes, but so much remains the same. It reminded me that though Filipinas are a few steps forward, we still have leaps to go before we can claim complete emancipation.”

Nephele Kirong

Journalist and self-proclaimed multi-tasker writes about the different kinds of emerging female entrepreneurs in “Housewife No More”.

Excel Dyquianco

Woman power is here to stay—that was the realization of Excel after meeting the three women he writes about in Woman of Substance Around the World. “As I talked with these women, I learned more about leadership, endurance and faith. They taught me what it means to be Filipina, in their eyes,” says Excel.

“After writing the story, I realized that no woman should given the excuse of taking care of her family to not pursue personal endeavors. It just means we can do so much more. Lucky is the mother who sees her children grow, but luckier is the mother who grows with her children,” says Neph.

Nikka Sarthou

Nikka believes that writing can take you places and traveling can inspire your to write. She’s a fulltime freelance writer and is also a Contributing Editor in Smile, the in-flight magazine of Cebu Pacific. Nikka says she feels empowered when she goes on a solo trip or with her girlfriends, as it offers a unique travel experience. In this month’s issue, Nikka writes about Boracay and the thrill of her girl power vacation.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lalaine Chu-Benitez CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mon Benitez ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ana Santos COLUMNISTS Aby Yap Alfred “Krip” Yuson Bernadette Reyes Bo Sanchez Carlito Viriña Francisco Colayco Jeremy Baer Dr. Margarita Holmes CONTRIBUTING WRITERS – UAE, PHILIPPINES, CANADA Mary Ann Marchadesch SWITZERLAND Mary Ann “Maps” Santos Angela Mapa Nephele Kirong Anna Oposa Nikka Sartgou Barbara Marchadesch Nina Terol-Zialcita Candice Lopez Quimpo P.A. Escalante Dante Gagelonia Princes Nedamo Did Paterno Quay Evano Excel Dyquianco Rache Hernandez Johanna Michelle Lim Regina Layug-Lucero Kara Santos Sherry Tenorio Liza Lacuesta Sonny Guzman Manny Escosa CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS – UAE & Glenn Peter-Perez PHILIPPINES Mariyah Gaspacho Cristina Linaza Dr. Marlon Pecjo Donald Rosales Paelo Pedrajas Filbert Kung Eros Goze CONTRIBUTING FASHION CREW - UAE Jessie Tabla Frankie Melendez Jojo Padua Ginno Alducente PUBLISHER – UAE Illustrado Communications FZ-LLC 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai Media City United Arab Emirates P.O. Box 72280 Office 20C Tel: +971 4 365 4543, 365 4547 Fax: +971 4 360 4771 E-mail: admin@illustrado.net Web: illustradolife.com, illustrado.net Facebook: Illustrado Magazine Twitter: Illustrado Magazine PRINTERS Printwell Printing LLC P.O. Box 18828 Dubai, UAE STOCK IMAGES Dreamstime.com (Unless otherwise specified) Copyright Illustrado Communications FZ-LLC 2006 – 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Illustrado Communications FZ-LLC.

42 March 2013 Contents Stunning models Annalita Vizcarra and Olivia Medina step out in style with the most elegant dresses of the season from Manila’s top designers.

news & features

Illustrado’s Women of Substance Move Over Housewife Fempreneur Breaking the Glass Ceiling Survival of the Prettiest (?) The Emancipation of Maria Clara

10 18 20 26 30 32

regular columns

Editor’s Note 1 Contributors 2 Talking Loud 4 Illuminati: Women of Style and Substance 6 News: DOT & PPUR Launch Online Booking 16 It’s What I Do 24 Entertainment: Women’s Month 34 Illustrado Scrapbook 36 News: Ayala Land Inc. Opens in Dubai 38 10 Things to Do 62 On the Prowl, In the Know 66 Kabuhayan: Finding My Place Under the Sun 78 Bayanihan Corner 79 Kabuhayan: Invitation Designer 80 Kabuhayan: Women of Sacrifice 82 Spirituality: How to Become Women of Substance 84 Community 87 Onli in Da Pilipins: Women Can’t Live Without 90

fashion

Saturday in the City 42 Real Style, Real People 60

places

Trippin’: The Girl’s Guide to Beachcombing 70 My Pinoy Life in – Riyadh 74

Talking Loud Dado Banatao? What would haute couture be like without Michael, Furne? Or West End without Lea Salonga? I think a sense of pride--the kind that puts value into our work and our contribution in a diversity of fields--is badly needed to give our sense of nationhood a good helping of self-esteem. ~Theresa Espiritu Hi, Illustrado Magazine!

We posted an Arab News article on our Facebook Page entitled, “Imagine the World Without Filipinos” where the writer, Abdullah Al-Maghlooth praised the Filipino for their work ethic and dedication. We got a mix of replies to that post and it made for such an interesting discussion that we’re re-posting some of the comments here: Very touching, the appreciation they give for Filipino workers...  ~Juno Kirstine Die a slow death talaga? ‘Di naman siguro. That was nice though, thanks!  ~Tessa Podador I’m crying, happy cry... sniff sniff... happy pain ito.

I’m Tracy Dizon, a few of my creations were part of your recent magazine issue, Tiara by Tracy Dizon and I was just wondering where can I find your magazine? I’ve tried some bookstores but couldn’t find it, Fully Booked has the December, January Issues but not yet this recent one. Hope you can answer my query! Thanks! Hi, Tracy! First of all, thank you for the pleasure of featuring your work and promoting the talent and the ingenuity of Filipino design work. We have just shipped our latest issues to the Philippines and have re-stocked Fully Booked outlets in Taguig (Bonifacio Global City), Katipunan, Greenbelt 5, Rockwell, Gateway Cubao, and Eastwood. We hope to see more of your work on our pages. Cheers,

~John Warren

Lalaine

It’s not that I don’t appreciate this show of gratitude, but I do find that the article still equates the work and service of the Filipino to that of being a servant, a hired hand and caregiver; that of being an ordertaker.

Dear Illustrado,

I would have no problem with it, except that I’m tired of reading stuff where this is what the bulk of “Filipino greatness” is equated to. What about talent, intelligence and creativity? I long for more international praise for the likes of Dado Banatao and Michael Cinco, Furne One. What would Silicon Valley be like without

ILLUSTRADO 6

I’m so happy to see that Filipinos are being recognized for their talent in yet another realm – cooking. Or should I say, culinary art? Because cooking is definitely an art… and so is eating for a lot of us, but that’s a given isn’t it? Anyway, I was glued to my telly when watching Chef Sheldon Simeon on Top Chef. The dishes he cooked like kilawin, adobo and balut brought back many a childhood memory of the wonderful aromas coming from our kitchen.

Illustrado has been on the forefront of trumpeting the genius of our Filipino designers and the world has begun to take notice. I feel it is time when Filipino cuisine will have its place in the food maps. As Andrew Zimmerman went on record to say, “Filipino food is the next big thing!” Maybe we should come up with our own Filipino expression for bon appétit! Mabuhay! Giselle, culinary arts student Manila, Philippines Hey, Illustrado, Speaking of balut, you might want see recently aired episode of “Top Chef ”. I think it’s Season 10, Episode 11. The Flipino chef won one challenge showcasing modernized balut, kilawin, adobo and halo-halo. Peace! ~JR Egalla Yes, it is (another) source of great pride and joy for the Filipino talent to be recognized in culinary art. You can bet Illustrado will be trumpeting the news about this feat – or maybe banging pots and pans as form of thunderous applause is more fitting? ; ) ~Lalaine Was thrilled to see Brittney Spears wearing Michael Cinco at the Elton John Oscar viewing party, but was bummed when she said her dress was made by Versace. : ( ~Ellen del Rosario Fashion follower whose guilty pleasure is show biz Hi Ellen, Brittney’s publicist issued a correction and said it was an honest mistake. Perez Hilton picked up the same tidbit and wrote about it on his blog, giving proper credit to Michael Cinco. Thanks, though for pointing that out and giving credit where credit is due. Cheers! Lalaine

Substance, Grace Poe Llamanzares

NOT JUST FORM By Krip Yuson

If there’s a part i cular woman of substance that would b e currently appropr iate for me to champion, i t would have to b e Ma’m Grace Poe Llamanzares, who happens to b e running for Senator of the Republ i c of the P hil ippines. I hope this isn’t seen as campaigning on my part. But if it is, there’s nothing illegal about it, this endorsement, so I couldn’t care less whatever is thought of it. Of course if positive thoughts are generated, then that would make it extremely gratifying.

Notice how I said Ma’m Grace. That’s because I haven’t quite gotten out of the habit of addressing this woman of substance, this lady of intelligence and class, as such.

For well over a year, she was Chair of the MTRCB or Movie and Television Review & Classification Board, where I’ve been a BM or Board Member for over a decade. It was during the term of President Joseph

illuminatti

Estrada when I was first appointed to the Board, on the say-so of yet another formidable woman of substance: then MTRCB Chair Armida Siguion Reyna. I admired the way she ran meetings, nononsense, no-frills, to the point, directing them towards sentient conclusions. Then we got to the sosyalan and tsismis and the rest of the business. ’Twas unfortunate that the arrangement didn’t last long, that is, my being one of the BMs under her tenure as Chair, as Erap was ousted a few months later. But as luck would have it, my luck, the next President, GMA who had substance but also a frail spine where her hubby’s predilections were concerned — this I daresay now — remembered me as part of the small but potent media advisory group that used to service FVR during his effective presidency, and which had been reactivated for her own benefit when she was Veep. In any case, that meant 8-9 years of GMA’s presidency, hallelujah, that I served further as BM. Except that in 2010, just as the presidential elections swung around, I suddenly found myself viced!

Drat! Being viced meant being replaced, in the board. Birdies told me a birdie whispered to La Gloria’s ear that I had joined Noynoy’ Aquino’s campaign. Well, not really, although on a visit to Dubai I did bring along a large yellow kite I made sure to fly on the beach with the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel in the background. And the kite had “Noynoy for President” stenciled in blue on its span. Either her intel providers were that good, or yet another birdie had told her I had been credited as editor of Atty. Frank Chavez’ coruscating novel Blighted — featuring a roman-a-clef character named Jabba the Hutt. Thus the vicing. To my relief, pardon the pun, Noynoy became PNoy, and I was back in the Board after a year, with a remarkable lady as helmswoman. I had previously served with five other MTRCB Chairs, but not since Ma’m Armida had a perfect fit been appointed to head the agency. Ma’m Chair Grace was (and still is) gracious, smart, warm, articulate, open-minded and open-hearted. Not an ounce of what we call “plastic” — almost de rigueur in show biz

— ever visited her extraordinarily charming and genuine personality. She led the Board with much initiative, until it became a truly dynamic and activist one, which it remains to be till this day. We all admired and loved her. So much so that when she had to make a decision to follow our President’s express wish for her to join the Liberal Party’s senatorial slate, the office staff wept openly over their loss — of a Chairperson that led by example and with much grace. I can say this openly now, at no risk of sounding like I’m polishing any apple: Grace Poe Llamanzares, daughter of “The King” FPJ or Fernando Poe, Jr., is one heck of a lady of much substance. She deserves to be voted into the Philippine Senate, where we certainly need more thinking heads than talking ones. Ma’m Grace is no slouch when it comes to form. Petite, she’s quite a looker, too, ever clad daintily in modest fashion. Substance over form, however. That alone dictates our certainty that she will make it, and become one of our most objective and intelligently articulate legislators.

Feature

WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE: Moving Forward

Illustrado’s Women of Substance (WOS) continues to be a celebration of Filipina empowerment and achievement, providing inspiration to boost the morale of the Filipino community. Under the auspices of the Philippine Embassy, the WOS has made its mark as a prestigious accolade for Filipinas in the UAE and Gulf. Since its inception in 2008, it has been viewed as a groundbreaking project with a real cause. This year, Illustrado revisits past honorees and finds out where and how these Filipinas are continuing to live up to the values of being a woman of substance.

ENGINEER MARY JANE ALVERO AL MAHDI She is the Filipina chemist who rose to the position of CEO in a reputed multidisciplinary testing laboratory in the UAE and the first Filipina to be recognized in the equally prestigious Emirates Business Women’s Awards in 2008. Aside from being on the roll of Illustrado’s Women of Substance 2009, she also garnered the 2009 Bagong Bayani for the Most Outstanding Employee and the Blas F. Ople Award for

Natatanging Bagong Bayani. Her list of awards certainly don’t stop there. Last year, she was awarded the Pamana ng Pilipino Award 2012 (Commission Filipinos Overseas, Office of the President) conferred by President Benigno Aquino Jr., in Malacanan Palace and with International Achiever’s Award 2012 conferred by Adamson University President Father Gregg Banaga in Anaheim, California, USA.

The WOS effect To be an honoree of Women of Substance makes me feel that I am one of the most influential females in the community. To be

branded a woman of substance is one of the greatest compliments I have ever received. I am deeply humbled by the recognition, knowing that a woman of substance means woman of power, a woman of positive influence and a woman of significance. In my experience, I have learned that I, as a woman, should not let the pressure of being “perfect” or “criticism” affect me. It has come as such a relief to me to realize that being different and imperfect is far more interesting than being a “perfect” person. The WOS added value I became socially responsible by creating

Feature opportunities for other people. Being a woman of substance, I believe I have made a positive impact in my profession and in the community. My leadership strengths have been enhanced. I think more holistically by identifying opportunities, risks, and gaps that others often miss, strengthening my competitive edge. My professional and personal network of friends, like-minded

women, and colleagues has increased since the time I was honored. I am still enjoying the journey and celebrating the success of this recognition today.

The WOS push Honestly, the title provides more of strength than pressure. It is a relief when I am feeling down, making me realize that

FE “GING-GING” HYDE

battles I have waged and fought in the past, it has all paid off. It has kept me more grounded and grateful for life.

Her contributions in the field of arts and film have made the pretty face of Fe “GingGing” Hyde a widely recognizable one. She not only dominates the big screen, but has also come to symbolize an inspirational image to the fellow Filipinas based in the region. Bagging a spot in the prestigious WOS 2010, the Dubai-based Minadanaoan indie-film producer, actress, singer, dancer and theater performer, Fe “Ging-Ging” Hyde also won the Best Actress award at the 34th Gawad Urian in 2011.

The WOS added value

The WOS effect I am humbled by one of the greatest compliments a woman can receive. Whatever the decisions, struggles and

ISABELITA WARREN The woman behind the now-renowned brand Nanay Tuneng is no other than the charming Isabelita Warren. Though a nurse by profession, her entrepreneurial spirit surfaced and led the family-owned Tritrade International to success. Commended not only for her entrepreneurial achievements, Isabelita also initiated projects that fed close too 3,000 children in Magdalena. She also opened a vocational school in her father’s name, in collaboration with the TESDA in 2009 to provide free courses in electronics, plumbing, cosmetology, among others to out-of-school youth. To Isabelita, this was to help alleviate the hopelessness she has sensed in the young people of

I am so blessed to have been honored as woman of substance. “Keeping up with the title” means continuity of service, continue the advocacy of an empowered woman and enjoying its success by being a role model in the community. The title itself is already an edge, a quality mark of excellence.

Respect is the best word for it. [With the accolade], I learned how to respect more what I do in terms of my career and advocacies and who I am as a person.

The WOS push I think being awarded with Woman of Substance is not just a title but is also a definition of who I am. I never put it in my head, because it’ll surely pressure me. Instead, I embraced, sealed it in my heart and continue to handle it with care. Indeed the title is another responsibility, and it gives me more opportunity to uplift and inspire other people, especially women.

her hometown. She makes managing all of these responsibilities look so easy and she continues to be the devoted wife and mother, proving why she deserves to be WOS 2009 honoree.

The WOS effect I feel honored to be a Women of Substance honoree. It brings me great joy and a sense of pride for what I have achieved. It empowers me to continue and pursue greater heights.

The WOS added value The accolade has made me more recognizable in public events to a larger number of people, and may have increased my business, although that is hard to measure.

ILLUSTRADO 13

Feature The WOS push

The WOS effect

I am very pleased and honored to have been selected as Women of Substance. I continue to feel honored by the title, and will do my very best to live up to what should be expected of each of us who were chosen for this honor.

It is always a joy and treasure to remember that I was chosen to be an honoree of the Women of Substance. I am proud to be

one of them. It always reminds me of the capabilities that I have, which I took for granted before the awarding. Indeed, being one of the Filipinas chosen for this award is an achievement itself. I am very grateful to be considered an honoree.

The WOS added value Personally, it is an inspiration to continue the volunteer work that I do. Professionally, it highlighted the values that are important to me and my career: To care, love and serve.

JULIET SOLAS Otherwise known as Sister Juliet, this lady is the sister anyone would be lucky to have. An awarded healthcare professional, Sister Juliet is a senior staff nurse at the pediatric ward of the Al Wasl Hospital. Her hard work and dedication earned her the Dubai Government Excellence Award. Her contribution to helping fellow women in the community paved the way for her inclusion in WOS 2009 honorees. Till now, Sister Juliet facilitates retreats for her organization and provides guidance to the runaway helpers in need.

The WOS push There is no pressure, but I find it a calling to keep it up. I encourage others to aspire to be one too someday. We hope to find more honorees for Women of Substance. Furthermore, I am encouraged to develop people spiritually, so everything will follow.

Hotel. No wonder her achievements and personality landed her to making it to the WOS 2010 list.

The WOS effect

LAARNI EUGENIO Known as a self-made entrepreneur, Laarni Eugenio is seen as a strong independent businesswoman who is respected for her astute business sense and loved for her warmth, charm and honesty. Her can-do

attitude has helped her and her husband establish Ariel Designs, a go-to wedding, events planning and design company in the UAE. Her company now owns three warehouses, and employs multinationalities. Hoping to open a branch in Muscat (Oman) in the near future, Laarni pursues projects with leading hotels such as Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach

It is of course a great honor to be referred as one of Illustrado’s “Women of Substance”. Such recognition gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride. This kind of acknowledgement gives me the drive to do more and give more in both personal and professional life, to “go another extra mile” in everything I do.

The WOS push There is some pressure in keeping up with the title, but I never truly considered myself as a highly successful career woman. I know and I accept that wherever I am now in my profession, there is always room for improvement.

Feature John during his concert in Abu Dhabi. She wants to pursue her charity work by building schools in the Philippines. Clarita de Quiroz is a WOS 2009 honoree.

The WOS effect I felt so humbled when I was introduced as a Women of Substance honoree. It is such a beautiful title to have and I am very proud to be involved in such a worthy cause.

The WOS added value

CLARITA DE QUIROZ Known for her looks and talent, Clarita de Quiroz who was recently hailed as the UAE’s Number One Selling Music Artist in Ahlan’s Hot 100 2013, is indeed a name to look out for in the music industry. This stunner, who has Filipino and Scottish

roots, is a classically trained pianist and percussionist. Recognized for her many talents which range from modeling to singing, she began taking home accolades at young age. She was named as northeast Scotland’s “Young Musician of the Year” in 1998. Now based in the UAE, Clarita de Quiroz continues to shine and bring pride of the Philippines – from being a Dove ambassador to supporting Sir Elton

AGNES STOTT BRIGGS From being one of the leaders of the Philippine Business Council in Abu Dhabi to taking care of her family, Agnes Stott Briggs is a woman who can do it all. Having recently joined Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, she enjoys touring newly relocated families in the Emirates – ensuring that they will be off to a good start in the UAE. Aside from this, she is an image and style consultant, and hopes to open a finishing school in the Philippines someday. A woman with innate personal style and charm, Agnes Stott Briggs is a WOS 2011 honoree.

The WOS effect

It is a different element to my work. With most of my work, people don’t really get the chance to see my personality and the causes I stand for, so this way, it really helps me get my point and character across to people.

The WOS push I always feel the pressure to maintain and even improve my level in my career and with this title. I am always in competition with myself and always need to improve year after year.

Each time I am introduced as an honoree of Illustrado’s Women of Substance I feel proud, empowered and accomplished. To me, a woman of substance is one of the greatest compliments one can give a woman; it means that she is a woman who wants to be an “influential” female who can inspire and make a positive difference in people’s lives. And, it is such a great honor to be considered as one.

The WOS added value It validated me personally and professionally. I was able to understand my strengths, and how to use these to further achieve my goals in life.

The WOS push It is not a pressure, but a moral obligation to be a role model. It is instrumental to inspire and motivate others to raise the bar

ILLUSTRADO 15

Feature

LOU PARROCO WOS 2012 honoree Lou Parroco is extremely busy with all the traveling her job as a Global HR Manager at an oil and gas company in Dubai entails. But aside from her corporate life, Lou wants to find more time to do her volunteer work. She wants to make a repeat of the ‘Jumpstart, Kabayan!”, a seminar that she conducted last year to equip fellow Filipinos with practical knowledge that will help them when it comes to job hunting. Part of her plan is to set up Knowledge Castle, a pre-school back home where she could award scholarships to deserving but needy students.

The WOS effect “Grateful, yet humbled.” Up until now, I do not think I have done extraordinary things to deserve such recognition. I only

listen to how my heart beats for the needy. I just make the ‘happy’ choice to do concrete actions, no matter how small, to help. Instead of feeling sympathy and despair for those in need with a mere sympathetic sigh saying, ‘Ay, kawawa naman’, I want to choose to do something. I call it my happy choice because doing something good for others makes them happy, and makes me happy too! Never did it occur to me that those plain instinctive gestures will attract such a prestigious recognition.

The WOS added value I do not think that having been honored as one of the Women of Substance in the Middle East has given me, directly, added value professionally and personally. I think the value lies in how my accolade influenced others to seek opportunities to help. In my professional network, my peers were amazed to know that in spite of

my being busy with my global corporate responsibility, I am still able to do projects to help the less fortunate, and they were moved to do the same in their respective communities. Personally, my accolade also gave a sense of honor and joy to my family and I am hopeful that my children, nieces and nephews will grow up embracing my advocacy of helping those who are less fortunate.

The WOS push I was recognized for my little humanitarian efforts. Fortunately, extending and performing charitable acts is not a race or a contest of any sort. Hence, I do not sense any pressure if I do not exceed my achievement. To me, an honorable person is not one who aims to win and to be recognized, but one who can be true and consistent to the values of helping others in need.

Feature

MARIETTA MORADA Being a true ‘Iskolar ng Bayan’, Marietta Morada never ceases to give back to the Filipino community. Rising to the top post in a UAE government agency, she upholds a positive image of the Filipinas not only in her work, but also in using her wisdom in providing advice to FILCOM, the umbrella organization of the Filipino associations in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Currently, she is working to explore projects with the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) to bring licensing exams to Filipinos in the UAE and hopefully around the world. Marietta Morada is a WOS 2012 honoree.

MARIECAR BLANCO JARA Don’t let her petite physique deceive you, Maricar Puyod is strong, independent and career-oriented. She has proven to the Filipino community her capability to inspire fellow women with achievements as a journalist for a well-known daily in the UAE. Aside from being hailed as a 2009 WOS honoree, she has also acquired nominations and awards, including the Bronze Medalist at the First AustralianNew Zealand Chambers of Commerce and Industries-Manila Journalism Competitions in 1999.

The WOS effect I feel very proud and happy to realize that what I have done in my life is worthy of recognition. It makes me smile that I have become an idol to my children and my grandchildren.

The WOS added value I firmly believe in giving my best in everything I do and in helping others, as I have been helped. I take the award and the recognition I received as confirmation that I am on the right track and that people around me recognize my efforts, making me more inspired to go on and do more.

The WOS push In a few years, I’ll be retiring from work. I am already getting read to open new doors and meet new challenges with greater confidence.

The WOS effect My family back home was very excited about the award and my Mommy would show the magazine with my picture to friends and relatives.

The WOS added value I admit the honor has given me more confidence, which is necessary in my profession and in a multi-cultural society.

The WOS push I do not feel any pressure but the award made me more meticulous, always aiming for perfection.

ILLUSTRADO 17

news

DOT AND PUERTO PRINCESA CITY LAUNCH NEW ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM FOR UNDERGROUND RIVER The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the City Government of Puerto Princesa, Palawan have teamed up for the launch of a new online booking system for local and foreign tourists visiting the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR). “We worked very hard for Puerto Princesa’s tourism. And we could not be happier that it, indeed, worked and flourished. But the demand was quite overwhelming. It eventually caused us more problems than rewards. We had more than what we can handle, and we weren’t prepared for it,” Mayor Edward Hagedorn said. He looks forward to a renewed fun in Puerto Princesa especially now that an online booking system and more efficient payment modes are in place. He expressed his assurance to the public assured that this program will continue beyond his term of office. Tourist influx to Puerto Princesa surged after the underground river was declared one of the UNESCO New 7 Wonders

ILLUSTRADO 18

of Nature, yielding an increase of 45 per cent in arrivals since 2011. The increase in traffic has caused confusion in securing permits from the PPUR office and the city government’s crowd control or restriction of access to the site due to environmental concerns. The automated booking system will hopefully help ease tourists before they book their hotels and flights to the city. It can also be accessed by travel agencies all over the country and even abroad. “Puerto Princesa City is a perfect example of a local government unit that works handin-hand with the national government. We, in the department, are enablers of tourism. The active participation on the ground is what makes things happen, as it is always done on the people’s behalf. More importantly, we are assured that sustainability is responsibly shared and prioritized by the local government. This is merely the beginning of our efforts together and one of the measures that will help ensure that the world-famous attraction’s

carrying capacity is not compromised,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. enthused. Earlier in February, the new online system was also presented for comments to the officers of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) and the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA). Prior to this, a series of meetings were made with the tourism stakeholders in Puerto Princesa to begin the public consultation phase of the project.

CONTACT: EVELYN A. MACAYAYONG Office of Marketing Communications 525-1805 http://ppur.com.ph/. Successful bookings will receive an email notification which will serve as a digital invoice that needs to be printed and presented upon visit to PPUR.

MODERN MOM

Housewi fe or working mom? Women finding new ways to close the divide between home and the office to combine motherhood and a career. By Nephele Kirong

For a long time, you were either a “working mom” or a “hands-on mom”, never both. How could you be a working mom while still managing your household and watching over your kids? Both tasks are full-time jobs. And while economic obligations may hamper plans to leave the corporate world, thanks to the Internet, new alternative economic opportunities have opened up allowing women to fuse motherhood and work in a way that works for them.

Mompreneur: the mother-businesswoman The digital age has certainly made it easier for moms to leave their corporate jobs for entrepreneurial ventures, just like how it did for Sharon De Guzman – Gozo. “I wanted to stay home and look after my daughter myself. So, I decided to quit my day job and opened an online store instead.”

Sharon worked for the telecommunications industry for 10 years, before shifting careers to become a full-time mom and entrepreneur with Spinkie.com.ph, an online shop selling baby products. Sharon is what is known as a mompreneur. An amalgam of the words mom and entrepreneur, Investopedia defines mompreneur as a woman “who runs her own businesses while also acting as a full time parent.” Or simply put, she is a mother who wears two different hats at the same time. “Being a mompreneur means having quality time with my little one while having my own business at the same time.” Hitting two birds with one stone, Sharon’s decision allowed her to be there for her kid and still be financially empowered. Having the base of operations at home removes distance from the office commute equation, leaving more time for family and homelife.

The Internet has become a tool for moms to sell their wares without setting foot outside of their homes. Likewise, advertising and marketing strategies can also be done online, allowing greater flexibility for business-savvy mothers.

Expanding the office into the home Admittedly, not all women are inclined to doing business. Some are better off performing specific tasks assigned that are well within their education, training and expertise. Years ago, this would require being in a physical office. That is not the case today. The digital age has revolutionized the traditional office space and has created a virtual expansion that people can use in the comforts of their homes. It has made it possible for moms to not sacrifice their high-paying jobs to stay at home with the kids.

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It is now possible for moms to have their high-paying jobs to stay at home with the kids.

Through telecommuting or by remotely logging into the office network, mothers can perform similar tasks and report progress at home through an approved arrangement with the management. This then creates what most of us call work-athome moms (WAHMs). WAHMderful Life, an online community and blog for WAHMs, founder Martine De Luna defines a work-at-home mom to be “simply a niche within the umbrella of the stay-at-home mom. She’s mostly homebased, mainly because she would like to be hands-on with her children.” These include the home-based office workers on telecommute work setup and the mompreneurs, who are their own bosses. But Martine strongly says that “the key element that makes a mom a WAHM is that all the major aspects of her life co-exist around the home, the family, including her work, whether she’s a mompreneur or a home-based office worker.”

Increasing WAHMs, mompreneurs With a mother’s nature to be present on her children’s lives, especially on their formative years, being a WAHM seems like a great idea. But Martine cautions that they should first assess two things before shifting lifestyles: purpose and personal efficiency. “As long as they are able to define the purpose, then they can build their work-athome setup on a strong foundation.” It is however a given that prospective WAHMs can manage and delineate both work and family obligations, since there will be no “quality control system or supervisor” to check their work and progress. Ideally, Martine advises women who come to her for coaching to try it out for a specific period of time. This is also to see how the whole family will be involved and how supportive they will be. “If the setup is not working, then she might consider a different lifestyle, perhaps even go back to a

conventional office setting,” she says. For Martine, the option to work at home is motivated by the desire for a “better quality of life.” And hindering women to work just because they are “supposed” to take of children, undermines their ability to actually contribute more to the well-being of the family. However, besides battling the machismo that exists, she adds that it is also women wanting to experience motherhood and concoct income-generating activities that they love and enjoy. “They are women who have a defined purpose for making the lifestyle choice to work from home, whether as business owners, freelancers or offshore/ telecommuting employees,” says Martine. With the aid of technology, an emerging economy and an entrepreneurial spirit, Moms are making work work for them— instead of the other way around.

ILLUSTRADO 21

Feature FEMTREPRENEUR

Fil ipina business owners share their learnings about running an enterprise femtrepreneur style.

REGINA MARTIN-MARAUTA Meeting Dance & Leisure Wear - Dubai This is our seventh year in the business and I’m enjoying every bit of it! Contrary to belief, as a woman entrepreneur in the region, I have never felt disadvantaged at all because of my or my staffs’ gender. Our clients come to us because we have what they need and offer service with a smile as a bonus. If one has a good and unique concept coupled with good service, I believe that there will always

be people who will come and support it. Gender is of no issue. But of course, who will complain if I get to pass ahead of the line in government agencies because I am a female entrepreneur? For women who are planning to set-up their own business, my advice would be to first come up with a unique concept. Then you can start with a simple but effective business strategy that will get the attention

and interest of your target market, then go out there and find them. Don’t just sit and wait for possible clients to come and know or hear about you and your product. It’s a vast world out there, but there will always be a place for you if you know how and where to find it. Some of my friends who needed a little push have already done so and are thriving. So can you!

LEA CORDON Spa Cordon- Dubai I have been running Spa Cordon since April 2011. Women today are seen to be more aggressive and powerful in their own field of work. This has become an advantage as society now looks at a female entrepreneur

with respect and admiration. A woman instinctively knows how to get things done and how to make situations work to her own advantage. I think every female entrepreneur needs to remember: be bold and conquer.

Everything starts with an idea, build on this and do an extensive business plan to guide you along your journey. Being an entrepreneur is a blessing where passion and persistence is a key.

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MARIA ARANDA Captain Potato – Dubai I successfully launched Captain Potato in October 2009 at the peak of the recession and global financial crisis and we have been operating since. I love being a female entrepreneur. I believe being a female has made me an even better businessperson. Being a woman is a great advantage that comes with heaps of benefits. Business nowadays needs charm and we women are good at that. Charm leads to better outcomes for female negotiators. We women do not give up.

We work pretty hard. We fight for what we believe and no matter what is going on in our lives, we don’t stop until we get what we want. If we come across a roadblock, we find creative ways to get over it and around it–all in stilettos. We’re not afraid! The key trait of an entrepreneur is creatively overcoming challenges and knowing that failure is never an option. The key questions to ask yourself are: How hard are you going to work? How adaptive is your business model? Do you really want success

bad enough? If you answer yes to these questions, then you will make it happen even if you crash and burn a startup (or two) until you hit the right path for a winner. Once you decide to achieve your own dreams, muster enough courage, great patience and combine it with a positive mindset and financial capability, you can do just about anything.

NANNY MATTA MONTEIRO Pretty Style Fashion and Perfumes – Abu Dhabi We put up our business in February 2004 and at that time, I only had 1 sales assistant. Now both my husband and are managing our business and we employ another staff. There are advantages and disadvantages being a woman [running a business] in this country. For instance, when you will renew your business license, you don’t need to fall in line at the municipality as there is a designated area for ladies. On the other

hand, being a woman, there will be some men who will look at you differently. You have to be strong and show them that you are a businesswoman and you are capable of running a company to get their respect. You have to act and dress decently and in a smart fashion to show that you are a businesswoman. Talk to them in a nice way with a very good command of English; it will get their attention.

For those who want to set up a business, always choose think about the positive side of things. Ideally, you should have enough resources because there are a lot of things to do in the beginning of your business. Lastly, you don’t need to expect an immediate result, so remember to take it one step at a time. Ask guidance from God, most importantly.

it’s what i do

IT’S WHAT I DO

is what leads them to work abroad. With this, he advises fellow OFWs to keep contact with their loves ones and make ways to be part of their lives. “Distance should never be a hindrance to express our feelings for them.”

so I took that as a challenge,” says Sheila. After that interview, she got a job at her current workplace and has been developing her skills since then. Knowing that there is no such thing as an easy ride to success, she advises fellow Filipinos, “When you dream, dream big. You have to believe in yourself, work for it and everything else will follow.”

Lloyd dela Cruz Santos Facilitator, Airline Industry Passion for teaching pushed Lloyd dela Cruz Santos to become an effective facilitator for an airline company. His job involves delivering effective sales training to corporate salespeople, graduate managers and newly hired employees. While training is a major part of his job, Lloyd says the bigger responsibility to make sure his trainees are equipped with information to excel in their individual roles. He remembers that during his early years in the industry, he was received recognition from the country manager of Vietnam. “He was pretty amazed that my previous experience is totally different from my current role and he even asked my senior manager if I can also deliver the course to his team in Ho Chi Minh City.” Lloyd has been in the airline industry for over 10 years and still enjoys his job. “Dealing with people from different parts of the world has been a rewarding experience.” The travel and being exposed to different cultures is also a definite bonus. On the downside though, he is away from his family in the Philippines. But he says that Filipinos are family-oriented and that

Sheila Baldago-Tobias Senior Account Executive, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Being part of the biggest events in town and rubbing elbows with corporate and media head honchos seems like a glamorous job, but Sheila Baldago-Tobias says public relations (PR) is hard work. Describing herself as having the “memory of a goldfish”, Sheila shares that she starts the day by making a to-do list to make sure she doesn’t forget anything. With her work at PR ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller dependent on the client’s requirements and the various simultaneous events, each working day could vary from developing PR strategies to arranging gifts. This par for the course and Sheila welcomes it, “This is what fuels my engine – the randomness of what PR brings.” And getting into public relations wasn’t a smooth ride either. When she was still a newbie in Dubai, she applied for an administrative job but was recommended for a barista role instead. While finding nothing wrong with that, she felt that her capabilities were underestimated. “I knew I could do more

Jesse Marcelo Posis HR Manager, Aswan Int’l. Engineering Reinvention defines Jesse Marcelo Posis’ career. Formerly a dance choreographer, she is now an human resources manager, aside from being a fitness professional instructor and part-time singer. Jesse shares that she once met a carpenter who is now a pilot, who inspired the shift in her career. Now, as an HR manager, she handles 450 people in five different multinational companies, the recruitment process and all other HR activities. She says her secret to change career paths is challenging herself to do things beyond her ability. “The strength to decide on which direction you take in your life allows you to reinvent yourself to change your future,” Jesse says. Moreover, she believes that you need courage to change to achieve success. “Change is the result of true learning, you have the power to change your life. Kung sa tingin mo na hindi mo pa na aabot ang potential mo, [if you think you haven’t reached your full potential yet] then don’t stop trying to reach for it.”

By Excel V. Dyquiangco

IN A MAN’S WORLD The late President Corazon Aquino once addressed women from around the globe on how they can make a difference in the world in her speech “Women Leaders Can Make A Difference”. Considering that she was the first woman president of the Philippines—and among the first in the world—Cory Aquino may very well be the first Filipina to break through the glass ceiling. “There is much that women can bring into politics that would make our world a kinder, gentler place for humanity to thrive in,” Cory declared. It may have been just the battle cry and gentle push to give the Filipina the courage to break through the glass ceiling and make the world a better place, in the way that only a woman can.

In this month’s Illustrado, we honor Filipinas who have reached for the sky, but have never forgotten to look back.

Dr. Josette Biyo Executive Director, Philippine Science High School

Being the first Filipino to win the Intel International Science Teaching Competition and have an asteroid named after her cannot quite sum up Josette’s life achievements. She credits her success to people who nurtured her talents as she was growing up.

She talks about the intellectual training she got from her father and her discipline from her mother. She also talks about her elementary science teacher who thought out of the box and taught her how to do the same. Instead of a classroom setting, Josette says they were brought outside to observe the real world. “Even before we learned how to read and write, we were already imaginative because my father, who was a former teacher, used to tell us stories before we went to bed, and sometimes even when we wake up very early in the morning,” she says. “We already knew how to add and subtract before we started school because my father was already teaching us.”

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It was also during these years that she learned to play the piano, the guitar and the organ, write poems, and paint. It was also such an environment that trained her to reach out to countless people and to convey her ideas and her own learning. It has undoubtedly made her an effective and much loved educator. “I have a passion so fervent I get to influence people,” she says. “When I speak, everyone seems to listen and obey. In fact, they say that I function as a magnet because they are attracted to me. It’s the same way when I’m in the classroom – my students leave the room with a clear understanding of what I ask them to do.” Josette considers herself a risk taker and a visionary, because she sets the direction to her work and she has variety of experiences.

“I am very confident about taking risks because I have the humility to accept mistakes” “I am very confident about taking risks because I have the humility to accept mistakes which is sometimes very hard to do,” she says. “I am very much open to corrections. You can’t be a leader unless you develop the humility to make mistakes, be subservient to your bosses, and to recognize your weaknesses. This is what I always tell the other teachers and the directors.”

Jessica Cox Motivational Speaker

There were times during her younger years when FilipinoAmerican Jessica Cox questioned God and her parents why she was born without arms. “It was because of a birth defect, so I was told. But it was a highly difficult stage for me,” she says. “I had to relearn everything – from eating, grasping objects and others with my legs. It wasn’t easy, of course, but I am very fortunate that my parents taught me and were very patient with me.” At the tender age of six, her mother tried to coax her to perform in front of a huge crowd for a dance recital. She didn’t want to. “I tried to ask my dance teacher if I could get out of it,” she recalls. “Somehow, she and my mom convinced me. As I looked into the crowd, there were butterflies in my stomach. I was really nervous. But when I heard the first round of applause, I got hooked.” That performance started it all. In her sophomore year in high school, she was invited to talk about hope and love for the very first time. Nerve-wracking, is how she describes the experience, with the crowd just staring at her. When she started speaking and saw the attentive faces of the crowd, she suddenly realized that she loved every minute of being on stage. From then on, she performed in talent shows, did some modeling, and everything else in front of audiences.

Now, speaking in front of people in 18 different countries in the world has become a platform for sharing her inspirational message of hope and love. She remembers a funny moment during an engagement in the Mexican border. Speaking in English, she realized by her audience’s blank stare that they didn’t understand a word of what she was saying and there was no translator. “I did my chaku with my feet and they responded gleefully,” she says. “I realized that my mere presence up there speaks more than words can say; hope is a universal language.”

“I realized that my mere presence up there speaks more than words can say; hope is a universal language.” In Ghana, Africa, Jessica met one lady born without arms. The parents of the lady were told to abandon her in the wilderness and to let her die in the jungle. Her mother refused and raised her daughter in hiding. “She’s an elementary school teacher now, and she teaches her students that hope is not lost even when you are born without limbs,” says Jessica. “It was very touching to meet her.” And for women feel discouraged because of situations and circumstances around them, she says, “I believe that women have certain inner strengths. They should realize what they can do and what they have. Remember that in difficulties, these are your greatest assets. These are what make you stronger.” For more information, log on to her website at rightfooted.com.

ILLUSTRADO 29

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as well. Many projects are done by groups of people working together toward a common goal. There is a constant challenge to produce good work in a short period of time.

“I do think that role models can help change this and I think that’s already starting to happen. I hope that my work as a scientist will make it easier for younger people to imagine a future as one, too.” In Filipino society, being a scientist is not usually considered as a career, regardless of gender. “This is true when I was growing up, and I believe is still true today,” Reina laments. “I do think that role models can help change this and I think that’s already starting to happen. I hope that my work as a scientist will make it easier for younger people to imagine a future as one, too.” To aid the cause further, she helped collect profiles of Filipino scientists on the website www.pinoyscientists.tumblr.com. Reina invites curious readers to visit it and feel free to reach out.

Reina Reyes Astrophysicist

Astrophysicists study all kinds of fascinating objects in the universe: planets, stars, black holes, and the birth and fate of the universe. But for Reina, she observes and studies galaxies to learn more about them and try figure out how they are formed and evolve. “I earned my PhD and have done some good work with great mentors and

collaborators, but I don’t consider any of my achievements so far ‘great,’” says Reina who serves a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics in Chicago, Illinois. “I can say that I am glad to be in a position to contribute as part of the global community of scientists, as well as a publicly-engaged citizen-scientist of the country. I look forward to what the future brings.” Astrophysics, and the academia in general, is a very competitive field for both men and women. But the field is very collaborative

Reina says she feels lucky to be a Filipina because in Philippine society, it’s no big deal to see women excel and occupy leadership positions. “I’ve seen that this is not the case here in the U.S. Having said that, I agree that there are still gender biases in terms of career choice. My advice would be to be practical - to be aware of the special challenges that face you, both internal and external and to find ways to meet them. Connecting with peers and mentors in your field who are sensitive to these challenges can help you, too.”

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Survival of the

PRETTIEST (?) By Ana P. Santos

In today’s world, will i t be beauty or abil ity that will survive? Ana P. Santos examines just how far attract iveness will get you. Two applicants are vying for the same job. One is a cum laude from a prestigious university, but plain looking. The other has an 85 grade point average from an average school, but is very attractive. Who do you think will get the job?

“The one who is more attractive, all the time,” says Dr. Vicki Belo whose name and practice has become synonymous to the creation and maintenance of beauty.

the job application experiment herself says that for both men and women, the result was the same: the more attractive one was always the one hired.

“That’s because people want to have the total package” Dr. Belo, who conducted

It is the way that we humans are hardwired says Belo who shares that one of the

“Though attractiveness can definitely make your climb easier—it could also be that likeability is linked to attractiveness. As scientific studies and books like The Likeability Factor posit, one’s likeability is directly correlated to success,”

books that she lives by is by the Harvard anthropologist Nancy Etcoff, author of the book, Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty. Like Etcoff, Belo believes that the pursuit of beauty is not manufactured by the industries that benefit from it, but something that is hardwired in our human DNA. “If before, it was the animal who could run the fastest and who could kill the other animal [who would survive], it is now about the survival of the prettiest. Studies have found that we are naturally drawn to people who are beautiful. Beauty is its own reason for being.” Belo cites another experiment where 5-year old children were shown pictures of attractive people and unattractive people. “Those who were seen as more attractive

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“But I’ve always said that while beauty can get your foot in the door, how far you get inside the workplace depends on your skills, talent, drive and determination.” editor in chief of Cosmopolitan Philippines. “But I’ve always said that while beauty can get your foot in the door, how far you get inside the workplace depends on your skills, talent, drive and determination.” Both Sison and Belo draw the line on using the erotic—attractiveness capital card to get ahead if it involves more action in between the sheets than in the office.

were also seen as kind, sweet and honest— all the positive attributes. Those who were seen to as unattractive were perceived to be liars, mean—all the negative attributes.”

Erotic Capital Catherine Hakim, a sociologist at the London School of Economics, poses a similar philosophy about attractiveness calling it “erotic capital”. Hakim cites some figures that say that people who are more attractive get promoted faster and compensated more and suggests that women should exploit this to get ahead. “I do believe that all things being equal, attractiveness definitely gives you an edge, and scientific studies do prove that more attractive people are compensated better,” begins Myrza Sison, editorial director at Summit Media Publishing and concurrently

“If it means using one’s feminine charms while still falling within the bounds of professional behavior in the workplace in order to get things done, then by all means, it is a skill worth exploiting. But I am uncomfortable with proposing any behavior crossing the line of professional ethics,” clarifies Sison. Belo agrees, “I don’t like calling it erotic capital because it connotes sex. I don’t think a woman should sleep her way to the top. It [success] should be from a point of your qualification. But I do think you should use whatever you have to your advantage.” And many Filipinas in the work place are already charming their way through the workplace to get things done. “Filipinas learn early in life, fairly or unfairly, that there is a premium placed on beauty, and learning to work with our Pinay charm is a skill she develops early in

life!” says Sison. Shelly Solaris*, started out as an account manager for a construction company says that her being a certainly makes a difference. Towing the line is sometimes the same as dodging bullets that come from the two sides of the fence she has to manage – the real estate developer and the contractor, both of whom are mostly men. “It helps that I’m a woman. Most men still find it hard to say no to a woman especially since our way of asking for something is by making lambing rather than by demanding or threatening. Women know all too well that you attract more bees with honey than vinegar,” she says.

Likeability But while you can never make a first impression twice and being attractive will open doors, being genuinely liked is what will really take you places. “Though attractiveness can definitely make your climb easier—it could also be that likeability is linked to attractiveness. As scientific studies and books like The Likeability Factor posit, one’s likeability is directly correlated to success,” says Sison. Beauty may get you in the door, but in many ways, it is also just skin deep.

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The Emancipation of

MARIA CLARA By Anna Oposa

From the demure and docile character over a century ago to the empowere d and emboldened woman of today, Anna Oposa examines the evolut ion and the emancipat ion of Maria Clara. In the novel Noli Me Tangere, the character of Maria Clara was described as an “Oriental decoration.” Her eyes were always downcast and she had a pure soul. She was religious, beautiful, and demure-the qualities of what once was the ideal Filipina. Fast-forward to one hundred and twentysix years after the revolutionary novel was published. Women are in the House of Representatives and Malacañang, corporate executives and generals, looking at their male colleagues squarely in the eye. In 2011, international publication Newsweek magazine ranked the Philippines as the best country in Asia for women and 17 among 165 countries that were listed as “The Best and Worst Places for Women”. Countries were evaluated based on treatment of women under the law, political power, workforce participation, access to education, and access to healthcare. Could this be the dawn of a new era, the long awaited emancipation of Maria Clara?

Waves of change “Sadly, Rizal propagated a standard of how Filipinas should be as espoused by the Spanish Catholic culture,” declares May-i Fabros, Coordinator of Young Women Collective, WomanHealth Philippines. “This was one of the strategies of the conquerors to tip the balance of power since women and men during that time had equal footing.” “Before, it seemed as if the aspired situation is when a woman sits and prettifies herself until she is wooed,” muses Chely Esguerra, Managing Director of ChannelGood, an advocacy communications company. On weekends, she co-runs Girl Matter, a program for young women who are victims of human trafficking and other forms of abuse to realize their self-worth. “Now, women are braver. We’re not just passive members who wait to be addressed, but engaged participants with an unabashed boldness to share in the decision-making,” she observes.

Access to education and even advanced degrees as well as exciting job opportunities are in the horizon, making the Filipina look for different aspects of fulfillment, apart from being a wife and a mother. “When I was younger, I thought I wanted to get married at 25, because things like financial security didn’t matter then,” says Kristine Argana, 24. She recently bagged a coveted position in an international cosmetics company. “The older you get, the farther you push your target age because it seems like the more practical thing to do. Now my target age is on or before 30.” May-i points out that women who have higher education are “marrying at a much later age compared to before because we want to focus on our careers, on ourselves.” She shows numbers from the National Statistics Office: from 85,632 teenage brides in 2000, it was down to 64,812 in 2010.

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Breaking the glass ceiling

more aware of the rights we have. The best part is that we’re willing to fight for those rights.”

“The growing trend of females in high-level management of multinationals is certainly good feedback on how women are elevating their contribution in the workforce and that the workforce is slowly taking notice,” Chely notes. “We must also recognize the abundance of small and medium enterprises being run by women and giving growth to entrepreneurship.”

She goes on, “I feel like the whitening campaign will be less effective in the coming years, because women are starting to embrace the color of their skin. We’re starting to love ourselves more, as it should be.”

She continues: “I’d say the advertising industry has never had so much a party as now due to the display of control that women show in terms of purchasing capacity.” Still, May-i raises the issue of persisting inequality. “Data shows that women comprise half of the labor force. However, only 2 of the 5 employed are women. What the data fails to show is how the rest of the women are working but are unpaid or paid very little,” she says. “For those working, despite having the same job, women still earn less than their male counterparts.”

Chely contemplates on why these changes have emerged. “From where I see things, I’d like to believe that we’re headed toward an enlightened sense of womanity, that we’re breaking status quo using the endless amount of information that we now have. After all, change results from awareness,” she says. “Perhaps, what differentiates today from decades ago is that the information has taken sufficient time to settle and we’ve somehow learned to be confident in deciding what to do with all that we know.” “Also, more women are engaged in online activities,” adds May-i. “Cultures have changed dramatically with more people becoming mobile, with migration, with the ever-expanding global community.

Change is good

The future of Maria Clara

“It’s refreshing to observe not only the diversity of interests of women nowadays but also their willingness to jump into the different adventures that their interests take them,” Chely says. “The demarcation between what is a ‘female’ and ‘male’ activity has blurred and thankfully so.”

“I welcome these changes, but I choose to tread with caution,” says May-i. “The more spaces open, the more it feels constricted at times. [The] discrimination against Filipino women still persists. It is very difficult to break barriers.”

“Filipinas are developing a very strong point of view,” Kristine affirms. “We’re

Chely, Kristine, and May-i continue to dream bigger dreams for their fellow Filipinas.

“We need to break that glass image of how a Filipina should be and come to terms with the strength and power that we already have.” In 2011, international publication Newsweek magazine ranked the Philippines as the best country in Asia for women. “I don’t want Filipinas to keep thinking that their ticket out is to sell their bodies, and that Caucasians can come over looking for whatever they can get,” shares Kristine. “I want Filipinas to have more self-respect, to want to educate themselves more, to feel like they can dream bigger, to not feel like all they’re good for is child bearing.” “I want to see less young women blindly going into the cycle of disempowerment. I want early pregnancy to be greatly reduced,” May-i says. She shows statistics of increasing cases of live births from Filipinas below 20 years old. There were over 126,000 in 2000 and ballooned to over 207,000 in 2010. “I want more jobs in the country for women, so that they need not put themselves in a more vulnerable situation by working overseas.” The women remain very hopeful. “The possibilities are endless. I am very excited because Filipinas are very intelligent, resourceful and resilient. We adapt easily and we survive,” May-i says. “But we need to break that glass image of how a Filipina should be and come to terms with the strength and power that we already have. We just need to claim and fight for it. We are chiseled by time and experience. I look forward to the masterpiece.”

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entertainment

March is

WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MONTH!

There i s certainly no shortage of inspir ing Fil ipinas who make us proud and this month we are honoring three women who have made a di fference by bel ieving in something and being the best they can be at what they do. Compiled By Princes Nedamo

Reese Fernandez-Ruiz Social Entrepreneur

Recognizing the innate perseverance of Filipino women, Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, together with eight other professionals, founded Rags2Riches. A Manila-based social enterprise, Rags2Riches offers eco-ethical fashion and home accessories from the handiwork of Filipino mothers residing in various marginalized communities in the Philippines. Avoiding the use of middlemen who control the resources and prices of their businesses, Rags2Riches has

The success of Rags2Riches has been recognized worldwide. Reese was named among the 2013 Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awardees, in recognition of Rags2Riches breakthrough endeavor that also helped uplift the lives of other people in their community. It was also this year when Rags2Riches was invited to be part of London Fashion Week and where the handiwork of the Rags2Riches beneficiaries took its rightful place among the best of the best in fashion and couture. (With reports from rappler.com and sir.tv) given countless Filipino mothers a source of livelihood that will allow them support their families with dignity. By directly getting fabrics straight from the factories, these women play a vital role in creating high-end accessories, hand bags, eyeglass cases, and yoga mats designed by Filipino designers like Rajo Laurel and Amina Aranaz-Alunan. The women in the communities they serve are trained not only to create intricate designs and materials, but also to become part of the formal supply chain by learning business and life skills necessary to become self-sufficient entrepreneurs.

Menchu Sanchez New York Nurse

Hurricane Sandy was one of the most devastating events that hit America in 2012.

entertainment

It threw the entire city of New York into a panic amidst floods and power outages, but Menchu Sanchez, a nurse at the New York University’s Langone Medical Center only focused on the job at hand. She needed to transport the 20 at-risk infants under her care to other intensive care units. To do that, she organized a group of nurses and doctors to carefully carry the babies down eight flights of stairs with just cellphones to light the way. For her heroism and dedication, Menchu was invited to a front-row seat at Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, next to the president’s wife, Michelle Obama. “We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, she wasn’t thinking about how her own home was faring. Her mind was on the 20 precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe,” the US president said. A very happy Menchu said in an interview with Asianjournal.com, “I screamed when I found out, sobrang gulat at saya ko,” referring to the invitation from the US president. “I was just doing my job. Hindi ko nga alam na may mga camera pala doon noon. Ang priority lang talaga namin ay yung mailabas na maayos yung mga bata sa department namin”. (With reports from abscbnnews.com and asianjournal.com)

Monique Wilson

and One Billion Rising Women from all over the world celebrated February 14 with a different kind of love – a love for women’s life and rights. One Billion Rising, a campaign advocating against violence against women saw women dancing and taking their voices to the streets all over the world. From Africa to America, as well as Asia and Europe, women danced and took a stand against violence. In the Philippine setting, theater actress Monique Wilson is one of the many Filipinas who supported the One Billion Rising movement. In an interview with guardian.co.uk, Monique said, “The dance is really an action that can free women, and also collectively bring us together,” referring to the estimated 2,000 Filipinas who participated in the said event. “It’s a form of breaking free from the oppression.”

“The problem of violence on women and girls is a global one. One Billion Rising is an act of protest against the horror of gender violence experienced by women and girls around the world on a daily basis,” Mary Ann Sapar, regional spokesperson for the Gabriela Women’s Party, said in a statement. In the Gulf area, about 200 women in Dubai also participated in One Billion Rising as women danced to the song, ‘Break the Chain’ and stood in solidarity with women around the world in fighting violence. “This song is basically our anthem because the lyrics talk about woman breaking the chain of violence and standing up for themselves,” said journalist Yonca Tokbas, who organized the event. The founder of the movement, playwright and feminist-activist Eve Ensler, stated in the organization’s website, “Today the dancing begins and with this dancing we express our outrage and joy and our firm global call for a world where women are free and safe and cherished and equal. Dance with your body, for your body, for the bodies of women and the earth.” **With reports from gulfnews.com, mindanaoexaminer.com, gaystarnews.com, guardian.co.uk, inquirer.net, nbcnews.com, and onebillionrising.org.

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scrapbook

JOEL FONTANILLA JACLA Dubai-resident Joel Fontanilla Jacla hails from La Union, Philippines. An aircraft technician for Emirates airlines, he says his interest in photography started in 2008. He relates that when he bought his first DSLR in 2008, he did not have any idea on how

to use it, so he practiced and explored a lot. He says he was first attached to the beauty of nature and made it as his subject. Since then, his photos have evolved into capturing scenic beauty, wonders of nature, as well as individual and group photos

that give inspiration to those who see it. For Joel, one of the best things about photography is being able to â&#x20AC;&#x153;waking up early in the morning to captivate the sunrise and staying late to wait for the sunset have became my passion.â&#x20AC;?

scrapbook

ERNIE MANZANO Photography enthusiast Ernie Manzano is an architect by profession but his passion for taking photos of landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes, brought him to the field. Starting with a point and shoot camera for his travels in Dubai and in the Philippines, he eventually bought a DSLR camera to take better shots.

who became his photo-walk buddies. “We share ideas about photography, post processing and I learn a lot from them. I feel so glad when my friends and other people appreciate my works. Sometimes I receive comments but it’s okay, because I know from my mistakes I will learn more,” says Ernie.

Now, every weekend is reserved for his hobby and friends he met along the way

To enhance his skills, he even attended photography workshops. A Daniel Cheong-

fan, Ernie says most of his landscape and cityscape photos are digital blending. But he also does portraits sometimes, so his skills will not be limited to landscapes. “My passion will never stop, I am eager to shoot more and learn more so I can share more beautiful things I see with my eyes and capture with my camera,” he says.

ILLUSTRADO 39

news

L-R: Bernard Dy, Chairman of Ayala Land International Sales; Frank Cimafranca, Consul General of Philippine Consulate in Dubai; Thomas Mirasol, President of Ayala Land International Sales; Ed del Valle, Business Development Manager, Ayala Land International Sales

Bernard Dy, Chairman, Ayala Land International Sales giving a welcome speech during the pre-launch party in Boracaya

Standing L-R: Thomas Mirasol, President of Ayala Land International Sales; Delmar Cruz, Labour Attaché to Dubai; Bernard Dy, Chairman of Ayala Land International Sales; Frank Cimafranca, Consul General of Philippine Consulate in Dubai; Geronimo Suligin, Vice Consul.

AYALA LAND INC. OPENS IN DUBAI In the recent unveiling of its first representative office in the Middle East, Bernard Vincent O. Dy, Executive Vice President and member of the Management committee of Ayala Land Inc. explained to Illustrado why the largest and most diversified property company in the country has finally decided to tap the Overseas Filipinos in the region, primarily the UAE. The purchasing power of the UAE-based Overseas Filipinos has reached the radar of the real estate arm of Ayala Corporation, the Philippines largest and oldest conglomerate. Spotting the capability of

ILLUSTRADO 40

the UAE-based OFs to invest in properties as well as the possibility of attracting interest of the foreign nationals in the Emirates, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) opens its doors at BurJuman Tower, hoping that this is a fruitful beginning to its plans to extend its reach throughout the Middle East region. “We looked at basic data before coming here to Dubai. We know that we have about 700,000 Overseas Filipinos in the city. We also know that most of the OFs here are professionals, in fact about 80% of them are professionals not just Dubai but also in the whole of the UAE, so we have close to a

million OFs in this country,” says Bernard Vincent O. Dy, executive vice president and member of the Management committee of Ayala Land Inc., as he explains why Dubai and the UAE are important markets. Bernard adds, “We understand that investing in or purchasing property is a very difficult decision. We also understand that being away from the Philippines makes it more difficult to facilitate the investment or the purchase. The intent (of this office) is to make it very easy for the Overseas Filipinos to get information from us, and once they decide to purchase property from us then there is a continuing relationship and

news

Singer Billy Crawford entertains guests

Standing L-R: Thomas Mirasol, President of Ayala Land International Sales; Frank Cimafranca, Consul General of Philippine Consulate in Dubai; Bernard Dy, Chairman of Ayala Land International Sales; Ed del Valle, Business Development Manager, Ayala Land International Sales; Delmar Cruz, Labour Attaché to Dubai; Engr. Mary Jane Alvero – Al Mahdi, CEO of Geoscience Testing Laboratory; Matilyn Bagunu, President of FilComm

Singer Iya Villania

continuing presence to help them along the way.” According to him, ALI has a spectrum of products that range from as low as PHP 400,000 per house and lot all the way to luxury brands that go over PHP 10M and above. The diversified property portfolio extends through the major cities and towns in the Philippines. Bernard recounts, “We have products that our within the reach of the OFs in various communities. We are heavily located in the NCR. We also have in Region 4, Batangas, Laguna and Cavite. We are also found in Bataan, Pampanga and Baguio. In Visayas, we have properties in Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo. Last but not least, we have developments in Davao and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.”

ILLUSTRADO 42

The ALI office based in Dubai is the first of its kind to have the license to operate a representative office in the city. It will help promote the company brands such as Bella Vita, AMAIA, Avida, ALVEO and Ayala Land Premier. “We will highlight all the brands across the board. We will be offering all the five brands here in UAE so people will have choices. It is really up to them which brand or projects they want to commit to,” Bernard says. According to Bernard, the company has plans of opening more offices in the Middle East within the year or the next year. ALI is presently exploring key cities in the region to open similar representative offices. At the moment, the company has bases in London, Milan, Rome and San Francisco – areas which also see a huge population

of Filipino expatriates. Yet OFs are not the only target market as Bernard also senses that “there will be some interest coming from the foreigners.” Since the office is meant to primarily promote the company and its brands, ALI will begin its first outreach to the OFs in Dubai through a press briefing, a financial literacy program and an evening of entertainment with celebrities Billy Crawford and Iya Villania. ALI is indeed expected to make its presence felt in the city. “We will be participating heavily in Filipino events as well as organizing our own events,” Bernard concludes.

Fashion

On Olivia: Ruffled lace gown with front slit by Arleen Sipat; Gold platforms by Primadonna; Drop down crystal earrings by Aranaz On Annalita: Ruffled mesh dress by Chris Diaz; Nude peeptoe pumps by Primadonna; Drop down crystal earrings by Aranaz

ILLUSTRADO 42

Fashion

Saturday in the City COSMOPOLITAN STYLE STEPS OUT TO PAINT THE METRO RED

PHOTOGRAPHED BY DOC MARLON PECJO CANON CRUSADER OF LIGHT FOR EOS DIGITAL STYLING BY ALYSSA LAPID AND NICOLE RAMOS MAKE UP BY DONNA AGUIRRE HAIR BY MARK BAQUIRAN MODELS OLIVIA MEDINA AND ANNALITA VIZCARRA BOTH FROM IM AGENCY SHOT ON LOCATION AT: EAST WOOD CITY OPEN PARK EASTWOOD PROMENADE EASTWOOD CITY WALK

Fashion

On Annalita: Pleated tiered dress with embellished collar by Sassa Jimenez; Peep-toe platforms by Rome On Olivia: Tiered floral dress by Mae Malonzo; Nude snakeskin wedge sandals by Staccato; Floral bib necklace by Dondi Belen

ILLUSTRADO 44

On Olivia: Ruffled top and silver crepe skirt by The Ramp; Brown ikat wedge sandals by Primadonna; Rafia purse by Aranaz On Annalita: Laser-cut gold crop top by Danika Navarro; Gold crepe skirt by The Ramp; Embroidered pumps by Primadonna; Woven clutch and drop down earrings by Aranaz

Fashion

On Annalita: Cream peplum zip up vest by Danika Navarro; Red pencil skirt by Xernan Orticio; Black gold cap-toe pumps by Primadonna On Olivia: Red shawl collar vest by Xernan Orticio; Laser cut cream organza pencil skirt by Danika Navarro; Black peep-toe pumps with leopard print heel by Naturalizer

ILLUSTRADO 46

On Annalita: Floral applique dress by Jerome Salaya Ang; Peep-toe pumps by Naturalizer On Olivia: Floral print dress with tulle underskirt by Robin Tomas; Embroidered pumps by Primadonna; Clutch by Aranaz for Rags2Riches

Fashion

On Olivia: Fuschia ruffled silk dress by Jun Escario; Studded platform pumps by Primadonna; Mother of pearl clutch by Aranaz On Annalita: Red ruffled silk dress by Jun Escario; Red peep-toe gold heel pumps by Primadonna; Mother of pearl clutch by Aranaz

ILLUSTRADO 48

On Olivia: Folded crepe dress by Dimple Lim; Studded platform pumps by Primadonna; Gold earrings by Steph Verano On Annalita: Tiered ruffle dress by Mae Malonzo; Black peep-toe gold heel pumps by Primadonna; Gold drop down earrings by Steph Verano

Fashion

On Annalita: Mesh dress with floral applique by Mara Chua; Embellished clutch by Aranaz; Nude peep toe pumps by Primadonna; Pearl dangling earrings by Elena Bautista for Bonne Bouche On Olivia: Tiered tulle dress by ForMe; Polka dot clutch by Aranaz; Gold platforms by Primadonna; Diamond studs by Elena Bautista for Bonne Bouche

ILLUSTRADO 50

On Olivia: Blush pink sleeveless dress by The Ramp; Nude peep-toe pumps by Primadonna; Pearl bracelet by Mikimoto On Annalita: Blush pink draped chiffon dress by ForMe; Nude gold cap-toe pumps by Primadonna; Pearl necklace by Mikimoto

Fashion

On Annalita: Cream ruffled strapless top by Jun Escario; Oxblood pants by The Ramp; Black wedge sandals by Staccato; Drop down crystal earrings from Aranaz; Hat by Blanco On Olivia: Cream tiered top by Ulysses King; Red pants by The Ramp; Blue chinoiserie wedges by Primadonna; Gold drop down earrings from Steph Verano; Sunglasses by The Ramp

ILLUSTRADO 52

On Olivia: Two-piece coral gown by Santi Obcena; Nude peep-toe gold heel pumps by Primadonna; Diamond studs by Elena Bautista for Bonne Bouche On Annalita: Draped chiffon dress by Coca Couture; Gold platforms by Primadonna; Gold spiral diamond studs by Elena Bautista for Bonne Bouche

Fashion

ILLUSTRADO 54

Dress by Rachelle Concepcion; Croc leather peep-toe platforms by Rome; Woven purse with bamboo handles by Aranaz On Annalita: Red draped chiffon dress by ForMe; Brown ikat wedge sandals by Primadonna; Leather purse with bamboo handles by Aranaz

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ICONIC INTRODUCES ITS SPRING SUMMER ’13 COLLECTION Shrug off those winter blues and bask in the colors of this season as fashion and lifestyle destination ICONIC launches its Spring Summer collection. Taking cue from the 60’s, the collection sees the use of vermillion orange and sunshine yellow mixed with bold geometric and floral prints. Embrace also the return of polka dots and pastels like mint green, pink dogwood and pale banana. Spring also sends a clear message as see-through clutches and bags make a comeback along with fringe detailed clutches. And don’t forget this season’s biggest trend of colour blocking and black and white accessories!

For ICONIC’S footwear though, this season sees a collection of oriental silk printed wedges, crystal embellishments, glitter and 50’s inspired patent court shoes in pastels. But what are the stylish men sporting this season? With the authentic sailor look, the trend can be taken a notch higher with bright colors such as vibrant blue and alert orange. If you’re aiming for a laid-back resort look, the perfect ensemble includes chino shorts or pants with a rope belt, stripe tee and a relaxed blazer.

Get the kids inspired by letting little girls experience a princess fairy-tale with baby pink tweed jackets and tutu skirts. Naughty nautical sets the mood for boys with baby blues and stripes for a contemporary sailor boy look. Head over to ICONIC and shop the latest Spring-Summer collection that is bound to inspire. Sport ‘Fashion Different’ and be fashion savvy in your own special way.

GIORDANO ROLLS OUT A NEW RANGE OF POLO’S FOR SPRING The new collection of polo shirts, for men and women, available in stores starting 1st March Following the massive success of the Lion Polo, Giordano is launching its all-new design this spring of a Griffin logo in polo shirts for men and women. Both legend and fantasy, the lion-eagle

ILLUSTRADO 56

design stands out as a crest on the polo shirt which comes in a variety of exciting colours like metal grey, gold medal, raspberry and summer green. Made of 97% cotton and 3% lycra pique, the Griffin Polo is available in taper fit for men and in slim fit for ladies, with sizes ranging from small to double extra-large.

For customers who cannot visit the store, all pieces of the new collection along with Giordano’s regular range of merchandise can be purchased online at www.giordanome.com. It will be delivered to your doorstep (United Arab Emirates only) within 48 hours.

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SPLASH FASHION LEAGUE As fashion inspires, excites and enthralls the style-conscious aficionados, Splash highlights the season’s trends to showcase a collection that is talk-worthy.

Warrior, New Mod, Preppy resort to dapper Schoolboy, which are just some of the trends which lead the style pack this season.

“At Splash we have always strived to work on unique concepts and sets which tie-in the season’s trends to present a collection of high street must haves from the brand. Our SS’13 fashion show is an ode to the world of sports and the fashion it brings along,” said Raza Beig, CEO Splash.

With utility elements staying, sports inspired fashion on the Splash runway was more about creating sleek, almost minimalist pieces that have an element of the functional for both men and women.

The Splash Fashion League set was divided into two specially made sections, the ramp that resembled an oval shaped sports arena with tiered bleacher style seating for the runway show while the after party was held at the specially made Trophy Room that was replete with trophies and medals. A group of 45 models walked down the ramp sporting themes like 60s, Gatsby,

The women’s collection had prints and patterns dominating the looks with engineered, tribal, reptile and kaleidoscope prints. Easy fabrics like georgettes, chiffons and soft knits in shades of fuchsia, citrus and ombre were key favorites on the runway, reflecting poised feminity. For men, the obvious way of incorporating a sporty feel into the season was through outerwear. Hooded coats in parachute silks or jersey, varsity jackets, and parkas

are all the strong options. Explosively optimistic for this season, deep tangerine, lemon yellow, Caribbean blue and neon are combined with pastels and men sported slim blazers paired with easy-fit shorts and pants. The VIP show was attended by UAE’s crème de la crème, where Beig walked the red carpet for the finale along with Bollywood star Salman Khan and Nisha Jagtiani. A combination of the best high-street trends, Splash SS’13 wardrobe presented on the runway will be available from now until July 2012. All the looks from the catwalk are available on Facebook.com/ Splashfashions and in case you want to revisit moments from the show or watch the show live tune in to Youtube.com/ SplashFashion.

ILLUSTRADO 57

Real Style, Real People Clinical lab scientist ANTHONY CARVAJAL JULATON gives the nerdy look an upbeat tone with his vest layered with a pastel colored shirt and comfy sneakers ensemble.

Comfortable and classy is DEBBIE ANN CALIPES’ choice for this season.

A true cosmopolitan girl, RIZA GONZALES takes on leather boots and pants with a bang against New York’s frenzied backdrop.

Just another day at home. AGNES STOTT-BRIGGS, Style Consultant and housing and relocation specialist gave her little black dress a sophisticated twist with a printed scarf matched with svelte shoes. To the Mall, PAOLO CHU-BENITEZ takes on prints and solid color for the summer.

ILLUSTRADO 58

Editor SHERRY TENORIO of Alias Publishing in her regular corporate chic look perfect for her petite features.

Assistant Fashion Designer, IZHCKA ZETA rocks in this sleek monotone ensemble matched with a stylish hairstyle.

Dubai runway regulars, MANETTE MERCADO & NINA NAVAL NIEMCZYK prove that style is not just on but also off the catwalk.

Gal pals VICTORIA VIRAY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; GANZON and TINE ABENDAN proves mix matching is really in season.

10 things to do Time flies fast, and so does the weather, apparently. Before it gets too warm and humid for your comfort, we suggest you go out and enjoy the al fresco venues of the city this month of March. In this issue, checkout our shortlist of outdoor activities and attractions so you can get some fun under the sun while you still can!

TOUR THE WORLD IN GLOBAL VILLAGE

For the past 16 years, Global Village has been providing cultural entertainment along with an international shopping experience to millions of visitors. Breathtaking live performances, mouth-watering cuisine, authentic handicrafts and merchandise from different countries await you at its numerous pavilions. Join the excitement at Global Village until the 30th of March 2013. And don’t forget to pay a visit to the Philippine pavilion! Entry ticket is AED10. Call 04 3624114 or log on to www.globalvillage.ae for more details.

TRY WATER SKIING

Feel the thrill of skiing in Dubai’s waters! It is an exhilarating, fun-filled water activity that will surely entice you to stay by the beach, take more time under the sun, and simply enjoy a break from stressful workweek. Call Sheraton Jumeirah Health & Beach Club on 04 3995533; Jumeirah Beach Hotel on 04 3480000; The Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa on 050 4262415; Le Meridien Mina Seyahi on 04 3993333 or Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa on 04 8145555 for more details.

TAKE YOUR KIDS TO THE DOLPHINS

Looking for a special way to bond with your family? Take them out to swim with the dolphins. Offering you a unique chance to play with dolphins is Dolphin Adventure, Atlantis The Palm where a one-of-a-kind dolphin swim awaits you at Dolphin Bay in Dubai. There are three vast lagoons where you can “meet” these charismatic creatures through a choice of interactions. Call 04 4261030 for more details or visit www.atlantisthepalm.com

ILLUSTRADO 60

10 things to do

GO PEARL DIVING

One of Dubai’s great heritages is pearl diving. Now tourists and residents can experience its excitement by dressing in traditional clothing, boarding an authentic dhow and using original pearl diving methods to collect oysters in the shallow waters of the Gulf. The best part is finders are keepers! You can also enjoy swimming, snorkelling, shopping for souvenirs and indulge in a sumptuous lunch. Call 04 406 8828 for more details or log on to www.jumeirah.com Meanwhile, adventure seekers can dive straight into the amazing world of sunken shipwrecks and exotic marine life at The Pavilion Dive Centre at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Open seven days a week. Friday to Monday, 8am to 6pm, and Tuesday to Thursday from 8am to 10am. For more information, call 04 406 8828 or log on to www. jumeirah.com for more details.

TOUR THE CITY ABOARD BIG BUS

Take the Big Bus Sightseeing Tour, a relaxing way to discover this great city in one day. If you have guests from the Philippines, this tour is an ideal (not to mention time-saving) way of seeing the city as it offers a glimpse of all the beautiful sights in Dubai. The regular day tour price per adult is AED 220 and per child is AED 100. Call 04 340 7709 or log on to www.bigbustours.com for more details.

EXPLORE THE ARABIAN DESERT VISIT THE ZOO

The perfect family outing to nurture a love for animals is to head to the popular Dubai Zoo, the oldest zoo of its kind in the Arabian Peninsula. It is also the first Arabian zoo to breed the rare Chimpanzee and Arabian wild cat. Open from 10am – 6pm daily. Entrance Fees: AED 5. Call 04 344 0462 for more details.

Go for a ride the Arabian desert with Arabia Horizon’s desert safari drivers. Drive, drop and zoom through UAE’s magnificent dunes and mountains as you admire a desert’s sunset and dramatic canyons. At the desert, also experience dressing in traditional costumes, riding camels and sumptuous Arabic cuisine. Call Arabia Horizons Tours on 04 2946060; Orient Tours on 04 2828238 or Royal Park on 04 2626282 for more details. ILLUSTRADO 61

10 things to do

FISH FOR FUN

Fun, adventure, gorgeous weather and waters teeming with fish make deep sea fishing an adventure of choice for several tourists to Dubai. Fishing tour companies can organize additional activities such as coastal cruising and water sport activities. Call Club Joumana, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa on 04 814555), Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on 04 2054646, Planet Travel & Tours on 04 2822199), Al Wasl Cruising & Fishing on 04 295 0516 or Art Marine 04 4068825 for more details.

GO FOR SOME WATER PARK ACTION

RIDE YOUR WAY TO THE DUNES

Riding dune buggies in the Dubai desert is an extreme off-road adventure activity that explores panoramic views and riding over its undulating landscape. The minimum age for drivers is 15 years and price is around AED 350 per person. Call Desert Safari Dubai Tour on 04 3572200; DayOutDubai.com on 04 2959948 or Arabia Horizons Tours on 04 2946060 for more details. ILLUSTRADO 62

Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting water parks unleash the fun during winter! Aquaventure Waterpark, Atlantis The Palm presents 42 acres of pure thrill with its Master Blasters, speedslide, rivers, rapids, Splashers childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s play area, lush tropical landscapes and a private beach. Call 04 426 0000 for more details or log on to www.atlantisthepalm.com Yet another exciting water park is Wild Wadi located close to the stunning Burj Al Arab. It offers 30 rides and attractions for all the family. Call 04 348 4444 for more details or log on to www.jumeirah. com

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WOMAN BY ANNA – BRUSHES Professional and Affordable Make Up Brushes for Women on the Go. Dubai, UAE – Professional and affordable makeup brushes are now available in the UAE. The brainchild of makeup artist and stylist, Anna de Leon, “WOMAN by Anna Brushes” is a set of 15 hand-picked make up brushes made of goat hair and premium taklon. Each brush is designed to ensure your make up application looks flawless. Anna de Leon’s extensive experience in this business prompted her to launch WOMAN

by Anna - brushes as she observed that a mid-range but effective brush line is not available. The elegantly packaged 15-piece set also comes with its own personal brush guide which takes the guess work out of which brush to use for what purpose and more importantly, for which part of the face. While Anna’s blog posts have been useful, she feels that YouTube tutorials will be more helpful. Thus, they are currently being filmed to further assist all women who have purchased the brushes, and also for those who are thinking of investing in a set themselves.

LIALI’S STUNNING PENDANTS PAY POETIC HOMAGE TO A SPECIAL WOMAN IN OUR LIFE THIS MOTHER’S DAY! Three emotively expressive designs crafted in 18k gold bedecked with diamonds This Mother’s Day, touch your mom’s heart with beautiful pendants from LIALI Jewellery, the leading jewellery retailer in UAE. The pendants are new additions to Liali’s 2013 Collection where every piece is for AED2013. It is the perfect gift

Anna de Leon is a Make Up Artist and Stylist who has been in the business for over 15 years. She started her career under the tutelage of premier makeup artist of Chanel in New York, Raul Francisco. A true disciple of beauty and fashion, Anna studied Fashion Styling at the prestigious Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, Italy. WOMAN by Anna - brushes is currently available in the UAE and for international orders through www.fashlink.com For more information please contact: Anna de Leon Make Up Artist/Stylist T: +97155 983 8771 E: annadeleon@live.com W: www.annadeleonmakeup.com/en http://annadeleonmuastylist.blogspot.com

for a woman you love unconditionally. Liali recognizes Mother’s Day as a special occasion honoring mothers with its exclusive pendants capturing the timeless wonders of her love. The gorgeous pendants come in three different shapes – oval, square and triangle with intricate design on the borders made with 18K yellow gold, 18k white gold and 18K rose gold encrusted with diamonds. At Liali there is a gift for every occasion. Make this Mother’s Day a memorable one. LIALI’s exclusive pendants collection is now available in all its 18 outlets across the UAE.

RAKBANK REACHES OUT TO THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY RAKBANK recently launched the Bayani Prepaid Card, the first card in the region that caters to the Filipino community. Upon application, customers automatically receive an add-on card, along with the main reloadable prepaid card to send to loved ones back in the Philippines. By loading the main Bayani card here in the UAE, the cardholder can send money instantly to the Philippines by transferring money to the add-on card in US dollars

through online banking or SMS. Both the main and add-on cards can be used to withdraw cash from any ATM worldwide that accepts MasterCard cards, while the addon card can withdraw funds in pesos from any ATM in the Philippines for free. Both prepaid cards are covered with free travel accident insurance and purchase protection insurance. Additionally, the main Bayani card offers over 100 buy-one-get-one-free offers in the UAE, including 30 exclusive benefits at Filipino outlets. ILLUSTRADO 63

On the prowl...

and a source of Filipino pride.

concealer can hide that.

Jalil Marvin’s photography is like his diamond. Beautiful and compelling. No price tag.

Cleanse, tone and moisturize if you have dry skin and choose a hydrating foundation that matches your skin perfectly. I strongly suggest purchasing a foundation during daytime so you can check how well it blends on your skin using natural light. Do not feel compelled to buy it immediately. One important lesson that I share with all my workshop attendees is “Makeup Counter Intelligence” so they can make careful informed choices at the point of sale. Buying a foundation that doesn’t suit your skin type and color, and not having a choice but to wear it because it is expensive is just tragic.

Follow Bruha Eve - www.bruhaeve.com

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If you have oily skin, cleanse, tone and use an oil control primer. Opt for a full coverage foundation that will last the whole day. The main complaint of women who have oily skin is that their foundation doesn’t last for the whole day.

OF DIAMONDS & PHOTOGRAPHY By Bruha Eve - Kuwait

Here are some of my products suggestions that you ladies might want to try.

Diamonds, babbling, babling. Aren’t they beautiful? Oh wait, they’re very pricey, too. I have always been fascinated with these shiny trinkets. I guess growing up with both parents collecting jewelry was my biggest influence. I just find jewelry irresistible, striking and tempting. I collected a few pieces myself and concluded it’s quite an expensive hobby. But I was wrong. Dating one amazing photographer surely opened my eyes to something unusual. Through him, I saw and got acquainted with the most expensive camera there is, with ridiculous price points that make me believe it must’ve been diamond crusted. I can’t lie; it shocked me. He explained that it’s not all about hobby, it is about the love of art. His passion also drove him to do his best and he made it to Select, Kuwait’s first coffee table book, photography edition. It is proof that he is a versatile photographer

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MAKE UP MASTER CLASS: PERFECTING THE BASE By Anna de Leon – Dubai

The longest topic of all of my makeup workshops is always about perfecting the base. I have always believed that having flawless skin makes up 70 percent of what I call a “Red-Carpet-Ready-Face”. Flawless skin starts with knowing your skin type so you can prep it properly for makeup application. Having dry and scaly skin is the worst enemy of makeup artists. You can spot-conceal a blemish but if you are peeling, no amount of foundation and

For dry skin: NARS Sheer Glow, Bourjois Healthy Mix, MAC’s Face and Body Foundation, Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Foundation For Oily Skin: MAC Prolong Wear, Revlon Color Stay, Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Foundation and the Double Wear Light version. Photography by Alex Callueng Writer’s Photo by Chito Pachica Model: Olya Oslina Follow Anna – www.annadeleonmuastylist.blogspot.com

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...and in the know

inhumane slaughtering of cows, chickens and pigs for their meats too and this is the reason why I have turned into a pescatarian. All of us can do our part by just looking up anti-animal cruelty websites like PETA and signing petitions against any kind of animal abuse. Animals don’t have the voice to protests their rights, let us be the voice for them.

NO TO ANIMAL CRUELTY By Tracy Ley - Dubai

Follow Tracy – www.misstracyley12.blogspot.com

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Since I was a little kid I have been very fond of animals, especially dogs. I remember my cousins and I had our first dog that lived for 12 years. When she died, it was heart breaking. It is true that a dog is a man’s best friend and the love you get from them is something unique. In this generation, people want to adopt or a buy a dog because they want some company, want to have someone their kids can play with, or sometimes it’s just to follow a trend. What people forget is that dogs or cats need love and attention. It’s a full time commitment; it’s just like having a baby. You need to feed them, play with them, look after them and love them unconditionally.

As kids welcome the season of fun, I am also thrilled to spend my summer at the beach with two objectives in mind: a full body even-toned tan and surfing. But okay, I seriously don’t know anything about surfing. Zero. Nil. Zilch. And being on this part of the world, surfing is almost impossible. The best course of action is to buy a thousand dollar ticket to the Philippines and visit the surfing spots there. Well, not anymore, thanks to the Pinoy Surfers of Dubai (PSOD). Founded by our kababayans Edwin Villegas, Oscar Angeles and Julius Franco, the goal of PSOD is to share the fun and their passion for surfing by help aspiring amateurs ride the waves without drowning – or worse, becoming a shark’s chow. They are joined by Abel Elecho as the instructor and the shop manager at Surf Arabia. So now we don’t have to spend wads of cash to get the same experience. If you’re looking for a different kind of adrenaline rush in the Middle East, I highly suggest that you try this while you’re young or not so young. Just do it while you can. As for me, I will certainly challenge myself to experience this when I visit Dubai sometime this year. May your summer be as sizzling and vibrant as the sun. Ganbatte!

Having said that, watching PETA’s recent video about the fur business in China made me sick to my stomach. I have three pups and this video hit me hard. I never realized what it takes and what people will do to sell fur. It was probably the most inhumane thing that I have seen; I couldn’t even finish the video. I am in complete disbelief that there are people in this world that can treat animals like this. I have never own a fur in my life, and after seeing that video, I would never ever wear fur. I think all of us should be aware of what’s happening around us and help in any way we can to stop this nightmare. I know there is a lot of

flying across the horizon, and a warm fuzzy breeze as you relish the feel of soft powdery sand under your feet. Doesn’t summer mean the beach?

SURFING

By Rian Miranda – Riyadh March marks the end of school for Filipino kids and the start of summer for those living in the South and Middle East Asia. Now picture this: crashing waves, birds

For surfing inquiries and lessons, you may visit the group’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ groups/205617019113/?fref=ts. Photos by Mr. Abdel Elecho Follow Rian - Instagram: msrianmiranda, Youtube: www.youtube.com/rianmiranda

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On the prowl & in the know

So if you ask me what OPM means to me, I can think of a lot of things. To me, OPM can mean Rivermaya singing Himala to a small hopeful crowd on a rainy night. It can also mean watching Eraserheads at the UP Sunken Garden with my high school friends. OPM may be hearing a blind man strum his guitar and sing Freddie Aguilar’s Anak on one of Manila’s sidewalks. Or, it could be sitting with a bunch of music executives listening to a unique take of one Filipino singer on Bossa Nova. OPM can also stand for hanging out in some dingy club in Espanya or Saguijo to watch 20+ bands plug and play. It is also about finding a club in Dubai and being able to order sisig and San Miguel, while watching the versatile all-Pinoy line up go from pop to rock to R&B. OPM is my cause, my community and a large part of my identity. It is alive but it needs support. OPM means we are one.

WHAT DOES OPM MEAN? By Kristine Abante - Dubai

It’s a question I’ve been asked many times and frankly, I have been struggling to answer every time. As an acronym, it refers to Original Pilipino Music. But what does “original” mean? Or how about the “Pilipino music” bit, what does that mean? More importantly though, what does it mean to me? Ever since I got here in Dubai, I have blessed (and sometimes cursed) with the opportunity to work on distributing and promoting OPM through CDs and digital downloads.

Support the OPM Means movement at www.facebook.com/openmeans. Your favorite Filipino hits are also now available for download in UAE through www.musicstore.ae Follow Kristine at www.band-aid-blues.com

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DUBAI MIRACLE GARDEN By Ion Gonzaga – Dubai

Dubbed as one of the world’s most beautiful floral parks, Dubai Miracle Garden is the latest outdoor attraction to open in The Emirates. The family went to have a sneak peek over the weekend and we were all amazed at the beauty that has sprouted in a country famous mostly for desert sands that grow high-rise buildings. My wife and my 8-month old baby girl enjoyed every color, shape and pattern; my mom had a great time saying it’s one of the most refreshing places she has seen in Dubai. The park features 45 million flowers in stunning and amazing designs. There are flower walls of up to 4 kilometers, hanging flowers, pyramid and orb-shaped patterns, arcs and other various formations. There are also vintage cars planted with flowers and so much more. At the park, you cannot touch the flowers, you can sit only in selected grass spots, you cannot lean on the grass and flower walls. So if you are stressed and tired of the cityscape, your daily work-home routine, and you want to refresh your eyes, the garden is the place to go. Or if you’ve run out of ideas for a prenuptial or wedding shoot venue, the garden is the next best location. If you plan to bring the family and friends, do it before gardens closes in May. It is scheduled to re-open in October. Follow Ion Gonzaga - http://www.boydubai. com/ or on Twitter @ionGonzaga

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The Girls’ Guide to

BEACHCOMBING Words by Nikka Sarthou

It was during one summer in my mid-20s when I discovere d more of myself. Travel ing does that to a person. Little did I know that a mere beach vacat ion would turn out to be an experience in self-discovery. Every woman, I believe, should have different travel experiences throughout the course of life. A woman must be able to do a solo trip, travel with loved ones (whether it be with the hubby or whole family), and take a trip with just her girlfriends. Each of these would provide a unique experience that can compare to no other. When I was young(er) and single, I had a chance to go on both a solo trip and with girlfriends—a two-in-one travel experience. It turned out to be one of my

most memorable trips to the island paradise called Boracay.

was one summer when I decided to meet up with my girlfriends instead.

Take me to the beach

My journey commenced in the province of Capiz where I endured a three-hour bus ride to Caticlan, the jump-off point to Boracay. I traveled on my own and just brought my iPod to keep me company. The bus ride was far from comfortable as I had to put my duffel bag on my lap because it was too crowded inside. I tried to blend in by donning a simple outfit and not attracting attention to myself. Even if I was

My summers have been pretty much the same ever since I can remember. We would always hike off our mother’s hometown in the Visayas region to experience Holy Week. Since it was located in Panay Island where Aklan is situated, we would usually head to Boracay and extend our vacation. I normally go there with my family but there

trippin’

familiar with the place, I was still a woman traveling alone. Indeed, the long journey was worth it as I arrived at my destination, felt the balmy ocean breeze on my face, and saw the whitesand beach contrasting with the blue skies and waters. It was rewarding to see such a spectacular view and it made me even more excited about my beach vacation. It wasn’t my first time to go to this popular tourist destination. I had a few trips there with my family before, but it was a first for me to travel with all girls.

Hello, sun, sand, and sea Boracay Island is famed for its pictureperfect beach with powdery sand. This tropical paradise is peppered with coconut trees and various establishments. There are all kinds of resorts and restaurants for various travelers—from budget backpackers to chic beachcombers. It is truly a destination for everyone.

Families would enjoy frolicking with their kids by the shore, couples would love sailing via paraw during sunset, and the rest would simply like hanging out by the white-sand beach. We did just that. During daytime, we would bathe under the sun to get tanned and alternate it with a dip on the crystal clear waters. In the afternoon, we would get a mango milkshake to cool us down. In between, we would indulge in some girl talk and learn more about each other. We were six in our group and I didn’t know a couple of the girls. All of us stayed in a single room and we had no qualms about it. It was fun and we all learned how to get along with each other despite the different personalities. One would’ve thought that six ladies in one room would be a recipe for a catfight, but it was the complete opposite. It actually felt like we had a slumber party during our entire trip.

The fastest route to Boracay is by taking a direct 40-minute flight from Manila to Caticlan (via Cebu Pacific Air, AirPhil Express, SEAIR). From Caticlan, hop on a short boat ride to the famed island of Boracay. A cheaper option is to fly to Kalibo Airport and then take a one-hour shuttle to Caticlan from there.

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trippin’

The six of us would go out and explore the island together. Of course, we couldn’t resist the call of the sea. And on top of our list was the banana boat ride. It was both scary and fun to sit on top of a bananashaped inflatable ride while being pulled by a speedboat. I realized that I get a thrill out of such activities but I’m not sure if I am adventurous enough to maybe do a cliff dive from a 15-meter platform, which Ariel’s Point in Boracay now offers.

lounge at some bar or restaurant, sip some margaritas, and enjoy the spectacular sunset. For us, the sunset marked the beginning of an entertaining nightlife in Boracay where we saw poi performers, superb sandcastles, and musical acts along the beachfront. The fun only stopped when we went back to our resort to call it a night.

Aside from water sports, the island also provides a haven for foodies. For me, food is an important part of any travel experience since it is a nice way to taste the culture of the place.

I couldn’t count with my hands the number of times I have been to Boracay already but I wouldn’t mind going back for more. Who wouldn’t want to feel the fun island vibe again? I think it’s the best beach in the world and I know that each visit would offer a new experience whether I travel with an all-girl group again or not. I would even dare go back to Boracay on my own, simply enjoy what the beach has to offer, and see all my cares and worries float away on the cool, calm waters.

Travelers who stay in resorts usually get complimentary breakfast, so my friends and I would just go out for lunch and dinner. We had no problem eating our way there with the many food choices in the island. We took pleasure in sampling the street food like hotdog-on-a-stick and other barbecue delights. And as day turned to dusk, we would

Life’s a beach

A visit to this world-class beach with your girl friends would not be complete without: Taking a picture of the famous white beach and Boracay sunset with the different poses: magazine shoot, telenovela and of course, the classic wacky and jump shots Trying out various watersports (snorkeling, skim boarding, kite boarding, parasailing, cliff diving, helmet diving, etc.). It’ll be more fun with girly squeals. Getting a henna/glitter tattoo: how about a group icon for girl power as your tattoo Getting a massage by the beach: where else can you enjoy a massage and a glorious sunset? Sampling all kinds of seafood—fish, prawns, lobsters, oysters, and more. It’ll be a fun and yummy way to diet. Experiencing the nightlife by the beach where it’s Girls Night Out every night!

my pinoy life in... View of Riyadh and the Kingdom Tower @ Elgru/Dreamstime.com

GROWING UP IN RIYADH Leslie Feistan

“Paano ka nagtagal doon?” (How did you manage to l ive there for so long?) That’s always the react ion I get when I tell people that I grew up here in Riyadh. They can’t fathom how one can survive being in such an environment where everything from food to clothing and the freedom to go around as you will, especially for women, is restricted. The way of life here is different from other Arab countries. Saudi Arabia is a lot more conservative and traditional. No pork, no alcohol, no nightclubs, no public theaters, women cannot drive.

Even as foreigners, we have to wear our Abayas which is a black robe-like garment and cover our hair with a scarf or black veil when we go out. Women and men are segregated in school and public transportation. Women also have to leave establishments and stores during prayer time. I heard that in some Arab countries they have churches--over here, we don’t. But we can freely practice

our religion inside our home. I was 5-years-old when I first rode on a plane bound for Riyadh in 1985. I was with my mom and we met up with my dad at King Khalid International Airport. I can say Saudi is really my first home and Philippines my second. The Riyadh in the 80s is far from the Riyadh we all know today, as with other Middle

ILLUSTRADO 71

my pinoy life in...

Saudi Flag @Paul Cowan-Dreamstime.com

Eastern countries back then. We didn’t have a lot of high-rise buildings, you would see vacant lots or sand and stone between buildings. Hence, you can clearly say and feel that you’ve arrived in a desert. The only landmark back then was the Saudi Studio Tower and the Water Tower around the area called Batha which was and still is a haven for Filipinos. The development stage began slow, but suddenly bloomed during the late 90s. Even back then we were left with a few choices to hangout. There was only one mall which we frequented and I guess that was the only mall, too. For entertainment, there was only one English Channel, Saudi TV2, and we would buy Betamax tapes or rent them from the embassy since cable/satellite channels were only introduced in the early 90s. I guess being a child, we didn’t care as long as we had our toys, go to parks and playgrounds and have kids to play with and our parents (including uncles and aunts) who would entertain us.

Al Masmak Fort, Riyadh @Ragawal 123-Dreamstime

my pinoy life in...

My first playmates were our Saudi, Indian and Sudanese neighbors. I don’t know how I managed to communicate with them, but I guess you don’t really need to talk if you’re sharing toys and play the universal game of tag or hide and seek. There were only a few Filipino families around Riyadh. It was not till a few months later when my dad’s co-workers brought their own family and I finally had Filipino playmates then later started school. The very first Filipino school shared a building within the embassy and it was in the summer of 1986 when I started 1st Grade at the Philippine Embassy School in Riyadh (now called The International Philippine School in Riyadh). There were only a handful of students in each level. My first grade class was around 20 students but high school probably only had 6-10. We followed the same curriculum with the addition of Arabic subject which starts in third grade where we were taught how to read write and speak Arabic. Another is Islamic Studies, which if I recall, started in high school. Here’s something amusing; in the original version of Panatang Makabayan (the Patriotic Oath) there’s this line that says, “Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan, ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi, ako’y kanyang kinukopkop at tinutulungan upang maging malakas, maligaya at pakipakinabang.”

@Michael Steckiw-Dreamstime.com

(This is my land of birth, the land of my race, it has raised and help me become strong, happy and useful.) I’ve always questioned the part saying that its the LAND OF MY BIRTH and wondered how can a person say that when it doesn’t apply to us who were raised and born in a different country. As a child, I was confused by it.

ILLUSTRADO 73

@Michael Steckiw-Dreamstime.com

my pinoy life in...

I continued my studies here till second year high school and went to college in the Philippines. In 2001, I returned to Riyadh and immediately started my first job as a secretary and now a computer tech-cum-graphic designer. There really isn’t a lot of work to choose from for women. There are a lucky few who get to practice their real profession, unless you’re in the health sector. Over here, you take what you can get and learn as you go. The children who are growing up here these days in the Middle East are luckier than I was. They have more things to do, have access to what’s going on in the outside world (via Internet, TV, cable, mobile), not to mention the numerous malls and establishments that have sprouted like mushrooms the last couple of years. The Filipino community has also grown compared to how it was in the early 80s. There are organizations here that are run by fellow Filipinos where you can develop your talents, hobbies or sport of interest and the embassy website has a list of these organizations. To know more and have a guide around Riyadh and Saudi Arabia in general, here’s a blog I suggest you check out. It’s very useful especially for the Ladies: www.thepinktarha.com Finally, the answer as to how I managed to stay long here in the Kingdom? I’m simply lucky to have my family and my friends around. Also, people learn to adapt to their environment and Filipinos can easily blend in where ever they go. Be patient, tolerant and simply learn to obey the rules of the country and you’ll be fine.

advertorial

IT’S ALL ABOUT LIVING THE GOOD LIFE AT EASTWOOD MALL

Blooming at the heart of Eastwood City in Quezon City, Eastwood Mall has all the elements to give shoppers a taste of the Good Life. The sleek commercial complex is home to upscale shops, chefculinary driven fine dining restaurants, entertainment and leisure establishments, and world-class events. Elegant but relaxing ambience If you need breathing space, the Eastwood Mall Open Park provides you with room to relax amid its lush greenery and tree groves. At night, it transforms into a stage for world class acts and entertainment. Gastronomic Bliss Chef-driven restaurants make the dining scene truly unique at Eastwood Mall. It’s Asian with a twist at Mr. Kurosawa, and My Thai and Lucky Niku Café. Go continental with House of Wagyu Stone Grill, Chuck’s Deli, Old Vine, Momo Café and Johnny Rockets. On the second floor, trot around the globe with Sichuan cuisine from Komrad, Mediterranean flavors from Cyma, sundaes from Swensen’s, French dishes from La Creperie, turn of the century Filipino from

Crisostomo, authentic pastas at Italiannis, Korean fare from Kogi Bulgogi, Vietnamese from Zao, shabu-shabu with Thousand Cranes, casual Tagalog cuisine from Café Via Mare, brick oven barbecue and panizza from Uncle Cheffy. On the third floor, Choi Palace reigns supreme with Chinese cuisine while CCA Kitchen is available for some comfort food. Shopping Indulgence Eastwood Mall is also your shopping haven, housing top international brands like Kate Spade, Springfield, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Steve Madden, Gucci, Mango, Marks & Spencer, and local fashion brands like Bench, Penshoppe, Human, Folded & Hung, Bayo, Maldita, and Kashieca. The third level is dedicated to kids with Toys R Us, numerous children’s fashion brands, and learning center Gymboree. Eastwood Mall also houses Fully Booked and other specialty establishments like Scribe, Dimensione and La Sedia. The fourth level, meanwhile, is the entertainment hub where you will find Timezone, Samsung and Sony Center and the Eastwood Mall Cinemas block.

It’s also cinema paradise at the Eastwood Mall Ultra Cinema 7, a 60-seater theater with the country’s first twin fully reclining seats and concierge style service where refillable popcorn and bottomless drinks will be delivered by your personal butlers. Meanwhile, Eastwood Cinemas Gold 5 and 6 have improved rocker seats and a spacious legroom where you can stretch your legs and chill while seeing the movie. Service Deluxe Eastwood Mall features the country’s first full concierge with butler service for hassle-free shopping experience. The mall’s friendly butlers can assist in carrying shopping bags, buying coffee, holding pets while customers are fitting clothes and even giving a guided mall tour for free. The Eastwood Mall Concierge also offers services like guest information, message handling, taxi request, weather update, cinema and restaurant reservation, and VIP seats reservation during special mall events. Experience leisure at a whole new level at Eastwood Mall, where it’s all about Living the Good Life.

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kabuhayan-entrepreneurship

“

My style of doing business is no magic. It’s simplicity, a value that we stand for in the company. By keeping things simple, operations are streamlined and allows for speed thus, the creation of value”.

Finding My Place

UNDER THE SUN As a young man, I’ve wondered what I’d do in life. See, I’m fortunate enough to have been born from a family of entrepreneurs (we owned department stores in Jolo and Bacolod) and it was always assumed that I would join the business after completing my college degree. Well, I did dabble in the family business joining my uncle in managing the largest family amusement center in Quad, Makati while I was in university. But something in me clicked and wanted more. My business acumen took me to Dubai in 1979 and joined ETA Ascon Group to operate Sindbad’s Wonderland in Al Ghurair. And there was no turning back. Like most of you, Dubai was a humbling experience for me, especially in the beginning but I felt strong about being on my own. My family was frowned upon for letting me pursue my career in Dubai. While I felt for my family who defended what I was trying to do at that time, I was determined to make something of myself. I would not be under my family’s shadow but in fact create my own place under the sun and let my own shadow follow me. I had the opportunity to make things happen – persistence and patience were my biggest allies.

One of the key things I learned was to always be observant and take calculated risks. I saw a hit fashion brand in Hong Kong and thought I would take it to Dubai. After many letters and being ignored, my persistence of chasing them paid off and I won my way. Giordano was born in 1993 in the UAE with a first store in Burjuman Centre in Dubai and now, we have 240 stores across the Middle East, India, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and looking to grow more. My style of doing business is no magic. It’s simplicity, a value that we stand for in the company. By keeping things simple, operations are streamlined and allows for speed thus, the creation of value. And this is reflected in many ways including leadership. There is always a direct line so that communication is easy and fast, no layers, no protocols. We have an open communication style where everyone is allowed to voice his or her opinions and work independently. Retail is my passion and I lived that passion. In my daily business, I always keep in mind that I work with people not for people. On the same breath, I try to impart this to our staff.

I have always believed in the culture of empowering people to take decisions and act as per the situation. Just as I did when I started, I encourage our staff to come to work not because it is their job but because it is their personal business. When they act as an entrepreneur, they care more for the business and customers. Our customers do not buy from a company, they buy from a person they like, trust, someone who is knowledgeable and delivers what is promised. In the end, the success of the company is a personal success for each of us. Today, I have the honor and pleasure to also sit as an Executive Director of Giordano International, Hong Kong. Looking back, I got to where I am today through sincerity, integrity and trust. I took advantage of my La Sallian education and strong family values which served as my foundation. All this would not have been possible without the people I work with who helped me get to where I am today. Indeed, I found my particular spot under the sun! And there’s no reason why you can’t do it too!

bayanihan corner

Bayanihan ng Bayan at mga Bayani para sa

MGA BABAYLAN (Community Heroism of the Country and Heroes for our Babaylan) According to the latest book of Atty. Alex Lacson entitled “12 Wonderful Things about the Filipino and our Motherland,” bayanihan is one of the most wonderful things about the Filipino. It is a combination of two Filipino root words: Bayan and bayani, which means a nation, town or community and a hero, respectively. So literally, Bayanihan means community heroism. It is people coming together to help others solve a problem or help the community address a common concern. The origin of the term can be traced from a common tradition in Philippine towns where community members volunteer to help a family move to a new place by transporting the house to its new location. This is done by putting bamboo poles underneath the house, forming a strong frame to lift the stilts from the ground. Men, positioned at the ends of each pole, carry the whole house. Meanwhile, babaylan is a Visayan term for an indigenous Filipino religious leader who

functions as a healer, a shaman, a seer and a community “miracle worker”. The babaylan can be male, female, or male transvestites, but most of them were females. Director of Center for Babaylan Studies and Department Chair for American Multicultural Studies of Sonoma State University, Leny Strobel says, “The babaylan in Filipino indigenous tradition is a person who is gifted to heal the spirit and the body; a woman who serves the community through her role as a folk therapist, wisdom-keeper and philosopher; a woman who provides stability to the community’s social structure; a woman who can access the spirit-realm and other states of consciousness. And as a being who can traffic easily in and out of these worlds; a woman who has vast knowledge of healing therapies”. Moreover, a babaylan is someone who “intercedes for the community and individuals.”

migrants are babaylans who do the 3 “D” jobs: Dangerous, difficult and dirty. For the cost of their migration is tremendous; they are away from the family, community and country; they labor under so much strain to bring home much needed financial blessings to their loved ones. And our president, Benigno Aquino III, has understood the need to stimulate job generation to offer a choice to Filipinos who go abroad, thinking there is no option at home. Through a concerted effort of the Bayan (the government as led by P-Noy) and the Filipino Bayani through Pinoy WISE (Worldwide Initiative for Investment, Savings and Entrepreneurship) Movement, we hope to generate enough work to give our babaylans a choice to stay at home with their loved ones. They should only go out if they are properly documented and remunerated. Mabuhay ang lahat ng mga kababaihan!

Since the onset of Philippine feminized migration in the 80s, half of our labor

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kabuhayan

Invitation Designs

BY KENNETH UY By Bernadette Reyes

P hotographer turne d entrepreneur Kenneth Uy shares hi s newfound love with Illustrado. You can say that for newlyweds Kenneth and Lullu Uy, the honeymoon was shortlived, the honeymoon period of their business that is. To begin with, the newlywed couple had to invest Php2 million to start their digital printing business, Invitation Designs, which pretty much drained their funds. “We could’ve purchased cheaper equipment but they will [just] conk out sooner so we decided to go for industrial grade machines which last longer and can do the work

faster,” says Kenneth. They knew it would take about three years or so to recoup their hard-earned money but their wedding vows still very fresh in their minds, the couple vowed to stick together “for richer or for poorer”.

Vows put to the test Those vows were soon put to a test as they were hunted and haunted with disgruntled clients.

Finished products were returned to them after it failed to meet clients’ expectations. “Some of our cutting were uneven so we had to re-do the whole batch of invitations again,” Kenneth says. The problem was compounded by a vendor who supplied the couple with undersized papers. “We trusted that the supplier gave us the correct sizes of envelopes. We were surprised when we got a call from our client telling us they measured the size of the invitation and it was not what we agreed on,” says Kenneth.

kabuhayan

Today, their humble home cradles their dream of someday going international, a dream not so far fetched as they have already booked their first international client. “A couple from New Zealand found us through our website and the ordered about 100 invitations for their wedding,” Lullu says.

A new baby is invited As Kenneth and Lullu learned more about each other with each passing day, they also learned more about their business. A year after, their “baby” is now taking baby steps with new clients. “On our first year we made money and we hope to book more [clients] this year,” says Lullu. Word-of-mouth marketing, viral emails, advertisements in social networking sites and their company website helped a lot to reach out to their target market. They started joining exhibits which usually require an investment of Php50,000 to Php60,000. This year, they are joining five exhibits which easily drives up their marketing expense to PhP300,000. “It may be pricey but if we are able to book 20 to 30 clients per exhibit, then it’s worth the cost,” says Lullu. Just like a baby, the more their business grew, the more money needed to raise it. “As we continue to expand, we keep on adding new machines and equipment to improve our service,” say Kenneth. The new cutting machine, for example, was necessary. It was

a small price to pay to ensure that they no longer receive complaints about uneven cutting. The couple remains undaunted in spite of the stiff competition in the industry. As new entrant, they have to compete with other suppliers in Recto, Manila, a known haven for invitation suppliers. However, the couple believe it is their sophistication that sets them apart form competitors. “The quality of our prints is better. Our prints last while theirs usually fade with time. That’s because we use more advanced equipment,” says Kenneth. They continue to innovate and develop new designs and closely watch other suppliers, their competitors. “If we come up with a new design today, next month our competitors may have already copied it. To remain competitive we find of ways to bring down our cost so clients go to us,” Kenneth explains.

Going international To save on their operating cost, Kenneth and Lullu converted a part of their house into a showroom and workstation.

While they will maintain their local presence, catering to an international market would allow them to earn a little more than what they charge their local clients. In five years, they hope to have an international presence but by that time some of their equipment may have deteriorated. “The challenge for us now is to be able to recoup our investment before our machine conks out. We would invest in new equipment and the old ones would have to serve as back-up,” says Kenneth. In the next five years, their equipment may be due for maintenance if not completely unfit for business but as couples, the next five years will just be the beginning the of their never-ending story of love for each other. “As we are also business partners, we also fight about a lot of work-related stuff but at we don’t end a day without resolving our fight. At the end of the day it is not the business that matters, it is us as a couple, staying together,” concludes Kenneth.

ILLUSTRADO 79

The instinct to provide:

WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE need not be

WOMEN OF SACRIFICE

he motherly instinct of a woman is so pervasive. It practically includes the protection not only of her own children but of everyone she perceives to need her support. This actually starts from childhood as the little girl plays with her doll and little animals that she nurtures. As the child grows into the adult world, she begins to realize the need for money to get what she wants. Her parents have instructed her and her siblings on the virtues of hard work, thrift, and savings. However, knowing from experience, most parents only gave general instructions because they themselves did not know the details of how to save and how to grow their savings. Where then will the child learn? Unfortunately, even schools do not

teach the basic rules of the management of personal money.

savings that is actually for herself and her retirement.

Most children who have some basic understanding of the need to save are focused on saving for specific purchases for the future. As students, they have aspirations that they cannot get with the little money they receive through allowances and gifts. When they graduate and start earning from a job, it is natural that their immediate reaction is to spend their earnings very quickly. Worse, they learn to use credit cards and conveniently forget that they have to pay the credit card company for their purchases.

Women of substance, women of sacrifice

Who rescues them? It is usually the mother if she can find a way to do so. She is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;protectorâ&#x20AC;?, remember? Frequently, her help is even at her expense, using the

This kind of reaction happens to you, our female reader, again and again in different types of situations. Buying a child or a grandchild a toy that you really cannot afford and many similar acts. You sacrifice for those you love and many times, it is the wrong kind of sacrifice. This is especially wrong if you do not save for your future thinking that someone will take care of you. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider that your husband and/or your children might die ahead of you or they might not have the means to take care of you in your old age, even if they wanted to.

kabuhayan Pay yourself first The foremost commandment that I give to all who want to listen to me is very important to remember and practice. The First Commandment of Savings: “Pay Yourself First”. This means that you follow the main formula:

Income - Savings = Expenses You make a budget where you deduct maybe 20 percent of your savings first before you even start thinking of your budgeted expenses. You might say you don’t have any income because you do not work. You need not be so strict with yourself. If you have an allowance or household budget that you control, consider that your income. You can just find ways and means to spend within the 80 percent portion to make it fit the needs of your family. If you manage to save more than 20 percent, all the better. If you are saving and investing using this formula, you should add your “gift” to your favorite loved one in your expenses to form part of your 80 percent. Or, you could find some kind of sideline to provide you the extra income.

There are two types of investment: lending and ownership. Putting money in the bank is a lending investment. Money in your savings account or time deposit is actually your loan to the bank. In exchange for using your money, the bank pays you interest. Interest is the fixed income that you get while your money is kept in the bank. Here, the bank guarantees the payment of interest (depositor’s income) and the principal amount in the deposit. Because of this guarantee, the interest rate is relatively low as the risk of losses to the depositor is also relatively low. Ownership investment, on the other hand, is actually the acquisition of assets like shares of stock and property with the expectation to periodically earn income generated by the asset and eventually to accumulate gains due to the increase in the value the asset over time. In ownership investment, gains or losses are actualized only when the asset is sold. Generally, ownership investments are more suitable to meet long-term goals. This should be your goal for your retirement. At the risk of oversimplifying, you could be guided by the following economic laws:

The types of investments

the higher the return the higher the risk

If you are following the foregoing advice, then you should be so happy and secure, right?

the longer the investment period, the lower the risk the longer the time, the higher the return

You cannot end there. You need to invest your savings in an option that will surely earn you an amount higher than inflation because the value of your money will slowly erode through the years. If you keep your money in your closet or pillow or just in a savings account, then the amount you saved will buy you much less in the future. If your savings is not sufficient when you cannot earn money anymore, then you will suffer as you will not have enough to sustain your desired lifestyle. This simply means that you need to learn how to invest your savings properly.

The time to start saving is now Note how important it is for you to start saving early. If you are older, you can no longer take risks as there will be no time to correct mistakes. Like many people, you will probably tend to think that going into business is the solution to your problem. However, you also have to be prepared and accept the reality that only 5-15 percent of people who start their own business achieve success within the first five years.

You can only succeed if you are able to adhere to the following four fundamental principles in running a successful business: • Determined passion • Sustainable market • Capable technology • Dependable accounting If anything is missing or does not have full commitment, you are better off with another option.

The mother is the protector. Frequently, her help is at her expense, using the savings that is actually for herself and her retirement. Now, you are probably so excited to have your savings working for you. Wait! Don’t be so quick to give away your earnings. Always remember that you cannot share what you do not have. If you give away all the earnings, you will have nothing or little earnings for yourself or to give away when another emergency arises. Always exercise caution and prudence. You need to preserve your savings and capital so you can share more in the future. There are a few good mutual funds that accept a minimum of P5,000 as an initial investment. Thereafter, you can add P1,000 each time into your account. You can write us at info@colaycofoundation. com for the links to these mutual funds.

ILLUSTRADO 81

spirituality

How Do You Become A

WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE? By Bo Sanchez

arch is Women’s Month. I’ve always wondered: Why do we have a month for women? Why is there no Men’s Month? I figured, Women’s Month is intended to highlight rights and privileges for women because women--a good number of them, especially those in the marginalized sector-have been deprived of those rights. That’s probably because in the olden times-beginning from our story of creation, woman, taken from the rib of man, has been considered subservient to man. Women in succeeding generations have been considered second-class citizens and have not been enjoying rights, privileges, or power enjoyed by men. But God did not intend women to be that way. He created man and woman in His image and likeness. So, let us side our gender differences. Let’s focus instead on God’s purpose for making us in His image and likeness and People of Substance.

Are you fulfilling your life’s purpose? Imagine a hammer. A solid, shiny, shimmering hammer made of high-grade steel and first-class polished wood. Now imagine a primitive tribesman from the mountains who has never seen a hammer in his life. He picks up the hammer, likes it immediately, and brings it home. And for the next 50 years, he uses it as a wonderful back scratcher. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. That’s all it did for 50 years. Friends, many people--women, especially-are like that hammer. Because they’re not fulfilling their life purpose, their greatness doesn’t come out.

ILLUSTRADO 83

spirituality

I believe there are four kinds of people on Earth: 1. Extremely unhappy people don’t know their life purpose. 2. Unhappy people who know their life purpose but don’t work on it. 3. Happy people who know their life purpose, work at it, but not daily. 4. Extremely Happy people who know their purpose and work on it daily!

Who are you among these four people? Two simple questions that will make you discover your life purpose How do you know your purpose in life? So many people think it’s complicated. It’s not. All you have to do is ask two very simple questions. Question #1: What do you love to do? Question #2: Where do you excel? First Question: What do you love to do? What’s the one thing that you do, that when you do it, you feel fire in your belly? What’s your passion? For example, when I am writing a book you, I feel whole. Complete. In the zone. I believe I was born to write! This first question, however, is only 80% accurate. If you want proof, watch the auditions of American Idol. There are some people who love singing, who sing with passion, who sing like there was no more tomorrow—but whose voices can be used to torture terrorists to divulge the secret hiding place of weapons of mass destruction.

spirituality

But more often than not, we excel in what we love to do because we do it often and with passion. That’s why the second question is 100% accurate in discovering your life purpose: Where do you excel? God has given you a special gift that’s indelibly connected to your life purpose. This is what I call God’s anointing in your life.

Make an inventory of your gifts To help you discern your life purpose, list down your gifts and rate them from 1 to 10, with 10 being excellent. Here’s my own inventory of talents:

Cooking: 1 I’d rather starve or eat raw, than cook. When I heat water, it disappears. Need I say more?

Mechanical: 1 When my wife asks me to fix things, I obliterate their existence from the face of the Earth. Today, I’ve learned to fix anything with just one tool: The Telephone.

Business: 5 I’m a late bloomer here. So far, my businesses are doing very well. But I know I’ve got a long way to grow, compared to my billionaire mentors.

Leadership: 7 I love leading people because leadership is all about loving relationships. But I’m a 7 because I need to learn so much more.

Writing and Preaching: 9 As you can see, this is my anointing. But

I’m not a 10 because that would mean I have nothing to learn anymore. Would you believe that even if I’ve been preaching for 30 years, I’m still honing my craft, watching how other great preachers preach?

Be a genius! Do you know why people are unsuccessful? Two reasons: 1. They don’t know their anointing. 2. Or they know their anointing, but don’t work on it. I learned that there are two kinds of geniuses in this world. First are the geniuses that win Trivia Game Shows, like “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” That’s not want you want to be. This type of genius is good only for, well, trivia game shows. You want to be the second type of genius: These are people who focus their attention, time, and energy on one thing.

What’s your one thing? In my own life, my “one thing” is communicating God’s love to others. Today, I’m probably the highest paid corporate speaker in the country. When companies invite me to speak, I charge them an arm and a leg. I do this in part to raise money for our ministries. Just between you and me, these companies don’t know that if they only send their employees to our weekly prayer meetings called The Feast, they can hear me preach for free. (Shhh, don’t tell anyone I told you this.) But the reason I can charge an arm and leg is because I’ve been speaking to crowds for the past 30 years.

Starting at age 13, I was preaching everywhere. All for free. I’d preach in schools, prisons, old folks homes, barrios, hospitals, and the slums. Even while I was studying in school, I’d preach nightly. Caloocan on Sundays, Alabang on Mondays, Cubao on Tuesdays. On weekends, I’d preach in Laguna, La Union, Ilocos Sur… In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talked about how successful people clocked in an average of 10,000 hours to their craft before they hit it big. That’s me. And that can be you too—if you focus your life on your anointing.

Follow your anointing In the Bible, anointing was done for kings and prophets. They would pour a large amount of oil on the person’s head, indicating that he is made for a specific purpose. Today, we associate anointing for religious professions only: for priests or pastors or preachers only. I don’t believe in that. I believe God has anointed people to be entrepreneurs, to be bakers, to be chefs, to be beauticians, to be accountants, to be administrators, to be stock brokers, to be engineers, to be doctors, to be mothers, to be farmers. This is how you are to serve others. This is how you are to bless the world. That’s how a woman-- and man, too-- can be a Person of Substance. May your dreams come true,

ILLUSTRADO 85

communitiy

With over two billion consumers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the Philippines aims to further penetrate the region’s food market and establish the country as a reliable supplier of fresh and processed food commodities. In a region known to lead the market in global food production, the Philippines stands out as Asia’s most exciting food business destination with its strategic location as the gateway to Asia. It is a robust, dynamic, and growing market for imported foods and beverages. Its large and talented workforce is gifted with the ability to manufacture high-quality, highvalue products out of local and imported raw materials for differentiated or niche markets.

Food Philippines: A Feast of Flavors at Gulf Food 2013 The Philippines is an excellent year-round source of high quality fresh, processed, and value added food products. The country’s diversified food sector includes fruits and vegetables, fish and marine products, meat and poultry, flour and bakery products, beverage and confectionery, dairy, food condiments and seasonings, food supplements, bottled water, and snack food.

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is strengthening the country’s emerging role as a regional staging area for foreign food manufacturers seeking access to the lucrative East and Southeast Asian food markets through the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines, its signature food event. Since 2004, the show has provided a venue for food and beverage companies to promote their products globally and to establish links with both international and local trade buyers. As a biennial event starting in 2013, IFEX ipositions the Philippines as the premier sourcing hub for the finest ethnic Asian food, ingredients, and, raw materials. This year’s exhibitors included Celebes Coconut Corporation, Marigold Manufacturing Corporation (MAMA SITA), and Pampanga’s Best, Inc., among others.

Global Village Sets an Ideal Platform for Philippines Tourism Representation Office The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) Middle East Office in Dubai, partnered with Global Village, the region’s leading cultural, shopping and entertainment family outdoor destination to host a series of cultural shows to promote the diversity of the country’s local culture. Bannering the DOT’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, the cultural shows were held at the Global Village’s World Culture Stage and attracted visitors from all around the region. “Global Village is the ideal platform for a culturally based initiative as it attracts the right target audience for our tourism campaign to promote the Philippines. Through these folk shows, we tried to convey our country’s beauty. We also

communitiy

promoted other attractions like our country’s sports and cultural activities,” said Philippines Consul-General His Excellency Frank Cimafranca, Using a mix of hip hop and carnival, a the story of the Philippines as seen through the phases of evolution, growth and development of an archipelago comprising more than seven thousand islands was told. Saeed Ali Bin Redha, Global Village CEO commented: “We welcome cultural initiatives at Global Village as it falls within the park’s vision of bringing cultural diversity of nations and civilizations together. We are pleased to portray new and diverse folk and authentic cultures, and are proud to share a cultural platform for collaboration with the Philippines’ Department of Tourism Representation Regional Office in Dubai.” On the other hand, Philippines ConsulGeneral expressed his thanks for the park’s management collaboration and for hosting the folk shows. “I was pleased to see people from different parts of the world and the region gathered to watch our folk shows. Many have gone to the assigned kiosk to ask for information about the Philippines. I think we will consider collaborating with Global Village again in the future either by having a bigger stronger representation through the pavilion or featuring more folk shows,” added the consul-general. The usual cultural shows will continue at Global Village without change. Daily entertainment schedules can be obtained from the information kiosks around the park.

OFWs LEAD SportsFest 2013 The OFWs LEAD SportsFest 2013 made a splash with their colorful opening ceremony at Al Shabab Basketball Stadium last February 15, 2013. The opening ceremony was held together with The Philippine School’s 5th Foundation Day Celebration. The Sportsfest is aims to foster camaraderie among Filipino community organization and to promote sports as a weekend activity. During the next seven weeks (until April 5), games and competitions will be held in men’s and women’s basketball, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, chess, darts, and bowling.

PROSPEED Who would have thought that with a simple hobby comes great responsibility? PROspeed is a group of Filipino car enthusiasts who are committed to road safety, courtesy to other motorist and obedience to traffic laws. PROspeed’s main goal is to reduce vehicular accidents and prevent injuries and loss of life. Think about the lives that might be saved or injuries that might be prevented if everyone on the road following traffic laws and made a conscious effort to be courteous on the road.

Gonsul General in Dubai and Northern Emirates Frank Cimafranca were the main guests at the opening ceremony and Albert Suerte of OFCEA, the Sportsfest in-charge organization, declared the festival open. Madam Wafa Kasimieh litup the torch while players of the basketball carried the flame around the stadium.

ILLUSTRADO 87

We Can’t Live

IF LIVING IS WITHOUT… By Aby Yap

onli in da pilipins

rain or shine. After all, what would protect us from the storm that might ruin the crowning glory that’s our LBH aka long, black hair or from the sun that might roast our papaya soap/whitening lotionmaintained flawless skin? The beauty risks are just too high to ignore. We won’t take any chances. No wonder we adore Rihanna’s priceless umbrella ella ella eh eh eh.

e hate to disappoint you, guys/boys/men, but this isn’t about you. This month, it’s all about us Pinays and the stuff that we can’t survive without (so you’ll figure out what we really need in the hopes that you will finally realize silly pick-up lines don’t work all the time). Basically, that which makes us restless and nauseous, gasping for dear life—and we’re not even within earshot of Pusong Bato, the current national anthem of jeepney commuters—in their absence. Yes, that awful. So, inspired by Mr. Abraham Maslow, we present to you the hierarchy of Pinay needs (or in no particular order, if you prefer it that way). Pay close attention, male species.

Drama To clarify, we don’t want sob stories where we play the leading characters. We’d rather have telenobelas feed our hunger for drama that’s exciting to watch on TV but not so in real life, e.g. that entire sigawan/sampalan/ sabunutan/sapakan showdown between the legal wife and the legal mistress. Now RomCom films are a different story. Do the rain dance in the middle of EDSA or surprise us with the power hug and you’ll be filling the very air we breathe with kilig movie moments <giggles>.

Umbrella A portable roof over our heads, the umbrella—foldable or otherwise—is every average (read: carless) Filipina’s must-bring

Family We live (and often work ungrudgingly to a fault for reasons that aren’t easy to explain or understand) for father, mother, brothers, sisters, husband, daughters, sons, grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, godchildren, in-laws, and/or other relatives to the nth degree. Oh, and don’t forget friends, helpers, and pets Brownie and Ming-ming who are all kapamilya, too, whew! For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, they’re family till death do us part. Whether we like it or not.

Romance The game is on. You play for passion. We play for power. You ache for our sweet YES? Give us the moon and stars or you’re basted. You missed our monthsary? Make up for it big time or suffer our unyielding tampo. You’re starting an LQ (lovers’ quarrel)? Makuha ka sa tingin or you’ll end up sawi. You want to say I DO? Let’s get hitched—in all the country’s churches! Final score is 0-4. In our favor, of course. Thanks for boosting our self-esteem.

Buzz Call it our guilty pleasure, but we deserve to be informed about the goings-on around us. Like if Sir Chief is beginning to like Maya off-cam already. Or, if Miriam will reveal Ping’s true colors at long last. Or, if there’s a new YouTube sensation to guest on Ellen. Or, if the next door neighbor is regularly taking a bath. Because it’s our duty to be politically, socially, environmentally, and showbizzy aware and spread the news

to those who care. The juicier, the better.

Sale Driven by challenge, we’re on the constant look out for the cheapest, prettiest outfits—no matter where it takes us. So, we’ve conquered every mall’s three-daysale event, Greenhills’ sosyal tiyangges, Divisoria’s bingo/lotto-sounding malls, ukay-ukays from UK in Quezon City, and even the far-flung wag-wags in Baguio for a fab winter wardrobe. And rummage through mountains of clothing, haggle with snobby salespeople, and beg for freebies we did! Because we desire to be beautiful, we’re willing to pay the price. As long as it’s discounted.

Multi-tasking Shhh, it’s strictly confidential, but the time is ripe for this explosive revelation (call Tito Boy now). We’re the human octopus. That’s why we can (1) prepare the hubby’s snack, (2) tutor the kids, (3) manage the household budget, (4) submit company reports, (5) check on yaya’s finished chores, (6) work out with dumbbells, (7) bake cookies for charity, and (8) update Facebook all at the same time! And we’re not even complaining. Alright, sometimes we do and sometimes we wish we had more arms.

Sisterhood You tell us we’re a flock of quacking Daisy ducks whenever we troop into the toilet. So, what, Goofy? You’ll never know what fun it is to bond with the Mares in our exclusive congregation called the Marehood. Strangers and friends that we are, we fervently exchange stories and tips about anything and everything under the umbrella, er, sun—including you. Har-har. You see, though we’re super girls, wonder women, Nardas, and Darnas rolled into one, everyone needs a helping hand to make it through the life of a Pinay. Happy Mare Month! J

ILLUSTRADO 89

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