Thinking or rather pondering about who are the heroes in my LIFE has really taken me a long time to get to some good answers… As we usually associate heroes with some great persons like our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal , and I even confuse the word to some personalities like Elvis Presley, and in our local scene in my generation the Movie Stars like Susan Roces/Amalia Fuentes, and then the SuperStar Nora Aunor and the Star of All Seasons Vilma Santos… I had managed to list the names of people I had truly met and was our “Superiors” during my ‘Working Girl” days such as our first Dean at the UP-Asian Insttitute of Tourism – Dr. Jose P.Mananzan : He then was the owner of the Pagsanjan Rapids Hotel, and BalikBayan Handicraft Stores in Malate and Makati, He also became the President/Chairman of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, and so many other similar associations/Club … and He is the typical cosmopolite that I have rubbed elbows with so to speak as he travels anywhere to any country in the world and aside from his residence at FORBES PARK, he has built his own House or rather more fittingly, his Mansion, somewhere in Beverly Hills California USA,(though I am not sure if this location/address is right---but does it at all matter?) that he actually lives where the Hollywood legends also own real properties.. Ahhh--- everything that reflects or symbolize success, from my perspective, that is--- quite too “materialistic” you would say… But then, I would like to conjure that there is something much deeper than the materialistic--- actually even higher “source” of all that oomph and glitz which is the “Spiritual” level of the person’s Consciousness… such that … in spite of the High Status that all those materialistic possession has bestowed on him, he remains humble and condescending--- and really attributes everything that he possesses to the One Source --- the One Who is The TRUE HERO --- our Creator, Our God the Father --- personified in Flesh in the Lord Jesus Christ--- whose Birth we are celebrating with such grandeur (only here do we have such merriment of Christmas from September till January) in our beloved country, the great Catholic/Christian Nation in Asia, the Philippines…and this Archipelago in the Far East has been blessed with ‘HEROES’ in different fields/categories of ARTS, SCIENCE, SPORTS and what have you--- too numerous to mention and you in your own selves should already know who they are…
In my list I have included aside from those names I have already mentioned :
Lea Salongga( Miss Saigon Fame, as she received various awards for her achievements) Cory Quirino, [Take Note: Not Cory Aquino] who is an inspiration for me in the way she advocates a lifestyle that is Nature-Based , Holistic in approach towards maintaining Health, preserving Youth and Beauty (Physically/Spiritually) even as we age, --- OH YES, for me this Advocacy on Holistic-Nature Based Lifestyle to Maintain HEALTH /YOUTH and BEAUTY --- Physically and Spiritually is my Primal Concern… to Finally be the COMPLEAT BEING that I/We should be.