WOMEN OF POWER, WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE
by Bayani S. San Diego Jr., Women’s Journal, May 26, 2001

Ayala Museum, Makati City. May 7, 2001 Receiving the Hallmark Award from Anna Lee, Associate Director for Marketing and Communications, Hallmark Channel Asia-Pacific.

It’s something Oprah Winfrey would’ve dreamed up: a gathering of women, united by a common cause--in this case, in celebration of womanhood and motherhood.

Last May 7, the usually somber hallways of the Ayala Museum were again buzzing with activity, for the grand launching of Hallmark Channel’s Women’s Week.

On that day, Hallmark Channel paid tribute to two Filipina achievers in entertainment, not only for sterling accomplishments in their respective careers, but more significantly “for exemplifying the channel’s wholesome family values, while embodying the ideal of a working mother and a professional who excels in her field,” according to Anna Lee, associate director for Marketing and Communications, Hallmark Channel Asia-Pacific. The first Hallmark “women achiever” awards were bestowed on pioneering filmmaker Laurice Guillen and multi-media Megastar Sharon Cuneta.

With Ann Lee and Laurice Guillen

To introduce Miss Mega to the cable channel’s international audience, the music video of Sharon’s latest single, “Nothing I Want More” was given its world premiere at the launch. Directed by young turk Yam Laranas, the music video captured, in a nutshell, the current state of her art and her heart.

Sharon, for her part, gave a heartfelt acceptance speech. After 23 years in the “business of show,” the popular singer-actress has remained incredibly real and honest, the crowd composed of women journalists and women’s group leaders discovered.

“I hope I have shown that one doesn’t have to be perfect to be a good person, but I also hope I have shown that a woman should certainly strive to be the best that she can be, both at home and at work,” Sharon said, upon accepting the award.

She admitted that her stature as the country’s much-loved Megastar comes with a “huge responsibility.”

“It is not only about taking, but about giving back whatever I can. It is about being worthy of my audience’s respect . . . I hope I have been able to show that one can survive in this complicated world of show business with one’s decency intact.”

As a mother to two “precious” daughters (Kaycee and Simone), Sharon expressed her wish that they would someday “learn from the person I have become.”

A really light moment with KC, Sharon's first-born

On a lighter, more personal note, she joked that she is Hallmark personified because she is an ardent fan of the cable channel.

“I’ve enjoyed all its ‘big’ movies--The Odyssey, Arabian Nights, The Legend of the Leprechauns, and my favorite The Monkey King, not only because of Russell Wong . . . ” the movie queen enthused, like a movie fan.

And since Hallmark is primarily a movie channel, the day’s other honoree is a much-admired actress and director.

In introducing Laurice Guillen, Lifestyle Asia editor Emmie Velarde described the filmmaker-actress, thus: “This woman is a full circle all by herself. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. She uses this power to touch, move and uplift--the only way true power should be wielded. Thus, in her hands, cinema ceases to be mere expression, it becomes a call to goodness.”

Laurice Guillen, calm and centered as always, accepted this latest award--which came after a string of trophies, for her “comeback” film Tanging Yaman--with charming candor.

She explained her decision to leave show business seven years ago, as borne out of “pressures”--to be a feminist, female voice in a male-dominated profession, to remain true to her vision despite the formulas that were being touted as the industry’s measure of success.

The maverick that she was (and is), she left the business--temporarily--“to find herself.” But as the citation read (in part), Laurice is “an artist not only of great ability, but more outstandingly, of ardent faith.”

As such, when she decided to return to filmmaking, the whole industry welcomed her with open arms.

Success-the-second-time-around could be a bit overwhelming, but when she saw the “good will” generated by Tanging Yaman among the viewers, she again instinctively knew that she made the right choice.

After all, as she reiterated that day, her primary goal as filmmaker is “to tell a story as truthfully as possible.”

And from her impressive body of work both as actress (Sister Stella L.) and director (Salome), Laurice tells her story--with “remarkable aplomb.”

Laurice Guillen and Sharon with their respective daughters, Anna Feleo & KC

With Joy Beunsalido, Emmie Velarde, Laurice Guillen, Anna Lee of Hallmark, & Crispina Belen

As a point of curiosity Laurice and Sharon has played mother-daughter (Bakit Ikaw Pa Rin), as well as director-actress (Tayong Dalawa, Una Kang Naging Akin), in several films in the past. As such, the awarding became an instant family reunion of sorts. The two proud mothers Laurice and Sharon were accompanied onstage by their lovely grown-up daughters Ana and Kaycee--undoubtedly, the mothers’ true treasures (or as Laurice would say: Tanging Yaman) that day.

Aside from Kaycee, makeup artist Peachy Mariano, and Yaya Luring, Sharon’s all-girl entourage included sister-in-law Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas, former vice president of McCann Erickson, who proudly witnessed the event. Indeed, it was a celebration of, for, and by women.

The celebration was organized by Joy Buensalido, publisher of 100 Women of the Philippines coffee-table book, from where Hallmark Channel hand-picked the two honorees.

Although Women’s Month officially falls in March, Hallmark Channel chose to celebrate their own version of Women’s Week in May, to coincide with the worldwide celebration of Mother’s Day on May 13.

Throughout the channel’s week-long celebration (May 7 to 14) of womanhood, exemplary films and shows (like Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot and Touched by an Angel) were screened throughout the Asia-Pacific region.