10 Things You Should Know About “Nanay Coring” Ramos

Grand Bossing at 88

National Book Store founder Socorro “Nanay Coring” Ramos:She was an entrepreneur at age 10, peeling off paper from cigarettes. She wears  an outfit with rosettes

 What started as a stall in Escolta selling textbooks and G.I. novels is now National Book Store, the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines with affiliate companies Powerbooks, Crossings Department Store, Anvil Books, Atlas Publishing, Cacho Hermanos Printing Press, NBS Book Express (that’s only to name a few), thanks to Mrs. Socorro Cancio-Ramos. National Book Store outlasted their competition back in the day, which included Alemar, Philippine Education and Vasquez. Hers is a story to inspire every aspiring businessman, and the stuff fairy tales are made of. People say she can sell almost anything to absolutely anyone. She is one of the most charming people you will meet in your life. These are 10 things you should know about “super salesgirl” Socorro Ramos, more fondly known as Nanay Coring.

1. She is still very much the boss and goes to work every day, entertains and negotiates with publishers who are in town, and checks the warehouse and the branches. To this day! And she is 88!

“You have to be an example,” Nanay Coring explains. “They can say, ‘eh kung siya nagbubulakbol, eh di magbubulakbol din ako.’ But if you show that you are there on time in the morning up to leaving time, then you are the example.” She doesn’t take vitamins and is not on any maintenance medicine. She says she has been blessed with good health. What keeps her going? “I eat a lot,” she says, and bashfully shares that lechon is her favorite.

2. On tablets, e-books, e-zines, and the Internet: “I tell you, there’s nothing like a book.”

She says this about books: “It’s something that you can write on, highlight if you like a certain paragraph, you can smell it, showcase it, hand it down to your children and your children’s children.” On National Book Store having a website, she says there’s no choice since that’s part of the game. “It’s a sad thing if books will disappear, although I don’t think that will happen.”

3. Nanay Coring in numbers:

11: Number of great grandchildren, from nine grandchildren from her three children — Alfredo and wife Presentacion Sunico, Benjamin and wife Virginia Sian, and daughter Cecilia and husband Maximo Licauco.

268: Number of santos in her collection, 233 in her home and 35 in her office. Her favorite is St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things, because “Isang beses nawalan ako ng singsing, I prayed and prayed to him, and I found it.”

98: Grade she received in her favorite subject back in school, which was biology.

4,500: Current number of employees of National Book Store in 150 branches nationwide.

15: Awards received, including the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2005.

4. Nanay Coring was an entrepreneur at the age of 10.

Every year, during the two-month vacation from school, she would take on a “summer job.” They had neighbors who were working in the cigarette factory, and they offered her the job of having to peel off the paper from the cigarettes — two packs for five centavos. “It was a whole warehouse of cigarette packs,” Nanay Coring shares. “And I could not finish that so I hired 10 of my playmates, then I’d pay them.” Her tubo? 2.5 centavos per package.

On another vacation break, she worked at American Sweets wrapping bubble gum, and was even commended by her foreign employer for being one of the fastest bubble gum wrappers. During another two months, she worked as a server in a small restaurant, where a customer actually ordered an extra bottle of milk for her to drink on the spot because she was too skinny. “I was very thin, kasi mahirap lang kami,” Nanay Coring says. She was the second to the youngest among six children.

5. She eloped with husband Jose Ramos when she was 19. Although she wouldn’t advise young people to do the same because times are different now, she says that in her case, “It was the right decision.”

She vividly remembers being in Avenue Theater watching film footage of the Pearl Harbor bombing during World War II. It was when the Japanese occupied the Philippines that her then-boyfriend said, “Sumama ka na sa akin.” She recalls, “So sinundo ako sa Sta. Cruz, Laguna, at derecho kami kay Judge Almeda Lopez to get married.” Her late husband Jose had a sister who married her older brother Manuel, and Nanay Coring met Jose while working at the Ramos family-owned Goodwill Bookstore. Jose took over one of the branches, which he and Nanay Coring renamed as National Book Store.

On what made her fall in love with him, she fondly says, “Mabait. At masipag.” She shares: “They say love is blind, pero ang pagmamahal, impulse. You cannot impose.”

6. She and her husband had to build and rebuild National Book Store three times. While others would take that as a sign that it might not be the right business to pursue, Nanay Coring insisted on sticking to it: “That’s the only thing I know.”

Nanay Coring went to a public school for elementary and high school. As much as she wanted to go to college (she wanted to take up medicine), her parents had no money to send her to school (both tuition and books were so expensive). When asked if she ever thought of going back to school when she did get to save up enough money, she says, “No more, I was too busy with the business already.” She does believe that education is a person’s most important asset, the key to the future, and the most reliable escape from poverty.

During the early days of National Book Store, she and her husband were everything from manager to cashier to janitor. After building their business selling at a stall, they had to rebuild a second time after the war had left everything in shambles. But of all the hardships she went through in life, the hardest would have to be the third time they had to rebuild, when Typhoon Gene hit and the roof of their barong barong store flew off and everything was soaked. “My arms and feet were numb, yun pala those were signs of having a heart attack,” she recalls. It was firm determination that pushed them to go on, getting a bank loan worth P300,000 back in the 1940s.

It has become her advocacy to sell quality books and supplies at a reasonable price, saying: “Well, because once upon a time, wala din akong pera.”

7. She had a close encounter with Japanese soldiers during the war, and despite the language barrier, they understood each other and the soldiers even gave her a gift.

Nanay Coring recalls being so scared one time when their whole house was surrounded by soldiers. She was thinking of ways to make them leave. “Nakita ko yung isang Hapon na may sword, siguro leader yun, so lumapit ako. Di kami magkaintindihan pero tinuro ko yung mga Hapon. Naintindihan niya ako. Umalis nga sila.” She then cooked bukayo, a traditional Filipino coconut and sugar dessert, and gave it to them. “Tuwang tuwa sila. The next day, binigyan nila ako ng dalawang piyesa ng pranela para daw sa kambal,” she shares. Amidst the war, there were simple acts of kindness. As Nanay asserts, “Actions speak louder than words.”

8. She prefers reading to watching TV, but if you ask who her favorite actor is, she’ll say it’s John Lloyd Cruz.

Nanay Coring’s daughter-in-law Tita Virgie Ramos shares that Nanay finds John Lloyd exceptionally good looking and a very good actor. And since Nanay Coring doesn’t like watching her favorites play “the bad guy,” John Lloyd’s choice of roles in both TV and film made her love him more. She also likes the trademark humor of his commercials.

9. Nanay Coring on the youth today:

Biggest change in a good way: “They are more intelligent. That’s my observation with my grandchildren, maybe because they have more access to reading materials now. They are a little bit more aggressive. They don’t fear about getting lugi. If they fail, they stand up again very quickly.”

Best invention the youth use: “Apple. Yung mga ganyan na ginawa ni Steve Jobs.” She says she doesn’t buy gadgets on her own but a lot of people give her. She’s still trying to learn how to use them.

On cell phones: She only uses them to call. She knows what the word “jejemon” means and in one speech, she shared how she got a text that said “CUL8R” and had no idea that it meant she was supposed to see that person later in the day.

10. With all her accomplishments in life, at the end of the day, she feels her biggest achievement is “having good children and good families.”

“I can disappear anytime,” she shares. “But if your children know how to let the business go on, and you know they have good values, then you’re happy.” When asked how it feels that her children’s children’s children now enjoy a comfortable life, opposite of her life as a child, she says, “I thank God for giving me all this after so much hardship, and I just pray na maging mabait sila.”

On the best advice she can give young people:

1) “You have to have firm determination to succeed.”

2) “Be humble, even if you are successful, don’t act as if kung sino ka.”

3) “Be industrious.”

* * *

One of the most recent and most inspiring awards that Nanay Coring received was the MVP Grand Bossing Award for 2011. She was hailed as the big winner, besting 12 other Bossing awardees, chosen from among 200 nominees. I was told that during the awards night, in the middle of the program as others received their awards, she noticed her name wasn’t being called. She turned to her companions and shyly commented, “Sigurado ba kayo kasama ako dito?” Despite literally having gone from rags to riches, Nanay Coring has remained so humble. Of course, for the finale of the MVP Bossing Awards Night, when her name was called, everyone gave her a thunderous standing ovation. In her speech, she shared that there really is no secret to succeeding in life, and that if there is one, it would probably be the worst-kept secret ever. “Everybody knows it. Ask any entrepreneur and they will almost always tell you the same thing. Sipag at tiyaga.”

She has no secret to her success, lasting love, or good health. Nanay Coring is 88 years of living proof that clichés like “Work hard,” “Follow your heart” and “Enjoy what you do” are not just clichés, they are truly the keys to living everyone’s dream: a happy and successful life.

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/759144/grand-bossing-88

10 Things You Should Know About Phil and James Younghusband

The life and loves of Phil and James Younghusband

They are the poster boys for Philippine football today. Whether you’re crazy about them or whether you think they are overrated, it is undeniable that Phil and James are a big part of giving football its much-needed and well-deserved attention and support. With the explosion of the popularity of the Azkals this year came their national heartthrob status, the media frenzy over their personal lives, and their dream come true of meeting and getting to play with their idol, football superstar David Beckham. But this year also brought a tragic loss to their lives, with their mother’s demise last September. It has indeed been a roller-coaster year for the two. Beyond their good looks, endearing accents and public personas, here are 10 things you should know about brothers Phil and James Younghusband.

1. They feel that the toughest part of their newfound fame is actually sustaining all the hype and proving that football is not just a fad.

Getting stopped every few minutes for a picture or autograph isn’t the tough part for Phil and James, and in fact Phil says, “I think we enjoy it because we’re being recognized for our ability, something we’ve worked so hard for since we were three years old. It’s a huge compliment.” The biggest pressure in their opinion is keeping people interested in the sport. They would hate to see people be into football now, but next year, not really care about it. “We want to find ways to sustain it so that football will become more and more popular,” Phil shares. “We didn’t realize that what we had to do was win against Vietnam to gain this kind of popularity,” James says. From planning all these things they can do to increase awareness about football, they now have to manage what projects to do or not do, for the good of the sport.

2. As to the never-ending questions about whether they will enter show business, they both say they won’t, unless it’s related to football. They recently signed a three-year deal with AKTV to host tutorial segments as the channel’s football ambassadors.

Phil joined a reality singing contest and James did some commercials prior to the Azkals’ fame, but they did all that in hopes of gaining awareness for football. “Now that people know us as football players, we can try and dictate how we present ourselves,” Phil explains. “Before, it was so awkward when they’d ask us to dance,” James recalls. “But now, when it comes to doing football shoots, time flies and we have so much fun.” As long as the project doesn’t lose sight of their goal to promote the sport and generate interest, the brothers say they’re game to do it.

3. James says that when Phil is in love, “he’s sweeter, but also not as cocky and arrogant.” Phil says that when James is in love, “he’s a gentleman and is very sweet.”

When Phil is in love, James says, “he doesn’t talk about himself as much, he talks about the other person.” Though still mum about the real status between him and Angel Locsin, Phil proudly shares that Angel is “more stunning than anyone I’ve ever been out with, more kind, and has one of the best hearts I know.” Angel, though also mum on their status, recently openly shared they are happy knowing that “ako ay para sa kanya, siya ay para sa akin.”

Phil shares about James and his half-British, half-Filipina girlfriend Fiona Faulkner: “When I’m with them, they’re very happy. She’s a positive influence on James.” On what it was about Fiona that stood out, James says, “she was enjoyable to be around, would always make me laugh, and would always look out for me.”

It is very important for both James and Phil that their younger sister Keri likes the girls they are with, and they both say — with huge smiles on their faces — that Keri likes the girls they are with now.

4. The brothers compare themselves:More good-looking: According to them, James is the more handsome one and Phil is the cuter one.

Dated more girls: Phil.

More kuripot: James.

More pilyo: Phil.

More religious: Both. Phil says he prays the rosary daily and James goes to Mass when he can. They were both sacristans as kids.

More vain: Phil.

Cries more: Phil. James says he loses his temper more.

Laughs more: Phil.

5. James is 11 months older than Phil, but they were in the same year in school. Phil says: “I think being in the same year helped us because we never had to do anything alone.”

James was the oldest and Phil the youngest in their batch. Did they ever copy homework from each other? “I was smarter than James and I didn’t want him to copy my answers,” Phil jokes. James defends himself saying, “I had neater handwriting and I could draw better.” The more animated and more talkative Phil took up math, while the more reserved and more softspoken James took up graphic design. They went through exactly the same things and so they always motivated each other. “When I’m not doing so well and James is doing better, that would motivate me to do better, and vice versa,” Phil shares.

6. Growing up, they would travel from England to Malabon for vacation every year. What finally made them stay was when someone found them on a video game, which led to the Philippine National Team inviting them to play here.

Both James and Phil grew up training with the Chelsea Football Club in England since they were 10 years old, and that’s basically where they learned everything they know about the sport. It was a mystery gamer playing “Football Manager” who saw their names on the video game’s roster of characters and spotted that the brothers had Filipino blood. “They contacted the Football Federation in the Philippines, the PFF contacted Chelsea, and Chelsea told us,” Phil recalls. In 2005, they were invited to play for the Philippines and they trained with the team and enjoyed it. Phil says, “We saw that football wasn’t so popular here and that there was room for improvement, so we wanted to be a part of that.” James adds, “We were asking, ‘Why don’t they do this and that,’ and we thought, why don’t we just move here and help?” It was always in their plan to live here, but it was in 2008 when both their contracts for Chelsea were expired that they decided to move to the Philippines for good.

7. The Younghusband brothers in numbers:

7: James’ jersey number.

10: Phil’s jersey number.

8,000: Salary as an Azkal per month in pesos (whether star player or reserve, everyone gets paid the same amount.)

8: Pairs of football shoes they have on rotation a year. “It depends on the fashion as well,” James shares. Phil wears size 10.5 and James wears 13.

129,887: Current total hits of their YouTube videos Teach Me How To Philly where Phil gives a dance tutorial, and Teenage Dream where James lip syncs and dances.

8. Their reasons for putting up The Younghusband Football Academy: to spread love for football as a sport for the working class, not an elitist sport; and so they can still play football, even after their football playing career.

Both of them have coaching licenses from the UEFA, and in TYFA, James handles the technical and logistical needs, while Phil executes the plans with their partner coaches. Since they began in 2010, they’ve already gone to over 10 provinces, partnering with local governments for resources and funding. Also, designer Rhett Eala created a special line of shirts at Collezione for TYFA, and currently, part of the proceeds of the sales go to funding the scholars at the academy.

TYFA holds two- to three-month-long camps where 40 to 60 children have free football training two or three times a week. For the trainers, they hold a weekend session. “One thing we’ve noticed in the Philippines, even the well-developed coaches are more instructional, when it should be more interaction with the kids,” James shares. Phil explains further, “They should be asking questions, telling them how they can do it and where they went wrong, praise the good things, don’t comment on the bad things.” It’s more of teaching them how to coach rather than what to coach. It is also very important for them that the kids enjoy and have fun. “We don’t want them going away saying ‘That was hard work,’ and they lose interest,” Phil says.

9. They lost their dad to lung cancer in 2004, and they lost their mom to a massive heart attack just this year. The most important lesson they learned from both their parents: family comes first.

“Dad would always get angry at us if we didn’t spend much time with the family,” James recalls. Phil shares: “Even though they were from different cultures, they had the same heart. It was always about family and they made sure we would always stick together.” James, now 25, and Phil, 24, share that their dad was the one who kept them disciplined, and their mom was the one they leaned on whenever they were in trouble.

When their dad Philip Sr. passed away, they saw the slow deterioration because he was sick. It was their first time dealing with a close death in the family. “Keri just turned two a couple of days before my dad passed away, and so my dad was bedridden for her birthday,” Phil shares. “We were so young then, and it was very difficult.” James shares, “We had our friends and family to support us, it made us all closer.”

When their mom Susan passed away, they were in Bacolod. They tried to get a private plane just to get them back to Manila faster, but to no avail. They didn’t arrive in Manila until early the next morning. “Keri has been amazing because I think she’s been stronger than me and James during this tough time,” Phil shares. He adds that the afternoon before their mom died, she called them up to check on them. “We’re happy that at least our last words to each other were ‘I love you’ and ‘I love you, too.’”

10. They now stand as both dad and mom to their 10-year-old sister Keri. James says their biggest dream for her is: “To do what she loves doing, like us.”

“I don’t want her to be forced into football, I want her to do something she loves doing,” James adds. Phil answers, “I want her to grow up with respect for others.”

Their biggest fear when it comes to Keri? “Boyfriends,” James shares with a smile. “I don’t like her taste in boys.” Phil adds, “I just want her to be safe, especially with all the things you hear in the news now.”

As to who between them is the disciplinarian and who is the spoiler, they say they change roles. They share that the most difficult part is balancing being strict and lenient with her. Phil opens up, saying, “We just want Keri to run to us whenever she’s feeling bad or has a problem.”

* * *

With their deep sense of nationalism and Filipino values, you wouldn’t think that Phil and James had spent their formative years halfway across the world. Hearing their life stories, you will see that they exude a trait we Pinoys take much pride in: resiliency. Whether it be fixing little flaws in the way the academy runs, to keeping what is private away from the public, or adjusting from being sons to being heads of the family, they take it all in stride. At the beginning of the interview I asked what it is about football they love so much. They said, “the range of emotions, dealing with the highs and the lows.” This is probably what equipped them to deal with the challenges of life. “After losing a game, we don’t let it get us down. We bounce back.”

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/756742/life-and-loves-phil-and-james-younghusband

10 Things You Should Know About Eugene Domingo

Eugene Domingo: You can't do comedy if you haven't experienced tragedy

“How ironic it is that as an artista, so many people fuss over you, want to meet you or kiss you or hug you, but when you get home, you’re in your room, and you’re just a normal person, you’re alone!”

She is a breakthrough lead actress. For this month’s filmfest, she is seen in three films: the all-out comedy Enteng ng Ina Mo, the family comedy My Househusband, and the horror franchise Shake, Rattle, and Roll. Next year, her film Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank will be the official entry of the Philippines in the 84th Academy Awards. She also starts shooting a movie musical soon with good friend, writer and director Chris Martinez, based on Apo Hiking Society songs. She claims she doesn’t feel “schizo” when taking on so many roles at the same time, quite a feat for someone who did nine movies just this year. Here are 10 things you might want to know about Eugene Domingo.

1. On why and how she became so funny: “I think it’s a gift… I think it’s my face.”

I asked her what about her childhood, and how she turned out to be so funny. She says it was nothing specific that led to comedy. She remembers watching everything and reading everything from comics to broadsheets, tabloids to books. She recalls mimicking her teachers back in school, then her classmates would laugh, and she would laugh, too. “Hindi ako aware na joke pala yun. I was just being me!” Neither did she consciously try to hone her comedic skills, it just happened. In time, she learned some techniques, but she never pushed too hard if she knew it wasn’t funny.

She reveals: “My idea of having a good time is when you laugh, I laugh, too. You don’t laugh at me, we laugh together.”

2. She strongly believes that one cannot do comedy if one has not experienced tragedy. Her biggest tragedy? “My being single! If you can consider it a tragedy!”

Uge explains how ironic it is that as an artista, so many people fuss over you, want to meet you or kiss you or hug you, “but when you get home, you’re in your room, and you’re just a normal person, you’re alone!” She is quick to defend herself saying “hindi ko naman sinasabing nagwa-walling ako!” (A term referring to crying while leaning on the wall, sliding down in agony.) She points out that laughter and tears go hand in hand, saying, “See? Natawa ka!”

When asked about the pressure of people expecting comedians to be funny at all times, she says: “At first, nakakainis. Sandali, tao lang naman ako.” But after a few years, she realized that you can’t blame the public for having that expectation because you are part of their household. During her “off” days, she just smiles, says nothing, explaining that others don’t deserve to know whatever bad thing you are going through because that’s part of the job. “Then you think of your savings,” she laughs naughtily.

3. Of all her leading men, for her, the pinakamasarap one is Richard Gutierrez.

“Richard Gutierrez! Agad-agad!” she answers within a split second, giggling like a high school girl. “Pinakamasarap na kissing scene din!” she adds. (Her other leading men weren’t so bad either: Dingdong Dantes and Zanjoe Marudo.) In the 2011 movie My Valentine Girls, Uge was Richard’s leading lady in an end-of-the-world setting, where they had to kiss. She remembers Richard intently watching the scene’s playback on the monitor, while she shied away, explaining, “Kahit ako nahihiya for him, lakas maka-Shrek!” Uge shares that Richard was a real-life Prince Charming who made her feel like a princess. “Hindi ko naramdaman yun ever, kahit nung bata ako. Kapag may drama sa school dati, hindi naman ako maka-cast na prinsesa!”

4. She is one of the few actors able to move easily from ABS-CBN to GMA to TV5, but in her own home, she doesn’t watch TV.

“Ayoko na, I want to read my books, I want to listen to music, I want to talk to my dogs!” she exclaims. As to why she has never and will never sign exclusively with any network, she says, “I want to work with anybody and everybody, I enjoy my freedom and I want to go when I want to go.” She says that when she started acting, she was never picky with roles because she just wanted to work and be friends with the stars. But with more experiences, roles and recognitions came the right to “choose” roles. It’s something actors must invest in, it can’t be rushed.

5. Uge does not have a driver or a yaya and does everything on her own. She lives alone with her dogs.

One of her best friends, Sweet Lapus, speaks highly of her being independent, but also describes her as a loner. She has a cleaning lady that just comes to clean her condo, her assistant is present at work only, and she does her own groceries. Her home companions are her three dogs — Praise, Coconut and Mufasa — all Shi Tzus. “Every day I drive myself to wherever, at kung hindi naman ako pagod, I do my own makeup.” She enjoys driving herself around, and even when stuck in traffic, “Kaya kong aliwin ang sarili ko, huwag lang akong maiihi!”

6. On insistent rumors that there is a rift between her and Ai-ai de las Alas: “Maling mali. Wala kaming competition.”

“I have respect for her, she came first,” Uge shares. Though she took many roles as the “sidekick” of Ai-ai, it was never an issue for her. She explains that they come from very different backgrounds, she comes from theater and Ai-ai from live comedy shows; and that they even look so different, her with a round face, and Ai-ai with a long face, saying that these are the reasons they complement each other and work so well together. Uge reveals that their friendship has a strong foundation because it was tested many years ago when they were starting out as friends. “Nagkamali ako ng sabi, nagkamali siya ng interpretation, pero hindi ko pinatagal.” She apologized and explained right away, they cried, and to this day, they text each other almost every day.

7. Eugene Domingo in numbers:

2: Number of years ago that she became conscious of her diet and physique. “Tumaba kasi talaga ako sa Kimmy Dora,” she shares. She doesn’t eat meat, does the treadmill, bikes or plays badminton when she can. On the thought of having cosmetic surgery, she says, “No! I love my eyes, my nose, I would miss it!”

59.5: Height in inches. “I’m not even 5 feet!”

400: Square meters of the house she is currently building in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

20: Number of years in the industry.

62: Number of films made, for which she has won eight awards, including the Bert Marcelo Award for Comedians in 2009.

8. The best advice she knows for actors is that it is not enough to be talented, you have to know how to do PR.

Who gave her that advice? “Myself,” she chuckles. “That’s firsthand experience.” She says you can’t just be very, very good, you also have to talk to and get along with the people around you, and you have to get to know the people who came before you. “You don’t have to kiss their a**es, but give them respect,” Uge shares.

To those that think all comedians do is make people laugh, Uge dispels that notion by sharing her process as an actor. “You study your material, your character, you ask your director for his vision, and you understand the relationship of your character to the other characters.” It is very important to her that every job she accepts is different from the previous one so that she doesn’t get bored.

On what she hates most about “showbiz” as a business: “That you have to be controversial, talked about, and you have to open your life. I don’t believe in that. I just want to be an actor.”

9. Uge will do anything for Piolo Pascual.

“Yeah, like right now,” Uge laughs. They became friends years ago but the friendship solidified after Piolo and his partners in Spring Films produced Kimmy Dora. “The fact na nagsugal sila for my launching movie, I will never forget that,” Uge reveals. He also gave her the freedom to choose the script and writers she wanted, when and where they would shoot, and she says she will appreciate that forever.

Piolo says this about Uge: “I always believed in her talent and versatility. I always knew she was going to make it big and we were blessed because she gave us her trust to produce her first starring role.”

Uge says this about Piolo’s current controversy: “I admire his being quiet. I don’t believe that he’s really in trouble, and I don’t think I have to protect him.” She goes on to share how she always jokes with Piolo saying, “Tinatanong ko siya lagi kung gusto niya ako anakan.”

10. At the age of 40, when asked what she wants more at this point, a baby or a man, she says “Pwede both?”

She never really thought about having the baby before the man comes, but she does share that if given the chance to be a mother (“kung may chance pa, kasi malapit-lapit na din,” she jokes) she is sure that she would be a really good mother.

On finding a man, I gently suggest to her the thought of making time to meet men and date around. She says that she has seriously considered that, but on the other hand, deep down she is still a hopeless romantic who believes that if you are meant to meet someone, it will happen. “Eh kung si KC (Concepcion) nga na ang ganda-ganda naghahanap pa din ng true love, ako, naghahanap din ng true love. O, di tie lang kami!”

On what qualities she is looking for in a partner, she says, “I really hope that he’s taller than me! Ayoko ng ka-height ko siya, hindi nakaka-love team!” She says that they don’t have to be extremely good looking, instead, “yung nababagay lang sa ganda ko.” She adds this scenario: “Yung pag nagising kami at titingin kami sa isa’t isa, we’ll say, ‘I deserve you, we deserve each other.’” Most importantly, she really hopes he can talk. Because at the end of the day, that’s what’s left.

On her need for physical intimacy, she says: “I-gy-gym mo na lang, i-dasal mo na lang, buti na lang I’m really tired when I get home.” When was the last time? “Hindi naman masyadong matagal, hindi din naman masyadong recent!”

* * *

“Uge is proof that you don’t need to look like Anne Curtis to be a star,” says director Jose Javier Reyes, who has directed her in six films. “She is the triumph of talent over mere applause.” Actress Toni Gonzaga, who has worked with her in two films, says, “I love working with Ate Uge because she is not a selfish actor.” Looking through her filmography, watching her morph into one character after another, and seeing her simplicity in person can change whatever notions you have about Philippine actresses. So the next time anyone dismisses artistas as self-absorbed and all-looks-no-talent, or the next time anyone assumes that only tall, model-esque women with long flowing hair can be leading ladies, think again. There are brilliant, game-changing, very human actors like Eugene Domingo.

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/754498/eugene-domingo-you-cant-do-comedy-if-you-havent-experienced-tragedy