the Untold Story of Filipina's Triumphs...
Her mother has always been proud of her. Mighty proud. And rightly so.
In the spring of 1991, Julia Roberts graced the cover of People Magazine's
special issue featuring its annual list of The 50 Most Beautiful People in
the World. Together with Julia Roberts in this ultimate list of the most
beautiful people were Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Madonna, Mel Gibson, Whitney
Houston, Michelle Pfeiffer, Isabella Rossellini, supermodels Claudia
Schiffer & Naomi Campbell and oops*a Filipina?
Yes, People Magazine's 1991 list of The 50 Most Beautiful People in the
World included a true-blooded Filipina who was born, raised and educated
in the Philippines.
Unlike most beautiful Filipinas who were the products of mixed marriages
and who have therefore acquired foreign physical features, this Filipina
was born to a Filipina mother and a Filipino father. It is no wonder that
she does not typify a beautiful woman by any standard: She is short,
standing only 5'2". She has a huge and deep acne scar on her forehead. She
has that distinct Asian nose (read: flat). She uses only Avon cosmetics (
gasp!) and applies makeup by herself. During her pre-Inno Sotto days, her
clothes were not made by known couturiers: They were lovingly sewn at home
by her mother who is a dressmaker. She does not even have the right genes
to inherit beauty from: Her mother was plain, even stern-looking. Her
father was a dark-skinned guy with the tough facial features of a hardened
military man.
Although both the first names of her mother and father means happy in two
different languages, their union was not as joyous. Her mother and father
were never married, making her and her only brother illegitimate children.
In the mistress hierarchy, her mother was not even her father's second
woman. Her father had a first mistress who ranked above her mother. She
and
her brother only belong to their father's third family. And yes, the gay
club performer who once appeared on national television was indeed her
half-brother. She couldn't therefore be faulted for not talking about her
father. In contrast, too much has been known about her mother. Her mother
was always visible, too visible for comfort.
Her mother gave her the name Carmen and raised her in a province north of
Manila. However, when it was time for her to go to school, her
overprotective mother brought her and her brother to Manila to give them
the best education. Carmen studied in Preciosa Soliven's Operation
Brotherhood Montessori in Greenhills where she emerged as the school's
valedictorian. However, Carmen's academic rival protested the school's
decision to award Carmen the school's highest honors, claiming that she
had
better grades than Carmen. Carmen's rival even revealed that the school's
owner, Mrs. Soliven, was only fond of Carmen because she always performed
in school programs which gave Carmen an edge in extra-curricular
activities. But academically, Carmen reportedly did not really rise above
her rival.
Lured into show business, Carmen became part of German Moreno's inane
daily
afternoon TV show, That's Entertainment, where she got paired with
comedian
and now Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert "Bistek" Bautista. (Some say that
Vice Mayor Bautista was so enamored with Carmen that he later refused to
marry his partner despite their having a child.) As one of the countless
stars of Kuya Germ's That's Entertainment, Carmen's talent was
overshadowed
by the ridiculous mass appeal of the triumvirate of Sheryl Cruz, Manilyn
Reynes and Tina Paner.
Later, Carmen made a couple of forgettable films which were big flops.
Unsuccessful in local show business, Carmen enrolled as a BS Biology
student in Ateneo de Manila, hoping to become a doctor. However, the lure
of fame and fortune shattered her medical ambition. She followed her other
dream and landed in*Dreamland! Yes, instead of comforting innocent and
fresh-smelling babies in a hospital, she ended up entertaining horny,
sweaty and foul-smelling drunken men in seedy bars.
When Carmen was a little girl, a local manghuhula predicted that she would
be crowned Miss Universe. Her mother, legally known as Miss Imutan, was
ecstatic upon hearing this. Sadly, the prophecy did not come true.
However,
when Carmen was 18 years old, she bagged a beauty title. But it was
farfetched from a Miss Universe crown. Carmen became Miss Saigon.
Yes, the only true-blooded Filipina who was included in People Magazine's
The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1991 is Feliciano Salonga and
Ligaya "Joy" Imutan's only daughter: Carmen Lea Imutan Salonga.
Most of us know her simply as Lea Salonga...
