by Wilson Y Lee Flores, Lifestyle Asia, December 1994

Even in a Latin Asian society renowned for the beauty of its women and the exceptional talents of its entertainers, Sharon Gamboa Cuneta is a class all by herself. Born to a political prominent and wealthy clan, a phenomenal success at only 28 years old and an aspiring, entrepreneur, she is idolized by millions in the Philippines as the "megastar" of pop music, television, and the movies.

Once described as "a poor little rich girl" due to the movie- like glamour, bittersweet drama, and personal travails which have marked her meteoric rise to fame, Sharon Cuneta was thrust into the limelight as a 12-year-old singer and emerged as a multi-media star in her teenage years. She married in a grand fairytale wedding at age 18, with no less than the Philippine President, First Lady, leaders in society, and her legions of adulating fans in attendance at the historic Manila Cathedral. Today, with the annulment of her marriage, she is a doting single mother to her eight-year-old daughter Maria Kristina Cassandra ("KC"). Her trials and tribulations have only strengthened her, making her a highly sensitive and mature, precocious heiress who has blossomed into a versatile artist nonpareil.

Political analysts predict that despite her reluctance, the Megastar will eventually be drafted to follow in the footsteps of her father, Mayor Pablo Cuneta, and uncle, Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III to vie for public office in the 1995 or 1998 elections. Her mother, Elaine Gamboa Cuneta, said that as early as last July, First Lady Amelita M. Ramos was already inviting Sharon to run for election as the ruling Lakas-NUCD party's candidate for Mayor of Makati, the premier financial hub of the Philippines. Even Mama Elaine has declared her intention to join the political bandwagon by running for the right to represent the sole district of Pasay City in the House of Congress. As if the blood-is-thicker-than- water connection is not enough, Sharon's rumored boyfriend, Francis Pangilinan, who was a councilor of Quezon City, is eyeing a return to public administration via the congressional elections in May '95. With all of these precedents and antecedents, can Sharon's political destiny be far behind?

After all, her peers in the film industry recognize her leadership. They elected her, the youngest ever, chairman of the Katipunan ng mga Artista sa Pelikulang Pilipino (KAPP) or the Actors Guild of Philippine Movies. She is also the only actress to have been acclaimed the "Box Office Queen of Philippine Movies" for seven years. She had won the "Best Actress" awards from the Film Academy of the Philippines and FAMAS. Her record albums and compact discs are consistent bestsellers, while her concerts in the Philippines and in abroad for expatriate Filipino communities have been sell-out extravaganzas. Last year, she won in the Star Awards as the "Best Female Musical Variety Show Host" and her "Sharon Cuneta Show." When her TV show was first telecast in 1986, it had a record 49 percent viewership, which was the highest rating in Philippine TV history since the Ali-Frazier "Thrilla in Manila" world boxing championship of the early 1970s.

THE DOWN-TO-EARTH SHARON:

I INVEST MY EARNINGS IN REAL ESTATE. ONCE YOU BELIEVE YOUR OWN PRESS, THAT'S THE BEGINNING OF SELF-DESTRUCTION. I HAD EVERYTHING I NEEDED. BUT I DID NOT GET EVERYTHING THAT I WANTED.

How does she feel at the peak of her career at such a young age?

"I take my work seriously, but I don't take myself too seriously... Kidding aside, I'm still trying hard to learn how to do better, how to grow as a performer who can hopefully better entertain the people... It is harder to maintain success than to reach it. I don't want to go into anything unless I can give 100 percent to it. I try to work very hard. Often, I push beyond 24 hours a day, I work long hours, practically seven days a week, and I always tell myself that it is important to always keep one's feet on the ground. It is important to keep one's sincerity intact, to remain down-to-earth, for all these can go away tomorrow... the fame, the fortune. In show business, it s very easy to get swallowed up by fame. The temptation is great for success to go to one's head. We have to hold on to reality. Once you believe your own press, that's going to be the beginning of self- destruction... We have to cherish the truly valuable things in life, not fame or fortune, for all these are fleeting."

Celebrity status is nothing new to Sharon. She was born to an influential political clan on Jan 6, 1966 in the Chinese year of the wooden snake. Her father, Mayor Cuneta, is a legend in Philippine politics, a populist leader who has administered Pasay City with an iron fist since the 1950s. A quiet trading center by the Pasig River a few centuries ago and named after Princess Pasay, the daughter of native chieftain Rajah Soliman, Pasay City has become a modern metropolis adjacent to Manila and home to the international airport, the waterfront Cultural Center complex and the Cuneta Astrodome.

Like the princess of the pre-colonial era, the mayor's daughter grew up in a life of comfort and privilege in Dasmarinas Village, a posh residential enclave in Makati. She was sent to top private schools and always had nursemaids and bodyguards. After her first movie become a blockbuster hit, her father and entrepreneur Vic del Rosario decided to establish Viva films to produce her subsequent film projects. This company is now one of the largest with a history and reputation as having built its initial success on the popularity of Sharon Cuneta movies. She said: "Although I had everything I needed, I did not get everything that I wanted. My parents didn't want to spoil me. My father was very strict."

Show business seems to be in her blood. Her mother, Elaine, is a former Miss Mindanao beauty titlist and a Carlos Romulo scholar at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music. Her aunt, Helen Gamboa, is an accomplished entertainer whom Sharon looked up to as her "idol" as a kid, and her uncle, former actor Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, is the senator who won election with the highest number of votes nationwide.

Reflecting on her career, she said: "My original ambition was to be a doctor, an architect, and an interior designer. But as a kid, I already loved to sing, with my mother playing the piano. I appeared on TV at age 12 and started recording songs the following year, but I still took formal lessons from my teacher, Cecille Azarcon, when I was already 17 years old. You know, when I was 12, aside from a natural love for singing, I truly had fun signing autographs."

Herself a connoisseur of good movies and a fan of great entertainers, she watches a lot of movies, laser discs, and videos. "I think Asians are definitely world-class. In the Philippines alone, we have so much talent in entertainment. We have the likes of Vilma Santos and Nora Aunor. I also believe Asian artists in the entertainment industry should have more opportunities to get together and to meet each other. I'd love to someday meet Jackie Chan... Bruce Lee, he was a unique phenomenon, a true superstar. I remembered crying upon hearing the news of his death. In the US, I admire TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey. She started from nothing, and she has now become the richest woman in entertainment. She has a big heart. I also admire Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Barbara Streisand as first-rate stars. I think Barbara Streisand has mastered everything there is to master in singing."

Although she now has little time for sports, Sharon is fond of tennis, bowling, and swimming. Unknown to many , Sharon Cuneta finds time to read despite her hectic schedule. Among the books she has read recently are "A Time To Kill" by John Grisham, "Rising Sun" by Michael Chrichton, and "Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, the bestseller about four Chinese immigrant women and their American-born daughters in the US. Her favorite authors are Sidney Sheldon, Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, and Danielle Steele. "I like Danielle Steele novels because I'm an incurable romantic."

On her future, Sharon plans to leave show business someday, perhaps at age 30. "I want to become a businesswoman. I admire people in business, like the late Sam Walton of the Wal-Mart retail chain in the US, overseas Chinese taipans John Gokongwei, Jr and Henry Sy. I idolize people who can build something, who have created new companies and new industries. I used to admire Donald Trump - the secret is, I hope to eventually go into the real estate business. At present, I invest my earnings in various real estate properties. I also have two fashion boutiques in Quad Makati and SM Megamall called Krista which actually started as a hobby."

With the 1993 annulment of her marriage, Sharon Cuneta has become one of Southeast Asia's most eligible women. The Philippine mass media have been speculating on a December wedding to Francis, a laywer and television newscaster. The exact date? "It will come like a thief in the night."

On the prospects of remarrying, she said: "Next time, maybe I'll be luckier. My future husband has to be someone who's mature and secure in himself. He should be supportive... If I get married and settle down, I'd be willing to leave show business. I will go on semi-retirement. Perhaps, I'd then make one movie a year, maintain the television show, and devote most of my time to raise a family... My ultimate dream is to be just a wife and a mother.

How would she want to be remembered by her countrymen many years from now? Sharon smiled and replied: "I like that question... I don't want to them to remember me as someone who made it big and then left, just like that, but as someone who left her mark not only as a good performer, but also as a good person. I'm glad that I can do this kind of work, to be able to entertain people and to effect them, hopefully in a positive way. Not many people are given this opportunity. As a celebrity, one has to be conscious of one's social responsibility. I believe that as entertainers, whether in the movies, television or pop music, one has to be aware that we are in a better position to help others."