20 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT SHARON
by Inday J. Badiday, Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 10, 1999

I HAVE a short list of movie stars I really admire and respect. On that list is the name of Sharon Cuneta.

To think that my first face-to-face encounter with her didn't give me a good impression of her. We both guested on Jeanne Young's "Spin-A-Win." In her over-eagerness to answer a question, she grabbed the microphone from me. I immediately wrote her off as a spoiled brat. I soon realized I was very, very wrong.

This year marks a milestone in Sharon's career: 1999 is her 20th year in this world where only the toughest survive. And in recognition of the megastar's extraordinary combination of gifts and talents, I've decided to list down the 20 things I like about her.

1. Sincerity. Whenever I interviewed Sharon for my TV shows before, I always forgot there was a camera in front of us. Her honesty was disarming and her candor was refreshing. She answered questions with a simple and forthright sincerity that made me feel like not just another intrusive interviewer but a friend she allowed to enter her world.

Natural Magnet

2. Friendship. Sharon chooses her friends well. She values friendship so much that, even if she lives in a world where she's a natural magnet for all kinds of people, she only has a handful of very close and loyal friends. She's the type who hurts for her friends-when a friend is wounded, she bleeds ahead of everyone else.

3. Happy disposition. She can cheer you up with just her smile. She radiates the happiness that lives in her heart even in the worst of times. She always chooses to focus on the positive, believing that dwelling on the negative is half of the problem.

4. Feistiness. Yes, Sharon is a fighter. Her razor-sharp tongue can cut down anyone who deserves it. And if she decides to give you her classic cold-shoulder treatment, you get the feeling of how it is to freeze in hell.

5. Forgiving. If you've done her wrong, she'll make you know she knows. But she's quick to forgive anyone who shows remorse. She does not allow ill feelings to fester inside her.

6. Spirituality. I don't know how religious she is in terms of going to church regularly, but I know that she's deeply spiritual. She has a personal relationship with the Lord that gives her the strength she needs to face all the trials that come her way.

7. Fast learner. When the adolescent girl defied the advice of her parents and entered show biz to give way to her talents-first as a singer and, later as an actress-she soon realized she has set foot in a snakepit where vipers masqueraded as friends and fork-tongued reptiles introduced themselves not with a hiss but with a smile. But Sharon learns fast. She has the ability to reinvent herself to suit her needs.

Measure For Measure

8. Tenacity. The fact that she has spent two decades in this industry-still counting and still on top-hardly surprises anyone. While this business has given her so much in terms of fame and fortune, she has also matched it, measure for measure, especially in terms of her privacy being slaughtered as an offering at the altar of stardom. Anyone less tenacious would've raised the white flag a long time ago.

9. Indefatigable. She is a workaholic and a perfectionist, which is a prescription for success. Whatever Sharon does, she does with all her heart. She spends limitless hours in a recording studio just to make sure she hits every note and punctuates every syllable exactly right. And she'll do as many takes as are required to perfect a movie scene.

10. Golden voice. I'm enthralled not just by her voice but by the way she sings her songs. She animates them with feelings that all kinds of people can identify with, but she also imbues them with a soul totally her own. It seems that, for Sharon, every song is a striptease act. She bares and defines herself each time she sings-be it the heart-wrenching "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas," or the light and breezy "Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko."

11. Flexibility. When she's with simple people, she's as simple as they are. When she's with the rich and famous, she's richer and much more famous than most of them. With Sharon, what you are is what you get, which is the key to her stardom-she's very reachable and people can easily see themselves in her.

12. Natural charm. A lot of people say Sharon had everything going for her when she was just starting. She had the talent, the connections, the support of a major company whose well-oiled publicity and promotions machine packaged and sold her to the masses as a dream. But, believe me, there are countless others who also had the same support but failed. They didn't have what Sharon has tons of-her natural charm which endears her not just to her fans but to every person whose life she's touched.

Third Commandment

13. Good daughter and mother. Pablo and Elaine Cuneta must really be good people. How else would you explain the fact that God has rewarded them with a daughter like Sharon? And because Sharon has obeyed the third commandment-Honor thy father and thy mother-so well, the good Lord has rewarded her with KC, whom she has brought up to be a well-rounded, well-grounded lady.

14. Thoughtfulness. Sharon's thoughtfulness is not only in remembering special dates but also in always managing to be there when needed by the people she loves. When you need cheering up, she always has a smile or an encouraging word. When you need to fight, she'll march to the battlefield with you. And she can overwhelm you with her generosity-not just of the spirit.

15. Hungry for knowledge. Sharon's biggest frustration in life is her not having finished her studies. But she feeds her insatiable appetite for knowledge by travelling, being a voracious reader, and meeting all kinds of people. This shines through whenever she speaks, since she can talk about anything and everything under the sun.

16. Keen business sense. Sharon invests well. She's into real estate and stocks and bonds. Unlike other big stars before her who squandered away not just their stardom but all the money they got from it as well, Sharon has multiplied her savings and can live comfortably even if God grants her 10 lifetimes.

Difficult Times

17. Breeding and sophistication. To paraphrase an oft-repeated quote, you can take a person out of Forbes Park but you can never take Forbes Park out of a person. All through the many difficult times in her life, she has never lost her poise, much less the head on top of her shoulders, which she always held up high.

18. Words of wisdom. Sharon is a treasure chest of wisdom when it comes to love and relationships. Savor this: "A woman is like a huge house with a lot of doors. We open these doors to the man we love. But it's foolish to open all the doors. We should keep a few closed-not just to maintain some mystery about ourselves but, more importantly, in order to preserve our sanity."

And this: "You should be intact when you come out of a relationship. Huwag mong hintaying gutay-gutay ka na, na pati respeto mo sa sarili mo ay isinangla mo na sa lalaking iniibig mo, pero hindi naman pala karapat-dapat sa pag-ibig mo!"

19. Survivor. Sharon is a star in a soap opera played out not on the boob tube but on the big screen called life. She's made several trips to hell but has come back to tell stories about it, and has emerged a much better, stronger and wiser person because of the experience. Were she made of lesser stuff, she be a junkie or a mental patient by now!

20. God loves her. I think that sums it all up.