WHAT DO SHARON CUNETA & KIKO PANGILINAN READ?
by Girlie Rodis, The Philippine Star, August 8, 1999

I can no longer remember the day I first met Sharon Cuneta, mega-star and mega-lady, because it's been quite a while ago. There are few people in the entertainment industry who can match her graciousness and thoughtfulness. I have attended functions in her honor, and I have also been around during some unhappy times in her life but I guess my favorite memory is when I co-produced an intimate show for her at the Captain's Bar of the Mandarin Hotel. The show was for the "Chosen Children," a long-time beneficiary of the Mandarin. I requested her to visit the home which was then located at Philam, Las Piñas (they have since moved to Cavite). I thought at first that it would be difficult to convince her to spend an afternoon there, only to find out that she was surprisingly enthusiastic. On the day of the visit, we piled into her car and she even had seven-year-old daughter KC join us. When we got to the home, we had a little party for the children. Now these children are special because of their special needs (they are in various stages of retardation or have some other neurological defects). These are children who were not expected to survive infancy but miraculously did. Both Sharon and KC displayed grace and kindness as they received these special children. They embraced, cuddled, tickled and carried them like they were the most perfect children. It was a moment I will always remember.

Sharon's husband Francis Pangilinan is well-known for the assistance he extends to many of my entertainment colleagues. A human rights lawyer, he is a former councilor of Quezon City. He was student council president at the University of the Philippines during his college years, where he displayed his desire to do public service. Francis has just completed a 10-month special course in government at Harvard University.

Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan
1. Falling Leaves : The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah. I couldn't put this book down and felt bad whenever I just absolutely had to. It so touched me, that I actually wanted to write the author after I'd read it, as I couldn't believe that she went through what she did and came out of it whole with love and forgiveness for those who hurt her. I ended up buying several copies of this book to give to friends.
2. Lords Of The Rim: The Invisible Empire Of The Overseas Chinese by Sterling Seagrave. My boss at one of the companies I endorse told me about this book. Very interesting, especially for one like me who's always been curious about, and has always admired the business sense of the Chinese.
3. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. Originally in Japanese. It's wonderfully original and written with a unique style. The author is around my age, and I think she's a gifted writer. Like some others who've read it, though, I can't help wondering if some of the poetry in the Japanese language had gotten lost in the translation. It's still beautiful, nonetheless.
4. Hannibal by Thomas Harris. I just loved The Silence of the Lambs -- both the book and the movie. This is the long-awaited sequel and I have just a few more pages to go!
5. Bag Of Bones by Stephen King. I love Stephen King. I've loved the scariest stories since childhood, and I have all of Stephen King's books. The critiques describe it as good, and it turned out to be good.
6. Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. I love anything about the cultural revolution in China. Okay, I love anything about China! At first, some parts mortified me, then inspired me by reminding me that one can rise above the direst of circumstances, and move on and start a better life. After reading this, like after I read Falling Leaves, I felt a bit guilty about complaining about my own problems!
7. Living A Beautiful Life : 500 Ways to Add Elegance Order Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life by Alexandra Stoddard. I first read this book in 1994 and I still read some parts of it whenever I feel I am merely existing and not living. The author makes a ceremony over the littlest things we take for granted, or altogether dread doing (paying bills, for one!). Everyone who's forgotten how to appreciate the most basic (usually the most important) things about life (or anyone who'd like to learn how to enjoy doing the unenjoyable, at least) has to have this.
8. All books by Jessica Zafra. I like Jessica's work because she makes real good sense when she's serious, and she knocks my socks off and makes me laugh so hard when she's not. I have all her books (she very kindly autographed one for me!) and I like reading her column. If I remember right, Teddy Locsin Jr. once wrote that she never makes mistakes (because of her mastery of the English language?), and I believe him. I love her, period.
9. How Do You Know Your Pearls Are Real?: On single parenthood & other Ms. adventures and We're History by Barbara Gonzalez. I loved writing class when I was in school. I'm a frustrated writer, and I love the way Barbara writes. I find her style quite different from Jessica's, but one that is more, well, "me." I e-mailed her a "fan letter" when I was in Boston, telling her how big a fan of hers I was! She wrote back (that thrilled me to death) and from then on I'd drop her an e-mail every once in a while, mainly to pester her to write more! I love her work and she inspires me. There is a "cool wisdom" (for lack of a better term) to her writing, a lot of which I am able to identify with. I'd join her writing class if she had one. I write about Barbara and Jessica not only because I will buy anything they write (grocery lists included. Haha!) but also because they are only two of the many gifted Filipino writers around. I wish people would pay more attention to our very own. Another one worth mentioning is Sophia Romero who wrote Always Hiding (a book about TNT" life in the US -- published in the US!). I am eagerly awaiting her next book.
10. Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden. I don't only cry at the movies -- I also cry when I come across stories such as this one. Read this if you haven't yet, especially if you're an incurable romantic. Like you-know-who.
11. The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan.
12. A Year In Provence (and the sequel, Encore Provence) by Peter Mayle.
11. The Picador Book Of Contemporary Chinese Fiction. I read a lot of Christian books, too, but I did not include any here as that should be another list! The best to read for enlightenment, wisdom and strength is STILL the Good Book.

Atty. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan
1. Shadow: Five Presidents And The Legacy Of Watergate 1974-1999 by Bob Woodward.
2. Robert F. Kennedy And His Times by Arthur Schlesinger.
3. Caesar : A Biography by Christina Meier.
4. The Will To Power by Fredrich Nietzsche.
5. The Leadership Wisdom Of Jesus : Practical Lessons For Today by Charles Z. Manz.
6. The 3rd Philippine Republic 1946-1972 by Lewis Gleek.
7. Going Public : New Strategies Of Presidential Leadership by Samuel Kernell.
8. Corruption And Destiny Of Asia by Alatas.
9. Corruption And Governance In The Philippines by the Philippine Center of Investigature Journalism.
10. Apolinario Mabini, Revolutionary by Cesar Majul. The list represents my interest in history, political leadership and philosophy. History is rich with drama and valuable lessons for us to learn from. Political leadership because for quite some time now I have been fascinated with concrete results and getting things done in the public sector. Philosophy -- because it gives me insight as to why we human beings are what we are.
11. The Best Of Pugad Baboy I, II and III by Pol Medina. I like this book because I like to laugh a lot and because it is quite irreverent.