25 YEARS : SHARON
by Blaise C. Gacoscos, Yes! Magazine, Jan-Feb, 2003

"Look at Susan Roces. She's one of the queens. She's so respected... Tita Amalia Fuentes, the last time I saw her, she said, ' Ano pa hinihintay mo? O, huminto ka na, mag-aral ka na. O, nakaipon ka na, hindi ka pa ba mayaman?' She's like my mommy also. I listen. I am in awe of these movie queens. When I work with them, when I just see them, I cannot help but put them all on a pedestal. Gloria Romero! I rever them almost, you kow. In show business, the're royalty. So I'd like to be like them, na someday I will still be loved and respected. Though I may probably not be as visible or as active, but when I do a movie, I would want them to go and watch and say, 'Yeah, how is she doing now?" -- Sharon Gamboa Cuneta, 37, on what comes at the end

OVER THE YEARS

"S'yempre extraordinary si Sharon. We have to pamper her. You have to give Sharon the best, kahit na walang verbal utos 'yon, we felt we have to do it. Para bang sabihin natin, 'What Sharon wants, Sharon gets.' Si Sharon talaga, p'wede siyang dumating sa set na walang dala except herself. Then, we will dress her up. Talagang bine-baby namin siya. She was the star of Viva!" -- Manny Morfe, production designer for most of Sharon's Viva films

"She wanted to be a millionaire by 30. She became a millionaire when she was 30. Talagang when she turned 30, multi-milyonaryo na siya. The very first payche, ' Ma, here's my paycheck,' 'No, hija,' sabi ko, ' if this is your first earning, you must deposit it because the good Lord will bless you more.' And then sabi ko, ' Anak, it's very hard to be an actress pag may edad ka na, halos dahil kulobotsing na ang mukha mo nagpipilit ka, dahil wala kang pera, kawawa ka.' Tapos sabi ko, ' Anak, keep it,'" -- Mommy Elaine Cuneta, interviewed in her Damarinas home, Nov 29, 2002

"Si Sharon, bago magdisisyon, pinag-iisipan muna niyang lahat. Hindi siya hora-horada, pero pag neg-decide siya, siguradong focused. Tutok siya... nasisira lang siya sa pag-ibig." -- Mar de Guzman, veteran show-business reporter

"Nakita ko siya nagpo-promote nd 'Mr. DJ.' Ang tingin ko noon, brat na brat. Anak ng mayor, then inglesera. Hindi ko masyadong pinansin noon... Nakakatuwa, e, kasi kung kelan sila nagkahiwalay ni Gabby, 'saka kami naging close. Hindi ka naman p'wedeng basta maging close kay Sharon kasi she can see through, e. Ang tingin sa iyo, parang tagusan." -- Inday Badiday, TV host

"I've always been good at doing things alone. I'm used to myself being my business. See, as long as I'm not sick, I'm not too fat to be presentable, then I can work." -- Sharon, who actually loves her job and manages several tasks at the same time

MOVIES

"In the beginning, I really thought she was just playing cute. But through the years, she developed herself, her craft. To me, there was a turning point and this was even before Madrasta. I felt she was already evlolving into a fine actress. People say Madrasta is her best performance, but I alwasy say this: I think her finest performance, her best performance, was in Nang Iniwan Mo Ako." -- Butch Francisco, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino

"It was about time! Iniiba-iba kasi namin ang director niya, and Lino agreed to work with her kaagad. The public has this belief that you have to experience something to project it on-screen. Sharon never experienced poverty, so how can she project it? Ang perception ng tao, she can never project being poor on screen. Lino Brocka opposed this." -- Baby Gil on the Sharon Cuneta-Lino Brocka teamup

"People equate her film with real-life events. Pag gumawa ka ng malayo sa buhay niya, di tanggap ng tao no matter how good she is." -- Baby Gil, reading into the weak showing of Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig

"The public image is so intertwined with the public person." -- Sandy Santamaria, explaining why the public did not buy a Sharon scavenging at Smokey Mountain

Bituing Walang Ningning, her first film with Christopher de Leon, was Viva's Valentine's Day '85 offering. Baby Gil recalls telling Sharon, "You have to be paired with Boyet. It's a must for all actresses. 'Tsaka bagay kay Boyet 'yong role." Sharon was almost six months pregnant with KC when she shot the movie from December '84-January '85. "Laging tinagtago ang tiyan sa screen... example, sa likod ng lampshade!" laughs production designer Many Morfe. Halfway through the filming, its director Manning Borlaza suffered a stroke, and Leroy Salvador finished the film. It made a killing at the box-office, sadly shunting aside Sister Stella L.

"When you decide about something, you have to take full responsibility for the outcome... It wasn't the fact that the movie didn't make it, because before that I have had a couple fo films [that did not do well]. All my decisions were made not by me alone until this movie. Until this movie, we were together. But I felt that I was left alone to deal with it after. If the audiences don't really feel that it was such a nice project, then you can live iwth it. Okay, so let's move on... Like, if Julia Roberts lost on Mary Riley, and she figured out that people like her in My Best Friend's Wedding or Notting Hill type of movies. It happens to Schwarzenegger and everybody, you know. That's a reality in showbiz. You cannot expect to have a hundred percent track record -- all movie hits? But when you feel that -- I have to be choosy about my words here -- when you feel that this whole support group, partners even, who were there all the time when you made decisions... when you feel that they did not really make an effort to take a peek and see what could be done if something was wrong, and it's too late in the end to change anything... parang feeling mo, the whole thing, ikaw ang nagpasan, di ba?" -- Sharon answering the question: In show business, what career decision made you lose your cool? She did not specifically mention The Lilian Velez Story, but we understood that this was the filming experience which made her leave Viva's fold for Star Cinema at the time

THE QUEENMAKERS

"Tita Mina was the one that chose the stories that became major hits. See, that's why it was perfectly fine with me to take a backseat? Because I knew that my handlers knew exactly what they were doing. And how could I not follow? Masunuring bata naman ako. Lahat naman ng ginagawa nila naghi-hit, e." -- Sharon speaking of her Viva handlers and her manager, the late Mina Aragon

"We started Viva. The mayor [Pablo Cuneta] and Vic [del Rosario], nagsosyo na kami bago umumpisa ang Viva. Partner kami ni Pareng Vic. Matagal 'yon, natapos lang two, three years before the mayor died [in 2000]." -- Elaine Gamboa-Cuneta, mother of the megastar

"Mahal na mahal niya ang fans, Ang tao, na absrob niya noong bata siya, kasi lumaki siya sa politika. Nakita niya kina Mayor at Mommy Elaine. Kahit sinumang kaharap ng tao, naka-ready to smile siya. 'Yong bang nagkaiyakan na kami n'yan, kunyai sa dressing room, tapos paso kami sa studio, 'Hello, Sharon!' 'Hi!' siya. Di ba mapapastikan ka? Sa kanya, di pala kaplastikan 'yon." -- Fanny Serrano, Sharon's makeup artist for over 13 years.

"She's a family member. You'd think of how to protect her." -- Sandy Santamaria, speaking of how Sharon is treated at Viva, an outfit where Sandy is associate producer

"Sharon is close to everybody. You do not think of her as a commodity. You think of what is best for her." -- Baby Gil, Viva publicity director

"Papa's girl talaga siya. The father imparted a lot of word of honor. A handshake will do if you've already said yes. That's why she doesn't have a contract with Viva. The sincerity of treating people nicely, hindi effort kay Sharon... it's natural. Hindi siya nandidiri, wala siyang pinipili." -- Sandra Chavez, concert manager/agent

"Number one, basically, in three months Sharon doubled our volume. Number two, she was a big factor [in] the Superferry brand, which is an extremely strong brand. When people hear Superferry, they releate it to Sharon all the time. Now Superferry has become the strongest brand with almost 60 percent of the market." -- Sabin Aboitiz, President & CEO, Aboitiz One

"Sharon is very effective as an endorser. People will just see her eating chicken and enjoying, nakikitang parang masarap. She's very convincing. People will really eat chicken." -- Leila Hernandez, VP for Marketing, McDonald's Philippines

"We have seen a growth in our Kimbies Plus sales in spite of having stiff competition in the market. When consumers see Kimbies Plus, they say, 'Ay, ito yung binibili ni Sharon!' Her ad is one of the highest, if not the highest, sa mga recall, sa mga ads namin sa Kimberly Clark." -- Digna Santos, Senior Director, Personal Care Business Unit & Corporate PR, Kimberly Clark

"She's authoritative. She's very credible. At the same time, ang character niya is friendly and approachable. Actually pH Care is a superstar product. We reached our 2002 goal three months after we launched." -- Cheche Soberano, Product Manager, pH Care/Unilab

"Napakaganda. Maraming positive effect and endorsement ni Sharon. Lahat ng dealers namin tuwang-tuwa. 'Yong forecast namin nasobrahan ng ten percent." -- Ariel Tresvalles, Marketing Services Manager, YKL-Fuji

"The more she endorses also, the more people realize that she's probably telling the truth. The thing naman about Sharon is pag may inidors siya, ginagamit niya talaga. Or at least she swears by the quality." -- Blen Fernando, Marketing Director, Alaska

"When Sharon sang 'Langis at Tubig,' at that point she was noted to be only a child star. That song led to her maturity as a recording artist. Anyway, her voice was mature enough to carry that theme at that point." -- George Canseco on why he gave Sharon his blockbuster "Langis at Tubig" to sing

"She's been able to get the masa market as well as the AB [group] to support her records. people who like her don't get tired of her. They like the kind of songs she sings: OPM [Original Pilipino Music] type of sings which are mellow and may puso." -- Willy Cruz, composer of "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas" and "Bituing Walang Ningning," megahits which are now veritable Sharon anthems

"The first time I heard her... the first two. three notes, sabi ko for a kid so young, I was blown away. Boy, if she makes a career out of this thing, she would go very very far. As she learned about the facts of life, these experiences started creeping into her renditions of songs and the way she performed as an actress." -- Bert de Leon, director of "Sharon" (IBC 13, one year) and "The Sharon Cuneta Show" (ABS-CBN, nine years)

"Instinct na niya 'yon... Kilala na niya kung anong tama at mali. Alam na niya sa tagal niya kung nasaan siya nakalagay. She doesn't compete with the divas because, for her, she's not a diva. Kilala na niya status niya. She's a singer, she's an actress. Kung baga she's already confident where she stays." -- Rowell Santiago, director of "Sharon" (ABS-CBN, ongoing)

"'Yong music, nandoon lahat ng emotions. Sharon and I have seen each other through the good and bad times. ANdiyan 'yong depressed siya, may kanta kami doon. Andiyan 'yong masaya siya, may kanta kami doon. Binabagay ko 'yog kantang pinipili para sa show sa kung ano ang current state of heart niya. I would know that the most because, in recording sessions, that's where we'd do our girl talk." -- Eloisa Matias, musical researcher and executive producer of "TSCS"

MEN IN HER LIFE

"Gabby, Richard, Charlie... 'yan ang mga iniyakan niya." -- Fanny Serrano on Sharon's heartbreaks

Sharon split up with Charlie Cojuangco in 1993.

Baby Gil says: "Incompatibility. They seemd to be compatible pero hindi. They were putting up with each other for a long time. They were tolerating each other, and they discovered that it wasn't working."

Sandy Santamaria, whom Sharon calls her "right hand," says of the megastar and the scion-politican: "I have my set ways, you have yours. Let's just go our separate ways."

Sharon and Richard ended their romance in 1994.

Of him, Mommy Elaine says: "Okay siya. In fact, during the coup d'etat nagbabarilan dito, kasama namin 'yan. nagpunta kami sa Tagaytay. Yeah, he helped us go to Tagaytay, all together. Okay naman siya."

Manny Morfe, production designer with years of work experience with Sharon, says: "Iniyakan niya talaga si Richard. She was telling me how she missed Richard, kasi 'yong kanilang affair wala naman silang pinag-awayan. They just have to part ways or something... Nasa bahay ni Sharon sa Dasma kami n'on. E, out of the blue, umiyak siya."

Mar de Guzman from the showbiz press says: "Hindi ko alam kung ga'no tumagal 'yong sa kanila ni Richard. Pero maganda 'yong break-up nila. Hindi na sila nagpa-interview. Gumawa sila ng joint statement. Ang cute n'un. Maganda, magkaibigan sila. Ewan ko kung napirmahan nila, pero kung hindi ako nagkakamali, si Douglas [Quijano, Richard's manager] ang nag-distribute ng statment sa press.

Baby Gil, whose 20 years with Viva has made her a Sharon ally, will not single out the man she thinks best for her star. As she puts it: "No man is ever good enough for her."

"Mahirap napag may involved na ibang tao in a relationship. Your side is protecting you, and his side is protecting him. Medyo minsan nga, and this is not only about Richard... this is about everybody else that has had to be involved with a celebrity... minsan 'yong history, nagbabago 'yong istorya. And it's not fair. Sometimes it just makes you so tired, and this is a big factor in the breakup of most showbiz relationships." -- Sharon on why high-profile celebrity unions fail

"Papunta kami ng Sydney, Australia for a concert. Pagsakay namain sa Philippine Airlines, may kumausap sa amin na steward. Ang sabi, 'Si Robin Padilla kabababa lang, e.' Sabi ko, 'Saan papunta?' Sabi ng steward, 'May kasama siyang buntis, mestiza, maganda.' Tapos lumapit sa ako si Sharon, alam na pala niya. Pag-uwi namin ng Pilipinas from Sydney, sumabay si Robin, pinilit niyang makausap si Sharon. Nag-usap sila pero may distansya na si Sharon." -- Mediaman Mar de Guzman on how they all discovered that Robin was attached to Liezel Sycangco, then pregnant, at the same time he was courting the megastar.

"He was a nice guy from a good family also. Well, you could not ignore his looks, s'yempre. At saka we were young, e. Kami, we were paired off as a love team. People loved us, e. And it does something to you when you're young. You think people who don't really see what goes on between you... you mistakenly think they know what's good for you. You're nase-sway by the audulation, and that's very dangerous." -- Sharon on falling for Gabby

"I think were were too young. I'm not going into details because I'm in a happy marriage now... but at the same time we cannot just pretend that it never happened, right? So, he was a good person that, I think, for a while got some bad advice. For a while, Gabby thought that he could get away with anything." -- Sharon on Gabby's failings

"Siguro other people are wondering why I still have this old wholesome image when I've had two children fathered by two different men Maybe because they know I'm not they type to hop from one relationship to another just on a whim. My relationships have not been short-lived. Parang Snow White ako, e, then I drifted... Mae West [laughs] said you always go back to the way you were raised, and later on you relaize: Gago ako, bakit ako nagpabola d'yan sa gan'yan? I should have known better." -- Sharon on matters of the heart

Before Sharon married Gabby, she flew to the States to check the rumor that Gabby was already married to a certain Jenny A. Later, Gabby would admit to her and to the public that he was indeed married to Jenny A. but "only for visa purposes." Thereafter, Sharon married him. As her friend Baby Gil sees it, "Sharon would have been convinced by anything that Gabby said. She was so in love."

"I haven't asked lately if they're still in touch, but for a while, they were. No one has stopped them. Never ko siya pinigilan. Tanungin niyo si KC, kahit nung maliit siya, never siya pinigilan... people were saying I was keeping my daughter. Oh my God! On the contrary, ako yung namimilit, na tinitiis ko, swallowing my pride for the sake of my daughter. I mean there are times when you'd rather not anything to do with one person, pero titiisin mo kasi mas importante sa iyo yung bata. In fact, I always longed for him to give her some attention. So it broke my heart each time his handlers would use something against me that was totally made up." -- Sharon on KC's relationship with Gabby

KC

"I hope she understands that she is more blessed. It's not a perfect world. You certainly don't ask for your family to just break up... but you have to realize that you have to focus on what you're blessed with. I understand also it's very difficult to always be in the shadow of a parent or both parents. So, you see, as much as possible she doesn not mention me in interviews... And I let it be even if, sometimes, nagsi-sentimento ka. You know, the kid has to find her own identity." -- Sharon on KC

"KC is not naman my exact opposite, pero almot my exact opposite. My description always is parang I'm a station wagon and she's like a red sports car. So, she's not the type I have to worry about 'cuz I think... she'll settle down early? Not at all. I feel like I will have to push her. 'Mag-asawa ka na, Anak!" -- Sharon's reading of her first-born

"Si KC kamukha ni Sharon. Marunong mag-horse riding, marunong maglangoy, may medlas 'yan sa swimming, meron siyang ballet din. Si KC, everything, pati singing. Pareho sila ni Sharon. Si Sharon magaling sa essays, parang si KC. Nagko-compose ng words ng music si KC, kamukha ni Sharon." -- Elaine Cuneta on her daughter and grand-daughter

"KC likes to do ten times more than I do - and at the same time! She spreads herself too thin. She's in a dance company in school. When I say dance company, it's not easy to get into it, mga tipong Power Dance... Tapos soccer, although she's stopping that. And then, of course, her academics. And academics in I.S. [International School] are very demanding. And then she likes to do all these extra-curriculars! So I tell her to take it easy, there's time for everything." -- Sharon, sounding like a typical mother

FRANKIE

"That girl hardly ever cries. She's like a small old person." -- Sharon on her darling Frankie

THE PANGILINANS

"By God's grace... we've been married six years. We were together two years before we got married and I pray to God it lasts forever. But, you know, I'm old enough to know, and experienced enough to know, that some things do not make it to forever. Kasi it's useless if you have a long marriage but it's not happy, di ba?... I can only try my best and pray to God that my husband works with me to keep the marriage strong." -- Sharon, taking a look at her marriage to Kiko