Keeping family close

MICHAEL Jackson grabbing his crotch,” beams Cha-Cha Rama—sounding like a tour guide—on the pop star’s miniature icon resembling his signature choreography at the second floor of the family loft residence. She seems so proud about owning it that whenever someone visits her, she directs all attention to the figurine enclosed in a glass box.

As if the view of the veranda didn’t really matter—the sunset, the sea, the city all in one panorama. For the last three years, her husband Enrique, a lawyer and a real estate broker, with four-year-old son Abraham Anthony frequented a virtual game station at the mall.

“I was glad because it made them closer,” Cha-Cha says. Born Rosario Antoinette Realiza, she got married to the former governor of Cebu’s son at the age of 21 after placing first runner-up during the Mutya Ng Pilipinas competition in 1988.

“My family is my priority, and I want us to be close always.” Along with that, she also keeps up with the interests of her elder son, Joseph Gerard, a 19-year-old political science student and runway model.

There is only one key [to keeping closeness]. “Apart from my demanding work life, I see to it that my family spends quality time with me. We often go on trips abroad. It is our cure from all the stress of life, and it’s also an educational experience for our children. We have traveled to the USA and Hawaii, to the different parts of Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore,” she says.

As Ayala Land Inc.’s real estate consultant, she manages all aspects regarding the company’s deals and investments at a flexible work schedule while running the seven-storey Mariepaz Suites and its website (mariepazsuites.com). A graduate of business management at the University of the Philippines, she worked as the assistant public relations manager at Cebu Plaza Hotel (now Marco Polo Plaza Cebu) before she became the Visayas-Mindanao sales and marketing manager of Ayala Land.

In 2007, she was the recipient of the Vice-president’s Circle Awardee for Outstanding Sales Performance of Cebu Holdings. “Loving the freedom of traveling and selling, I decided to take the brokers exam and passed it in 2000, and I have been working as realtor since then, apart from my other jobs in between the years,” she says.

But the record shows, Cha-Cha always emerges on top of anything that is related to public speaking or relations.

It is like food that nourishes her. She said: “To be in constant motion energizes me.

To meet all kinds of people from all walks of life enriches and captivates my soul. We must feed our mind constantly and the challenge of being in sales and marketing ignites my passion.”

It could also be the result of her early exposure to beauty contests. At 17, she won the Gaw Glamour Girl of Cebu, a prestigious contest that can possibly be equaled by Miss Cebu now. Last year, Cebuano haute couturier Cary Santiago chose her to be the Reyna Emperatriz in the annual Santacruzan.

For Cha-Cha, beauty is expressed in many forms. Even with the boom of cosmetic miracles, she still thinks natural beauty is the best.