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Sunday, July 10, 2005
Melanisms
By Orly J. Cajegas
Melanie Marquez is an experience. Gather some cranky members of the press on a rainy Sunday lunch with Melanie, and you can just imagine the whole room literally cracking up.
Why, yes, a novice reporter can make a whole book with the plethora of utterances coming from her gorgeous mouth. But that’s missing the point altogether.
Looking every inch the beauty queen, Melanie couldn’t just mince words; she gives it a rather interesting spin. When asked if her “carabao” English is deliberate or for real, she answered without batting an eyelash, “It’s natural. I mean, we’re all pinoys. Sometimes tinutuloy ko na (ang pag-iingles) to make people happy.”
Bad English notwithstanding, Melanie, at 44, is still fabulous inside and out. “Beauty is from within. That’s why I don’t take myself so seriously. Tinatawanan ko lang ang sarili ko pag nagkakamali ako …”
Mimilanie Laurel Marquez or “Mimi” to friends, was born in a family whose surname is one of the pillars of Philippine showbusiness. (She is oft-qouted as saying of her late father, the director Artemio Marquez, “Ang tatay ko ang only living legend na buhay!) Her life was under the limelight starting at a young age. Under the tutelage of Renee Salud, a world-renowned beauty queen was discovered.
Beauty queen Melanie Marquez represented the Philippines in the Miss International 1979 Pageant where she won the title. In 1986, she competed in the Supermodel of the World Modeling Competition where she placed first runner-up and was awarded the Miss Clairol Special Award. Her beauty and charm captivated the pageant world that earned her the honor as the Most Beautiful Miss International in year 2000. She once again wore the Philippine sash as she represented the country in the 2005 Mrs. World Pageant placing in the Top 12 Semifinalists. She is also a self-confessed Madame Malaprop.
Through the years, Melanie’s life has been a continuing fairy tale. With her accomplishments in the world of beauty and pageant, she was not as successful in her personal life. She has had three failed marriages that were all under the public eye.
Yet, she never gave up and finally finds happiness with a loving husband, Adam Lawyer - her fourth. “Period na talaga; wala nang exclamation point,” she said when asked on S-Files if her present husband, Adam Lawyer, is her Mr. Right.
Finding inspiration from her mother and her values and beliefs, Melanie finds strength in her faith in God that makes her a better and stronger person (she has been attending the Church Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for seven years now). She volunteers her time as the President of the Relief Society where she encourages women to attend enrichment activities to learn about livelihood projects. She also donates generously to Unicef for supporting the education of children.
With all the experiences in life, Melanie considers her proudest accomplishment as being a mother. She aims to continue being a Filipina woman of strength by being committed to her family as a loving wife and mother.
How does she take care of her beauty? “I use Renew Placenta. This is my first time to endorse a product that is proudly Pinoy. I used it for three months before I said 'yes' to endorsing it.”
What about diet? “I don’t eat meat. I’m not a carnival.”
Ooops, don’t judge Melanie now. As you know, she’s not a book.
(July 10, 2005 issue)
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