WORDS SAM L. MARCELO | PHOTOGRAPHY JONATHAN BALDONADO

Jose Mari Chan is aware of your viral memes. He knows that when September rolls around, Photoshop-happy netizens transplant his head onto Ned Stark’s body, or onto a White Walker’s, or onto Thanos’s (or, more precisely, Jose Mari Chanos’s). “I’m the gap between the millennials and the ancients,” he said. “I don’t know who makes them up. Some are a bit clever, like that Game of Thrones one. In general, the memes help promote the song so I thank them.”

We all know “the song” he’s referring to: “Christmas in Our Hearts,” that infectious earworm he’s obligated to sing regardless of what month it is. “Even if I do concerts in April or May,” he said, without a hint of peevishness. Mr. Chan had just flown in from China during the time of the interview and was preparing to fly out again to Australia and Canada for a string of concerts. Seated by a Steinway Model M piano, the very same one where he composed “Minsan Pa,” he narrated the beginnings of his runaway Christmas hit. “In 1988, I got a call from an old friend from my college days—Chari Cruz-Zarate. It was her high school silver jubilee and she wanted me to set to music a poem she had written for their homecoming. The poem was entitled ‘Ang Tubig Ay Buhay.’ I was inspired to compose a melody to it and I did so in less than a week.” The story of “Christmas in Our Hearts” is one he’s used to telling. The details are well-worn by now: how he shelved the tune, brought it back out two years later when his record producer Bella Dy-Tan suggested that he put together a Christmas album; how a budding songwriter by the name of Rina Cañiza tapped on the windshield of his car on a Sunday morning and said she wanted to collaborate; how both Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson almost did backing vocals but for one reason or another, couldn’t (Ms. Salonga because the label didn’t want her to; Ms. Wilson because she lost her voice);  and how his daughter Liza, then a student at Ateneo, came to the rescue and learned the song overnight.

How do you explain the success of “Christmas in Our Hearts”?
It’s partly due to its melodic structure. The verse starts out in a minor mode—which is Filipino and Oriental—then the refrain turns into a major mode, which is Western. This combination is interesting—very few songs do this. Also, the melody itself is lilting, very easy to learn, very easy to hum, very catchy. Kids take to it as soon as they hear it. Internal rhymes are also very important. It was Rina who came up with the first line (“Whenever I see girls and boys / Selling lanterns on the streets”). I came up with the second (“I remember the Child / In the manger as He sleeps”). It’s not a perfect rhyme but it’s there.

Tell us about your songwriting process.
When I compose, the melodies almost always come first. I compose in the car, on the plane, or at work, without any musical instruments. I hear a basic melody in my head. “Tell Me Your Name” may have come from Close Encounters of  the Third Kind. [Mr. Chan is referring to the five-note sequence used to communicate with aliens in the Steven Spielberg film.]

When the song is ready, I get an arranger and I tell him how I’d like to hear it so he can instrumentalize it.

When writers are given deadlines, they come out with their best work. You work under pressure. I believe that a good song is a marriage between words and music, complementing each other like husband and wife. I’ve heard songs where the melodies are nice but the words somehow don’t fit. I make it a point to that my words and melodies complement each other. 

Did you know that you had a hit on your hands with “Christmas in Our Hearts”?
I wasn’t sure. When I presented “Christmas in Our Hearts” to Bella Dy-Tan, she said it sounded too Christian and denominational. She asked me to come up with a romantic Christmas song and in two days, I came up with “A Perfect Christmas.” We played both at a press conference; the radio and TV people chose “Christmas in Our Hearts.” I was happy with that.

Do you ever get tired of singing it?
When I sing this song in concert, especially with a choir or a full orchestra, it can still bring tears to my eyes.

What is your favorite Christmas song?
“Little Christmas Tree” is quite nostalgic. I remember one Christmas eve where I was running a slight fever and so I couldn’t go to midnight mass with my parents and my lola. I had to stay home and “Little Christmas Tree” was playing on the radio. I associate the song with that particular moment.

Are you thinking of releasing another album with your new-found fame as an ambassador for Uniqlo and Shopee? 
I still write songs but you probably won’t hear them. The melodies that I come up with now may no longer be relevant to the millennials. I listen to the radio and I hear the type of music they like. I’m afraid my melodies sound old-fashioned to them. Times have changed. Christmas songs are expected to sound old-fashioned. But if I come out with a love song now, the millennials will say that it belongs to the time of their lolos.

Do you still get royalties from “Christmas in Our Hearts”? 
Yes, I still get royalties from Filscap [The Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc.], Universal, and Spotify. Sometimes, the royalties I get from radio play are enough to buy me a cup of coffee.                            

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

INTERVIEW NICKKY FAUSTINE P. DE GUZMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY LANCER SALVA

Tina Fernandez started her art venture—and adventure—with one thing in mind: debunking common misconceptions about art (among them, that art is intimidating and that it is easy to make). To this end, she put up a gallery in Greenhills called Artinformal (AI1) in 2004, in what used to be her family’s home, to help educate people about art.

“Not too many people were buying art that time,” she said, adding that the little interest that existed was  for “decor purposes only.” She continued: “They didn’t know what they were buying and they couldn’t understand why an art piece was nice.”

AI1 became successful over time, showing established and emerging artists such as Jose Tence “Bogie” Ruiz, Costantino Zicarelli, and Nilo Ilarde.

The desire to open a gallery was triggered by an experience that she still remembers vividly.

“I remember a lady asking out loud…or was she was talking to another out loud to another person?—and saying ‘Bakit pinagkakaguluhan ’yung painting na ’yan? Anong maganda diyan?’ I asked her if she found it nice. She said she couldn’t understand it, and I told her it didn’t matter if you cannot understand or not. What’s important is if you like it,” she recalled.

“Sadly, a lot of people don’t have their own opinion. I have a lot of artist friends and I thought why not teach the public and maybe we can increase the number of people buying art since they already know and understand the process of art-making. They can feel confident because they now know the process behind an art.”

Artinformal in San Juan has expanded with a second space called Artinformal 2 (AI2), which opened in Pasong Tamo, Makati City, this February. Her efforts, combined with that of other gallerists, have paid off.

“We now do not hear comments like ‘Ang dali namang gawin niyan, parang gawa ng bata. Kaya ko rin ‘yan.’ To that I always answer—which is almost always sounding pikon—‘eh bakit hindi mo ginawa?’ So they try. We had an abstraction workshop for people who said it’s easy to make. We asked them to copy—not even conceptualize their own—only copy, and they couldn’t. Now they understood that art is difficult,” she said, smiling.

The gallerist, who used to make art—“I don’t practice, I have no time. I think I’m a better gallery owner than I am an artist,” she said—also owns Aphro, a store that sells functional art pieces, including accessories (like earrings and bags) and furniture (like tables and chairs).

Aphro has an unconventional layout: locally made goods are displayed on bleachers (think of the Banaue Rice Terraces) flanked on one side by a slide meant for patrons who haven’t lost their childlike sensibility.

“In Aphro is everything that I like. It’s a reflection of my aesthetics, yes. It’s more fun. It’s meant to be like a jewelry box. When you open it, you see everything. The design of the story is playful,” said Ms. Fernandez.

Do you have a favorite artwork?
That’s the problem, I don’t have a favorite. But the first piece of art that I ever bought was a Tony Leaño painting. I was fascinated by the way he was able to confidently paint three women with so much character with minimal strokes. But that’s not my favorite—it was just my first.

“My favorite now, at this moment, is something I don’t even own.  It’s this work titled Picture for a Bee by Singaporean artist Robert Zhao Renhui. The reason I like it is the concept behind his work. It’s based on his research about the behaviors of insects toward certain colors. Blue, apparently, attracts bees and they love it so much that they stay there until they die. He created this blue [painting] in his studio.

“Another favorite is this work by JC Jacinto—an artist I represent—that he gave to me as a gift. It’s the painting of AI2’s downstairs when we tore it down and reconstructed it. This is what it looked like at ground zero.

And in Aphro, can you name some of your favorite items?
I have several favorites: Zacarias bags, and pottery and ceramics. Also works by Geraldine Javier. I’m also encouraging more artists to create non-gallery works that are functional and more playful. The Aquilizans have Fruit Juice Factory Studio. It used to be a fruit juice factory, thus the name, and it has been collecting Japan Home Surplus ceramics. What they do is they upcycle it; they look for interesting shapes and put them together to create functional art. It’s interesting.

Please name your favorite artists.
Emerging or established? I like to be part of the growth of their career. Let’s pretend that she’s still emerging: she is our latest artist, Nice Buenaventura. With an established artist, there’s no challenge anymore. I think having Jose Tence Ruiz is enough for me. I like working with him and we have a history, as far as exhibitions are concerned. I would rather add to my roster an emerging artist who will add something new in terms of creativity in using certain media. They show exactly what they want to show because it’s important, and not because it’s popular.

If I were to tour your house today, what would I see?
There are works by Johnny Alcazaren, Kawayan de Guia, Cos Zicarelli, Ling Quisumbing, MM Yu, the Aquilizans, Gaston Damag. A lot of objects like pottery.  Mark Valenzuela—wait, I’m walking through my house in my head—Maria Taniguchi, Nilo Ilarde, Marina Cruz, Rodel Tapaya, Manuel Ocampo, Elmer Borlongan, Erwin Leaño, Ian Fabro…  a lot!

My dream is to empty my house and maybe put few artworks up at a time and then rotate them, but my problem is I don’t have storage to put the others that are not in rotation yet. What I don’t want is to boast. I want to concentrate on a few pieces. If you put a lot, you don’t highlight the work but your collection.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Francis Libiran on the one accessory he always wears.

INTERVIEW MICHELLE ANNE P. SOLIMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY KAI HUANG

When he was eight years old, fashion designer Francis Libiran would accompany his mother on her visits to the dressmaker. He felt that his young opinion was valued as he was always asked if a certain design or detail suited her. It was also at that age that Mr. Libiran began drawing: armed with a flashlight, he would hide in a closet and sketch on the back of his notebook. He imagined a parade of glamorous women, dressed to the nines in his designs, strutting down the red carpet—the swishing fabric magnified in his mind’s eye. And when the fantasy ended, he would come out of the closet and shove the notebook under his bed.

“It’s as if I was hiding my talent at that time,” he said. “Every time I sketch, I remember that time when I was in my own little world where I would daydream.”

Despite pressure from his father to pursue medicine, Mr. Libiran took up architecture at the University of Santo Tomas and later pursued fashion design at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines.

Since entering the fashion industry, his designs have been featured in America’s Next Top Model, Philippine Canada Fashion Week in Toronto, and the Sakura Collection in Tokyo. Mr. Libiran also dressed Miss World 2013 Megan Young in a serpentine-cut evening gown the color of blushing coral, decorated with sea plumes.

At work in his atelier, Mr. Libiran refers to his constantly shifting mood board. His design process still involves a lot of daydreaming, the same as when he was a little boy, but informed by conversations with his team and his clients. “I always imagine and visualize how each person will look,” he said. “My mind is ahead before it happens.”

Walk us through your design process.
It’s geared toward lines. Lines can make the figure of a woman shapely.

Talking to your clients is part of your process. What do you talk about?
My first question to my clients is: What are your body insecurities? I want to target [those insecurities] then explain to them their best assets. It’s really explaining to the client what looks best on them. As a designer, I always want to make women feel the most beautiful. Fashion is about feeling good in what you’re wearing — that’s its function.

How is designing a gown unique from other apparel?
With a gown you can be very creative. The hardest thing for me is designing a T-shirt. How can you design a T-shirt and make it stand out? You really have to sit down and give a lot of thought on how to make it different from the usual. Gowns are easy. For couture, it’s everything excessive. It’s hard to design something very simple.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned?
You need to be very disciplined with your work. It’s easy to get distracted by the works of others. You need to be very disciplined about your vision as a designer and that’s where your design DNA comes in.

Do you agree that designers should not fall in love with their first designs?
Yes, because you have to develop. Being creative, we are never satisfied. We always try to surpass what we’ve done yesterday.

Do you remember your first fashion gala?
My first major show was in 2012. It was the 100^th anniversary of The Manila Hotel. They closed the lobby for the first time in history. I was wearing all black, red Prada shoes, and the Philippine flag pin.

How did you acquire the Philippine flag pin?
It was given to me by my best friend and business partner Arsi Baltazar. Every time I use it, he gets it from me afterward so that I won’t lose it. He’s the keeper of my flag. He is the one who pins it on me before walking down the runway.

How many pins do you own?
I have three, but Arsi kept the one he gave me in 2012.

Was there an event where you forgot to wear it?
Yes, but I forget which country. We had to go to the Philippine consulate to ask for a pin.

What sentimental value does it have?
Wearing the Philippine flag wherever I go is a reminder that Filipinos are excellent.

INTERVIEW MICHELLE ANN P. SOLIMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY JONATHAN D. BALDONADO

Antonio “Jumbing” G. de Rosas says that his lifestyle has not changed since becoming Pru Life UK president and CEO. He rises between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. and begins the day by running, swimming, or practicing karate.

Inside his office hangs a candid photo of his late sensei training with a fellow protégé, and a certificate of achievement he earned in 2006 at the age of 41, indicating his promotion to 4^th dan—mementos of years of dedication to martial arts since he began training in 1977.

As a child based in Hong Kong where his father was assigned, Mr. De Rosas was introduced to karate at the age of 12 when his father enrolled at the Hong Kong branch of the Japan Karate Organization, the only karate school approved by the Ministry of Education in Japan.

“I went to British School for my primary education, and I was bullied by classmates twice my size, which is why my father enrolled me in martial arts. My motive then was revenge. But after several months, I learned that there was more to karate, and that it was a way life.  The more you advance in karate, the more you will find yourself not needing to use it, and if a time will come you would have to, it would be to protect others rather than yourself,” he said.

Outside his responsibilities as CEO, he continues the legacy of his late sensei, who trained him in the Philippines, by being an active member of the organization.

Which type of martial art do you specialize in?
JKA Shotokan Karate.

What makes it unique?
We have longer stances. It’s a matter of emphasis on the movement, blocks and kicks and strikes.

How often do you practice it?
At least twice a week.

What was the most difficult part in earning a black belt?
First dan black belt because the final part of the exam would be to spar with nine senior black belters.  It’s more of an initiation rather than a test of skill, although your skill level after a minimum of three years training would be sufficient.  The purpose is to break you down and make you humble so you can grow again into a better person and martial artist. However, this part of the exam has not been practiced since 2000 due to potential legal liability issues of the karate school.

How do you get to 4^th dan?
It takes three years of training to get to 1^st dan, six years thereafter for 2^nd, another 12 years for 3^rd dan.  You don’t apply to take dan examinations above 3^rd dan and you wait for your sensei to tell you that you are ready.

What is your favorite move?
All the basics must be mastered, and a true martial artist does not have a favorite move because different situations require different “moves.”

Why martial arts?
It builds and endeavors you to seek perfection in character maintaining your principles, values, and integrity.    

What values and goals are parallel in the practice of martial arts and being the CEO?
Seek perfection of character. No one is perfect, and no one will ever be, but that does not preclude us from trying to achieve perfection in every aspect of our lives. When we develop a product, we always have the interest of the customer in mind.

Be faithful. We can have the best intentions for all our stakeholders (employees, distributors, customers, shareholders, our community) only if we remain faithful to them and have their interests at heart.

Endeavor. Martial arts training takes years—even decades—and you have to be persistent and diligent to progress through difficulties.

Respect others/refrain from violent behavior. The company must promote respect in the workplace and that is a given.  We respect each other as colleagues and professionals, and we encourage openness and value everyone’s ideas and opinions.               

Why do you continue to make time for karate?
Karate is my way of life.

INTERVIEW POLA ESGUERRA DEL MONTE |
PHOTO KAREN KHO

Margie Moran-Floirendo, who has yet to pass the Miss Universe crown to another Philippine hopeful, was a dancer before she was a beauty queen. Prior to her 1973 pageant victory, she had already appeared in The Best of Broadway production mounted by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, performing in excerpts of My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly!, and Camelot.

The most challenging dance in Ms. Moran-Floirendo’s repertoire is her presidency of Ballet Philippines, which requires her to raise enough funds—around Php30 million annually—to keep the company going. The steps are complicated, but she’s taken on yet another “partner”: Habitat for Humanity, where she is an ambassador.

When she turned 60 this September, Ms. Moran-Floirendo put on her dancing shoes and did the tango. She prefers Comme Il Faut, a luxury brand hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the birthplace of Argentine tango, the type of tango she dances. The brand is known for its daring use of color, its incorporation of novel textures, and the studied care given to proportion. Each design is produced in limited quantities, making every customer the owner of an exclusive item. Since she started buying Comme Il Faut shoes two years ago, Ms. Moran-Floirendo has already rounded up “a usable collection” of 10 pairs. “It’s a very sexy shoe,” she said.

HL : When did you start dancing the tango?

MMF : I’ve been dancing tango for the last two years. Argentine tango. I was dancing international tango for so many years. At one point, I got busy with other exercises like yoga and Pilates. Now that Argentine tango is back in fashion, I’ve started dancing it again. I have an instructor here and I also go to Argentina. There are also Argentine maestros who come here so I also take lessons from them.

HL : Do you have a favorite pair of shoes?

MMF : I have several pairs. The newest I bought in June, particularly for my birthday. I like it because of the colors: it’s fuchsia and pink. I like fuchsia, oranges and reds this year. I just matched the dress to go with it.

HL : What do you think about tango shoes?

MMF : I think it’s a very sexy shoe because of the way it’s built. I’m a shoe person. I like shoes and I have nice feet. The tango shoe, because it has a particular arch and a nice heel, gives my foot a nice look. In tango, the focus is the feet. You can tell a good dancer by her feet. So it’s not just the look of the shoe, it’s how the dancer uses her shoe to dance tango.

HL : You’ve worn so many ‘shoes’ in your life, so to speak—that of a humanitarian, beauty queen, dancer, wife, and mother. Which role is dearest to you?

MMF : A mother, of course. It gives you the best satisfaction if you know that your child is already growing up, probably ready to have another family. And you know, my kids went to study abroad at a very young age and I’m satisfied that they’ve already done well. And as a mother, it never ends.

HL : If you could be in another person’s shoes, whose shoes would they be?

MMF : Before, when I was young, I wanted to work in a bank. When I was already settled in life, I thought of being a politician as well. I don’t think of that anymore, but I did have that ambition to be a public servant. Now, I think, I should just wear my shoes.

HL : Shoes can take you places. Are there any other places you want to go to?

MMF : I love to travel. I like to go to different places I’ve never been to and explore. If I could just be a backpacker and wear trekking shoes, I’d do that.

HL : How about stages?

MMF : No, no more. I dance because I enjoy dancing. My birthday was something special and nobody would complain over the dancing. But no, I just enjoy dancing with friends. It’s like another stage.

HL: So now, it’s something more personal?

MMF : Yes. It’s personal. I dance to enjoy. That’s it.

WORDS  IRIS CECILIA C. GONZALES | IMAGES  MIKE ALCID

Francis “Chiz” Escudero, he with the boy-next-door looks and charming smile, is a major figure in the political arena. A staunch member of the opposition party, Escudero is proud to be on that side of the fence.

At the House of Representatives, this lawmaker leads the minority bloc with wit, calm, and humor. He speaks rapidly, yet in a sober tone, making him stand out among his senior peers, some of whom easily blow their top over things both marvelous and mundane.

He dishes out diatribes against the Arroyo administration, yet has managed to earn Malacanang officials’ respect as a “responsible member of the opposition.”

Passionate and convincing, Escudero is a fixture in opposition rallies and street protests. Not a few times, he would expose what he perceives to be a wrongdoing and demand an explanation from the Palace.

He is now on his third term as Representative of the first district of the province of Sorsogon. After his term ends in 2007, he says he is vying for a Senate seat.

Escudero, a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, is also a serious lawyer, having served as professor of the University of the Philippines College of Law.

Believe it or not, however, this lawmaker knows when to stop. He knows when to take a break from politics. And when he does decide to take it easy, one of the things he is known to do is spend time with Mister Slim, a red 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL.

Why did you acquire it?
When I was born, my dad didn’t plant a tree, so there was nothing that I could sort of measure my age with. I searched and searched, and that led to a 1969 Mercedes.

Where did you find it?
A friend sold it to me, and then I bought all this other stuff from eBay as part of the restoration of the car. I bought parts, accessories, and other stuff that would go along with the car.

What kind of repair work did it require?
It took me four years to restore it. Everything… the works. It required a lot of technical restoration in the engine, chassis, and suspension, and some works on the door, hood, and deck.

How often do you use it?
I use it on weekends. I just love driving it.

What’s the best part about driving it?
Every time I start the engine, I feel like Forest Gump, opening a box of chocolates. Life, he said, is like a box of chocolates: You don’t know what you’re going to get. That’s how I feel with the car, and that’s why I love it so much. Every time I start the engine, I wonder whether or not I will arrive at my destination.

One time, I drove to Tagaytay and asked a driver to follow me in another car. As I expected, the Mercedes broke down, so he was left with it while I drove home the car that he drove. It can be tricky, but that’s part of the fun.

What’s your advice to people who want to own vintage cars?
It’s not practical and it’s expensive, but if you really want it, it’s worth all the trouble.

When is your next trip?
I will have to decide on that after I get the car out from the mechanic’s. It’s there now for a regular check-up.

Do you think you can ever part with it?
Let’s put it this way: I have five cars. I can give up any of that except my Mister Slim. I love that car. She’s simply sexy and elegant.