Once again, I'm happy to be back in Ormoc City in Leyte, my favorite place in Eastern Visayas. For one, two of my long-time friends from the showbiz industry, now public servants, Lucy Torres Gomez and Richard Gomez, reside and now lead the city.
My friendship with Richard started when I was head writer for the GMA weekly showbiz talk show “S-Files” where Richard was one of the main hosts. I met Lucy during my stint on TV5 as headwriter for “Paparazzi” where she was a guest host for two months.
Recently, I went to Ormoc City for the 75th Charter Day Celebrations, where Lucy is presently the mayor and Richard as Leyte's 4th district congressman. Ormoc is now known as the “City of Beautiful People,'' and Lucy gave a deeper meaning to the word “beauty” in one of her public messages I've attended.
“A beauty guru once said, that, “Beauty is the outward reflection of what is inside of us.”
"So, if beauty is not just the physical - what is beauty? To me, beauty is an intention to give joy - manifested in a smile.
"Beauty is an energy -- that is determined to stand strong in the face of difficulties.
"Beauty is harmony -- in the face of chaos and confusion, adversity. Beauty is love -- wrapped in a wonderful, majestic, fascinating package.Beauty is also resilience – especially in how we, as a city weathered through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Let us continue to look deeper to find beauty. When we see a beautiful face, we don’t stop there, for we understand that beauty is also in the warmth of conversation, the quiet of smiles, in how love and affection is expressed.
"And tonight, as we peak into the brilliance of our month-long festivities we not only search for beauty but experience beauty. I salute the men and women who have worked so hard in producing this event, which is a beacon of beauty in itself.
"And as for all of us - Ormocanons - who have gathered here as a community, after three long years-- we are not only beautiful faces, but much, much more. We are the warm smiles, the helping hands, the kind gestures and good intentions that live in each one of us. For ours is indeed not just a beautiful city, but a City of Beautiful People," she said in a public speech at the recent Philippine Philharmonic Concert in Ormoc Superdome.
A confessed fan of classical music and the PPO, one of the highlights of the city's Jubilee Year was the live performance of the orchestra that happened in the province for the first time.
“Ayoko maisip nila na everything that's in Manila is so far away, they can't all go there, but we can bring artists like the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at nakakatuwa ang reaction ng mga tao,” said Lucy said.
Aside from the PPO, other stars who graced the Ormoc Jubilee Celebration were Gloc 9, Andrew E, Ian Veneracion, Ruffa Gutierrez, Regine Velasquez, and Ogie Alcasid.