Get real seems to be the guiding light and driving force in the life of re-electionist Senator of the Republic, Lito Lapid.

During a Dec. 11  Thanksgiving lunch with the media, the former movie stuntman was the picture of honesty and transparency as he narrated fragments from his life story. Not that it was the first time the man, now 70, was revealing such details from his personal history.

Lapid openly admitted how he got hurt many times, over and over again, when people downgraded him for being only a high school graduate. Uneducated.

“I still feel it until now, as people continue to ridicule me. They say I know nothing about speaking in English, I am this and I am that. All that is true, I admit, but I work hard and strive hard to prove to them I can make something of myself and I think I have.”   

Lapid also took pride in being the son of a washerwoman (lavandera), having come from a poor family in Pampanga. He said his humble background inspired him to work hard to achieve his dreams.

“Who could ever imagine my life would turn around this way? Maybe, this is what you call destiny.”

Gratitude is one good trait we see in Sen. Lapid, who has not forgotten to look back and thank those who supported him along the way.

That lunchtime, he invited Jessie Chua of Mirrick Productions, the first producer who gambled on him, then an unknown stuntman. Lapid thanked him profusely.

Chua launched Lito Lapid as the star of The Jesse Lapid Story, a film bio on the life of Lito’s famous uncle, himself a valued action star. The film was a big hit at the box office, an entry to the 1978 Metro Manila Film Festival. It paved the way for more movie projects for the then-newly minted actor.

He said humbly that while he may not be well versed in English, he makes up for this by surrounding himself with people who are experts in their fields.

“I am happy when I can help people,” he says.

This, he thinks, is the secret behind his popularity as a public servant.

Lapid’s lack of formal education moves him to continually inspire his children and grandchildren to finish school. “I don’t want them to experience what I’ve experienced,” he said.

His son, Mark Lapid, is following in his footsteps as a politician. Upon father’s prodding, Mark recently earned his doctorate degree after finishing his master’s. The younger Lapid, also an actor, is currently Chief Operating Officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).