July 20-the day I sat with Gloria Diaz for an interview at a hotel lobby was, by chance, the day she earned the much-coveted title of Miss Universe 35 years ago.
Gloria Diaz still looks fabulous at 55, cutting a picture of elegance even with minimal makeup, simple slacks and blue-colored drop earrings, easing up things for us to hark back to the eventful episode of her life when she captured the appreciative eye of the world.
"I will never forget that day, especially because people love to ask me about it," she says.
She may have lost count of the times she had been asked about this in the past, but nobody really tires of knowing how the morena Gloria stood out among a bevy of blondes and taller beauties.
"Winning the pageant didn't mean I was the prettiest," Diaz stresses, "I was just the luckiest."
Luck aside, everybody knew she walked away with the crown because the then convent-bred 18-year-old was one bundle of smarts, spunk and spontaneity and whose mind was fixated on things - like making friends, for that matter - other than the crown.
"I had no idea or clue I would win. A candidate would never know that. I only knew it was assumed that I wouldn't, because there was never a Filipina before me who won the title," she says.
In truth, her family did not concern themselves much on how she would fare in the pageant. They were rather looking forward to a foreign trip that they would take after the pageant. "I was myself since there really was no pressure. I was there to make friends and just enjoy," shares Diaz.
She ruminates, "During my time, many contestants were still in school. But today, a lot are in their 20's and even as old as 25, finished with school and are working professionals. The candidates now are more agressive, making the competition now more intense."
Asked if she makes it a point to dish out counsel to beauty queens en route to international pageants, she says, "I don't like to mentor (beauty queens) because I don't want to raise their expectations. I just tell them to enjoy the little details of the pageant."
She admits that beauty queens turn up in her home every time an international pageant is approaching. Even when she's not around or out of the country, they would by all means reach her like Miss Universe first runner up Miriam Quiambao who sought her advice by phone.
Nevertheless, if there's one advice that she never minds giving, be it on a daily basis, would be on looking after one's health.
"I'm not afraid of aging," declares this mother of three. "It's a fact of life. I live through my children."
"I'm actually afraid of getting fat!" says Gloria, who spends at least 30 minutes of exercise a day so as to maintain a form and figure that can keep pace with her still very active showbiz life. Gloria is joining real-life sweethearts Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos in Star Cinema's "Kasal, Kasalan, Sakalan" and is also set to star in an upcoming sitcom.
Gloria's worst fear, however, is "getting sick and becoming a burden to my children."
As the spokesperson of BonDiva, an exclusive support group put up by Roche Philippines, one of the country's leading pharmaceutical and diagnostics healthcare company, for women at risk or affected by osteoporosis, she is actively crusading for bone health. Her recent trip to Cebu formed part of the nationwide campaign to educate women on their condition through medical updates from Roche on bone health wellness, as well as to invite these women to special events and seminars.
Osteoporosis should raise concern what with the reported nine million Filipinas at risk of this bone affliction. Figures from the Department of Health reveal that one of three women in the 60-65 year-old bracket suffer from osteoporosis which spells deterioration of the physical structure that causes pain not just physically, but also emotionally and even economically.
Failing to address it during its early stages can trigger fractured wrists and hips, bent backs, and distorted spines. Why women are more prone to this is due to the fact that physically, women have thinner bones than men; and that when they undergo menopause, the body no longer produces estrogen, the hormone vital to the development of solid and strong bones. "Many think that this is normal for anyone who is aging. I myself used to think this cannot be prevented," says Gloria.
But looking past the statistics, campaigning for bone health is a cause very close to her heart: her late mother after all suffered from osteoporosis. "You don't really see it coming; it is a disease that progresses silently and without symptoms, up until you get a fractured bone and start to feel the pain," she explains, lamenting the general disinterest in having one's bone mass and density checked, unlike high blood pressure or cholesterol levels.
Prevention is better than the cure, as the doctors say, that's why young people are encouraged to check the condition of their bones (via Dexa Machine and Achilles peripheral testing), and adhere to healthful lifestyle habits as well as proper nutrition by increasing calcium intake.
Gloria believes that good health makes an essential contribution to that total feeling of well-being. And for this beauty icon, every woman must make the time and effort to stay healthy and beautiful.
Check www.bondiva.com.ph for more information.