The A-List

While M.A.C.>Models Association of Cebu is synonymous with being a high fashion print and runway agency and is ubiquitous in the Philippine fashion circuit, it also has, like Janus (the month of January is named after him), a hidden face.

A forward- thinking and looking face. Its roster of models is composed of the new thinking models who want to achieve splendid things, not just for themselves, but for others' welfare. Thus the A-list is all about what they want to achieve in a fresh new start. A brief tete-a-tete ensued after I threw them the question - Aside from world peace, what would you want to achieve the coming year? Read on…

1. Stephanie Señires (Reigning Miss Cebu) - I want to travel to as many countries as I can, and learn from their diverse cultures. In turn, they can learn from how beautiful mine is.

2. Guia Chua (Miss Cebu Runner Up) - I would like to gain wisdom from my future projects and job assignments. Wisdom that would make me grow to be a better person. All for the glory of God. And oh, a smaller waistline won't hurt, too!

3. Giancarlo Berdin (model ingénue) - I wish to help speed up the process of accessing education for the marginalized children.

4. Karla Bautista (World class beauty titlist) - Harsher punishment for parole violators. Oh wait, that's not mine. That's from Sandra Bullock in the movie Miss Congeniality. Mine would be to finish my Mass Communication degree from UP, a small business and a flourishing career in broadcasting to be able to reach out to a greater number of people in need.

5. Carole Monique de Leon (Lolita-esque model) - Actually there are lots to be achieved but on top, I must say, solve family issues. Many just take it for granted so unfortunately, it becomes worse afterwards. Sad to say, consequences are inherited by the children which of course adversely affect their future.

6. Cassidy Shun (Still the male model-of-the-moment)- I am inspired by Robin Williams who personally reads books to deprived schoolchildren. I learned that kids don't know their fairy tales anymore. I want to tour the public schools with my co-models and read it to them personally.

7. Melanie Ediza (Uber-model) - For the general populace, I wish to achieve emotional and physical independence from what may be considered as superficial worldly desires. And for me, good hair days please and less fashion faux pas.

8. Fern Medequillo (Miss Cebu 2007 candidate) - For the coming year, I wish to help bridge the gap between the poor and the rich. I know it's a long stretch so I need all the help I can get for all of us to lead fruitful and harmonious lives.

9. Rowell Juban (Hunky aspiring lawyer) - I want to finish my degree in Law so I can help the poor people who are deprived of their basic human rights and, on the flip side, more modeling assignments so that we can continue our support to our adopted Home for the Aged and orphanage.

10. Anna Maris Igpit (Reigning Bb. Pilipinas World) - I wish to achieve a more improved year in terms of my career. This year has been full of trials and lessons learned and I hope to make use of my mistakes and failures to reach greater goals. You see, being positioned as a beauty queen has some duties and responsibilities not just for me but for the betterment of all.

11. Angel Luzano (Angelic model cum beauty queen) - For the next year, among other things, I am looking forward to finish my degree and be a Registered Nurse for me to leave an even better mark in the lives of those I touched and work with as an SK Chairperson, a model and a beauty queen.

12. Marc Anton Arenz (Model hunk) - It is a fact that churches are full of parishioners yet it seems once we leave the church premises, we don't apply Jesus' teachings in our daily lives. So I want to achieve that for all of us.

13. Elvira Stehr (The Philippines Next Top Model candidate) - Hopefully, win the title as the Philippines' Next Top Model which will run early next year. If I can achieve that, then I would certainly use this opportunity to help a lot of people.

14. Carliz Selma (Mutya ng Pilipinas-Visayas) - I wish I could achieve to ensure that our society is free from violence, racial prejudice and indifference. I wish I could talk to those in position to make food instead of bombs.

15. Stephan Urtizberea (Model Think-tank) - I hope to improve the communication skills of a lot of people. And I hope to invent punctuation marks since the old ones (the question mark, the comma, etc.) only mangle up everything and they are getting boring.