Lulette Moran after her ‘Halo days’

When Margie Moran was crowned Miss Universe in 1973, she later found herself sharing the spotlight – although very willingly – with her younger and only sister, Lulette, who, for a couple of years, became a well-known TV personality.

Lulette Moran, however, did not just bask in the glory of her famous sister because she herself was bright, beautiful and Intelligent. Then a coed at UP, Lulette often stood out in the Diliman campus because of her height and mestiza features.

Lulette was thrust into the limelight then because it was she who was sought out by the local press while everyone here at home waited for the arrival of Margie, who spent a month at the Miss Universe headquarters in New York from Athens (where she won the crown) before flying back to the Philippines for a grand homecoming.

And while Margie spent a whole year abroad traveling as Miss Universe, Lulette – here in Manila – was swamped with offers to become cover girl for various magazines.

In 1974, Channel 7 asked her to co-host with Emmy Arcilla a talk show on basketball, which was then at the peak of its popularity in the Philippines.

Lulette, however, is best remembered as the endorser of Halo Shampoo, which – so its TV ad claimed – was so lathery, one could make various figures out of its suds.

Not so long ago in this column, I made a list of the old commercials on television and one of those I wrote about was the TV ad of Halo Shampoo, which – so I said – "disappeared from the market, along with its endorser, Lulette Moran."

Then, several weeks ago, I found in my mail – along with a couple of pictures – a letter from Lulette herself. I’m printing her letter in full below:

Dear. Mr. Francisco,

I read your article, Consumer Ads Through the Years, in The Philippine STAR some time ago with amusement. (My mother sent me a copy.) I haven’t disappeared like my lathery shampoo suds after my student years at UP. I’ve decided to send you a brief summary of what transpired since.

After UP, I worked for Bancom (a merchant bank now defunct) and Jardine Philippine Trust. My Economics degree at UP was put to good use, but all too briefly. I met Philip Monbiot at a party given by Jardine in Hong Kong and after a whirlwind five-month romance, we got married.

Philip was an Oxford graduate (Christchurch College, Philosophy, Politics and Economics). He is half-French and half-English, but grew up in England. He is 10 years older than me (I was 23 when I got married). That time, he ran his own cocoa trading business in Singapore. He was handsome, witty, non-conformist, ambitious and independent.

We were smitten, so I dropped career, family and country to join him in Singapore. No regrets as we are still married and enjoy each other’s company after 23 years. I lived with him in Singapore for 10 years and had two children there. Natalie, now 20 years old and Charles, now 17.

I ran an interior design and supply business called Weaves and Evertrees (artificial plants and trees imported from Philippine suppliers). My partner at Evertrees was Mercedes Zobel, a co-Filipina. Evertrees was particularly successful, surprisingly, in a country as green as Singapore.

Singapore was good for business and bringing up young children (as it was safe, clean and offered good schooling). But we were really looking forward to moving to England, which was Philip’s home. Singapore was getting too narrow and too antiseptic for us.

England presented a new challenge for me. I sold the business in Singapore and decided to concentrate on culture and sports. I took courses in the Time and Decorative Arts and recently, landscape gardening. I took up tennis (we are a tennis-mad family), snow skiing and fox-hunting (I am the only Oriental who has taken up this mad, but exhilarating sport!).

My husband has taken the lead in sports – and coming from a background of dance as my only physical exercise in the Philippines, it has been indeed a challenge. We had a third addition to our family, Edward, born in England nine years ago.

Natalie is now at Oxford, reading modern languages at New College. Charles is at Radley, a boarding school, doing A-level studies and Edward is at Sussex House, a school in London. We live in Kensington, London, during the week and come home to the country at weekends and holidays.

I miss the Philippines particularly during our winter months and make it a point to spend the Christmas holidays back home. My children love vacationing in the Philippines and meeting up with their cousins.

I hope I’ve satisfied your query about my whereabouts since those "Halo days."

Yours ever,

Lulette Moran-Monbiot