Charo Santos: Success X 60

My first impression of Charo? Probinsyana. Barrio lass. Very innocent. Very conservative. But as it turns out, she is a very driven, intense and passionate individual…

— Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III, Chairman, ABS-CBN

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I met Charo when she was a young actress game enough to do silly things in the silly comedy shows I did many years ago. Even then, one could see she was a goddess. Later on, she would be not only the creative head of ABS-CBN but also its face and its heart. How was it to work with her many years later? Was pleasant and a privilege. Well, you can’t really argue with a goddess, can you?

— Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan, Chairman Emeritus, Star Magic, ABS-CBN

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Looking back, I realized I had the rare privilege of bonding with Charo before she became an industry and corporate icon. I chaperoned her on dates, and sometimes played the alibi when she went out on dates with other friends. I accompanied her to gigs and TV show guestings, deflecting male advances in those freewheeling days of the ‘70s. I was excited to be her colleague when we worked together in Regal Films. It was my honor to build Maalaala Mo Kaya with her and, later, Star Cinema.

— Malou N. Santos, Partner-in-Crime, sister and head of Star Cinema

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Charo can be crazy. She impersonates. She can imitate Gabby’s dance moves. Tapos she plays pranks on us. ‘Yung mga utility, loloko-lokohin niya. When she finds something funny, she can’t control it. Ako, I can do a poker face. She can’t. Siguro mga stress busters niya ‘yon.

— Cory Vidanes, Confidante, and Head of TV-Channel 2 and DDT Channels, ABS-CBN

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She’s a very, very good wife. She takes care of me. When I first had a stroke in the house, they called her around eight or nine in the morning, and she prepared to rush right away. She asked where I was being taken to. Sabi nila, doon sa Makati Med. She had the presence of mind to tell them that Makati Med was too far. She had the driver turn around to bring me to the Heart Center. I woke up, wondering what happened to our house, but there was Charo. She explained to me that I had a stroke and was unconscious for four hours. She had taken care of everything in that amount of time. The children were there, picked up from school.

— Cesar Rafael Concio Jr., Charo’s  Inspiration, Best Friend and Husband

These are some of the quotes from the 129 people close to Charo Santos-Concio for Charo & I, a book that, according to Johnny Manahan, “celebrates the extraordinary life of a dear friend…Charo through the eyes of those whose lives she has touched.”

The book is a loving tribute to Charo who’s turning 60 on Oct. 27. Charo choked with emotion when the book was presented to her at the recent Star Magic Ball. It was a big surprise to her.

I was one of the 129 interviewed for the book, along with Baby K. Jimenez, the journalist who knows Charo inside-out. So close is BKJ to Charo that part of her kilometric answers to the set of questions was used as Introduction. Here it is (with BKJ’s permission):   

Then

I can never forget that fateful day in 1976 at LVN…

“You have to be at LVN now, this afternoon. I think we’ve found the new face for Itim. I think you know her — she’s the Baron Travel Girl this year. Tell me what you think,” Lino Brocka’s phone call was quick and urgent but tainted with excitement.

I had expected to meet someone with the mannerisms of a swagger on the catwalk — and probably even drawing puffs from a long-stemmed pipe after some breakfast at Tiffany’s.

I went into the room looking for the made-up image in my mind when I heard a faint sweet voice calling out to me, “Baby?...Hi, I’m Charo.”

Oops, OMG! Not!!!

I was wrong. The long-stemmed-pipe disappeared, the heels non-existent, the coif was devoid of a hair dresser’s mousse. The catwalk had dissolved into a soda pop nook where casual friends meet. And so I sat down near her, now very relaxed and pleased to meet a totally winsome lady. Simplicity indeed is the ultimate sophistication!

Today

No, I could no longer lift Charo to greater heights, she doesn’t need further alleluias. She’s already there, perched at the very top. I can only watch in awe and bask in reflected glory and I am mighty proud of her. But you know what, she has not changed at all. She’s still the same person I have known all these years. One secret of her huge success.

Like those of BKJ’s, my answers were mercilessly edited and only about one paragraph made it to print.

Here are the rest (answers to the same set of questions sent to the 129 respondents):

What is your most memorable moment with Ms. Charo Santos-Concio?

“Among the many was when we were neighbors in Kamias, Quezon City. She lived in an apartment (still around!) on KG St. and we on K-10 St. four blocks away. She was just starting her showbiz career at that time and I would drop by at her place to interview her for Expressweek magazine which put her on the cover several times (when she was chosen Baron Travel Girl and Miss Green Revolution, etc.).”

What are the three most important things she has taught you? What did you learn from her?
“1. Being humble; Charo today is the same Charo whom I’ve known more than 30 years ago; she has remained level-headed and grounded. 2. Always aim for the highest (whatever). 3. Learn how to look back where you came from.”

Please share with us an awkward or funny moment with her.

“Very few awkward moments since Charo is always the paragon of sweetness and light, somebody you can feel comfortable with…doesn’t make you conscious of her lofty position in the industry. Our barkada describes her as ‘pa-sweet,’ with Susan Roces as ‘sweet kuno’ and Boots Anson-Roa as ‘sweet daw,’ all in the spirit of fun.”

What is the one thing that she has said to you that you’ll never be able to forget?

“Sa dami wala akong matandaan kahit isa, hehehe!”
Off-camera, who is CSC?

“As far as I know, she’s a good family woman, ever solicitous with friends, always there when you need her not so much and never financially but for moral support. Ask Baby K.”

What was your first impression of her?

“Akala ko dainty, demure Filipina, ‘yon pala sa loob ang kulo, hehehehe! Very Susan Roces and Boots Anson-Roa combined, with an icing of Former First Lady Imelda Marcos (read: Steel Butterfly).”

How has she affected your life?

“In so many ways, positively of course!”

Has she changed over the years? How?

“As I’ve said, nope. Ganito siya noon, ganito pa rin siya ngayon. Hindi lumaki ang ulo, lumawak lang ang power, hehehehe! Bakit kaya hindi tumatanda ang babaing ‘yan? I suspect that she has found the Fountain of Youth.”  

What are her best assets?

“Aside from her beauty and brains that won her Miss Green Revolution and Baron Travel Girl, her determination to achieve whatever goal she sets her mind on. The title of her movie said it all: Hindi Mo Ako Kayang Tapakan. Her rise to where she is now is testament to her courage and strength to hit her goal without letting anybody step on her or get in the way, without her stepping on anybody’s toes nor getting in anybody’s way. Yes, naabot at inabot niya naman hindi lang ang langit, kundi higher pa na wala siyang tinapakan.”

What is most notable about her sense of style?

“Classy, understated elegance, talagang may taste, subtle and substantial, the epitome of decency and respectability. No etching ‘yan, Charo, ha! Hehehehe!”

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