Next occupation: First Lady

MANILA, Philippines - “Behind every presid-entiable is a leading lady. Nobody refutes this in Philippine society, where our leaders are almost always expected to be seen arm-in-arm with their wives, their partners for better and worse.

And just as the top position of the land is hotly contested as early as now, attention is also trained on the wives of the hopefuls. Filipino culture dictates that people also scrutinize and pay attention to the women in the candidates’ lives as the future First Lady will certainly play a big role in running this country.

On his show Life and Style with Ricky Reyes, aired over QTV 11 every Sunday at 10 a.m., top hairdresser and civic worker Ricky Reyes has started giving people a glimpse into the lives of the First Lady hopefuls, starting with an interview with former First Lady Amelita “Ming” Ramos, who offers valuable tips and life lessons to whoever will be on her merry way to Malacañang after the May polls next year.

Ricky features the future FLs one by one in his show, hoping that with their achievements, their passion and their advocacies, these women will inspire all Filipino women to become achievers on their own.

CYNTHIA VILLAR

Humility, simplicity, excellence

Cynthia Villar earned her degree in business administration from UP, where she is now a member of the Board of Regents. She completed her master’s in business administration at New York University.

She practiced as a financial analyst and college professor and then helped her husband in various entrepreneurial ventures. Now their low-cost housing builder Camella & Palmera Homes is the biggest homebuilder in the Philippines.

The wife of Senator Manny Villar who has been leading the presidential poll surveys, Cynthia is an elected three-term Congresswoman representing the lone district of Las Piñas City and the chairperson of the House Committee on Higher Education. Her great people skills, her humility and simplicity and her expertise as a public servant would make her an ideal First Lady.

NIKKI TEODORO

Beauty and progeny

Monica Louise “Nikki” Prieto-Teodoro first came to public consciousness as a sultry shampoo commercial model. Known for her beauty and progeny, Nikki admits to having lived a sheltered life.

“Very sheltered, in fact. So when I came back here (to the country), I was really humbled by all that was happening. And I said if I’m going to live here and my son is going to grow up here, I want to make a difference for his future,” says the wife of Gilbert C. Teodoro, standard bearer of the Lakas-Kampi party.

As the congresswoman from Tarlac, Nikki has made a difference in the lives of many children through the Golden Rooster Foundation, Inc. and has authored bills meant to guard and uphold the rights of children here in the Philippines.

CHRISTINE ESCUDERO

A talent for the performing arts

Christine Elizabeth “Tintin” Flores-Escudero, the 35-year-old alumna of Maryknoll College, is a doting mother to twins and a devoted wife to Senator Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero. Her busy schedule these days includes helping out her husband in his endeavors like attending various causes and projects. She also has led advocacies for cancer patients, rape victims, battered women and indigents in homes for the aged.

Christine may be young but she has set her sights on doing more. In fact, aside from performing onstage, she intends to pursue a degree in voice (minor in piano) at the UST Conservatory of Music. She has a studio in Quezon City called Belcanto, which offers arts programs and fitness sessions for kids and adults alike.