What is a true friend?

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.  — Author Unknown 

My friends mean so much to me. I would climb the highest mountain, sail through rough waters, run the longest marathon just to be there for a friend. Real friends are hard to find nowadays, so if you’ve found your real, true friends who share the same values, interests, share the same fun with you, make sure you take care of these friendships with your whole heart.

Francis Libiran, fashion designer

A true friend is someone who is almost like a real brother or sister. Meaning, he or she is willing to accept me the way I am and will not judge me no matter what I say or do. I am a believer in having even just one or a handful of friends who love me the way I am and are always there, ready and willing to help me in times of crisis even if I don’t call for help.

Celine Gabriel

My definition of a true friend is one who is loyal, honest and fair. One who will not judge you and who will always want what is best for you.

Pin Antonio, stylist

Qualities of a true friend:

1.) One that does not agree with your wrongdoings, who can correct you no matter how wounding it would be.

2.) One that does not teach you vices and justify them.

3.) One that will guide you to carry on, and guide you to the true source of joy — Jesus! 

4.) And one that, after correcting you, will show and make you feel that you are still a friend no matter what.

Susan Rodriguez, administrator of the Technical Cooperation Office, Spanish Embassy

A true friend for me is one who sees you through the good as well as the bad times. He/she stands by you but does not stifle you. He/she helps you fully explore your options but allows you to make your own decisions. A true friend cheers you on when you’re doing great but doesn’t hesitate to tell you off when you’re wrong even if it means incurring your ire. He/she may be miles away from you, but once you get back in touch with him/her, it feels like you were never apart, despite the distance and the time spent away from each other.

Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, Diwa Party-list

True friendship entails sharing yourself — your thoughts and feelings, your heart and soul unconditionally with someone, with absolute confidence that you will not be betrayed, taken advantage of or judged. We trust our true friends that they will stand by us and remain loyal and faithful to us both in times when we are on top and are wary of the people who are out to destroy us or take advantage of our successes and good fortune; and more importantly during times of struggle, when we are at the lowest points of our lives and we feel we have absolutely nothing or no one. But a true friend’s love, though accepting and forgiving, never encourages or condones anything that would be harmful or immoral. A true friend will be honest with you even if it might hurt you, because he or she will always want what is best for you. There may be times when you will disagree with him or her, but in the end, he or she will be that voice of reason that will patiently guide you to what is true and good.

Andrea de Guzman Mago, wife, educator, lifestyle writer

I’d throw all these clichés out there, but let me share what my two best friends did for me when I went through a tough heartbreak in 2009. They kidnapped me and took me with them to the States for a two-week vacation. We biked along the beach of Santa Monica, ate ice cream, did yoga and went shopping. All to help me get better.

Lorna Galang Lopez, mom and sustainability executive

A true friend is someone I really want to be. You have a common denominator, whether it be time spent, values, principles, interests or secrets you bury. A true friend is real and loyal. Real friendship withstands time, is forged by trust; is not demanding of your attention and time, and respects space. Even through absence in years, real friends catch up effortlessly from where they left off. I prefer selective friends who are there through thick and thin rather than superficial riff-raff. A true friend gives you the consolation of knowing that you’re in good hands.

Bobbie Garcia,  stage director

For me the qualities of a true friend are a genuine love for each other, loyalty, honesty, trustworthiness,  a great sense of humor, kindness and ultimately grace,  to help you through the bumps in the road.

Minotte Rodrigo Cuenca, writer, mother, US immigrant

I choose to keep just a few friends, maybe because I am a bit shy. But a few good and tried-and-tested true ones are all I need to keep stable as I navigate these (mid)life waters ahead. Though friendship is give and take, I revel in the awesome generosity of my true friends. I think true friends love you. They hold your well-being in a high place. They are not intimidated by your beauty or success because they treasure the friendship more than their insecurities. They display their own beauty and strengths to lift you up when you are sinking. They are loving companions — inspiring hearts and good hands to hold — who validate the goodness in you and comfort you towards the truth that you don’t have to be alone, in good times or in bad.

Jodie Espino,  businessman

One who will always be there, especially in crisis.