Seeing the brightest stars this Christmas

 Robinsons Retail Group and The Philippine STAR salute modern-day heroes who have the heart for people in need with the contest “You Are My Star.” Four inspiring stories were chosen to demonstrate the selfless love of individuals  and highlight the reason we celebrate Christmas.

From November 17 to December 12, readers wrote about their “stars” and their sacrifices to help others. Four stories stood out from the numerous entries received.

These are their stories.

Daren Kaye Aquino, a senior student at Philippine Cultural High School in Binondo, together with her older sister, Danica Kathrin, a nursing student at Family Clinic in Manila, were riding a jeepney on their way to see their dentist when they noticed a fellow passenger wearing a surgical face mask. Danica immediately noticed the dark spots on his skin. She learned from his mother, who was seated next to them, that he was sick with lupus. The young man had just graduated from college and had no job. Daren immediately knew how she could help.

Daren had just won the Kanlungan ng Sining (Artists’ Haven) art contest in Rizal Park. Winning art contests was nothing new to Daren. The first time she won, she was in grade five. Since then, she has won enough prize money to pay for her own tuition in school. This time, on top of the prize money of P2,000, her school gave her an angpao, a red envelope containing P300, in recognition of her achievement. Daren took the angpao from her pocket and added P1,000, one half of her prize money, and gave the red envelope to a total stranger who was in need.

When Danica read about the “You Are My Star” promo of Robinsons Retail Group and The Philippine STAR, she did not have to look far for someone to nominate. She nominated her younger sister.

“We asked people to share inspiring stories of selfless giving this Christmas,” Marivi Flores, Robinsons senior manager for retail marketing, explained. “We asked them to nominate their star and write down, in no more than 500 words, how that person inspired them to share, to give and to do good unto others.”

The response they received was so much more than they expected. “Which only goes to show that there are still many good people out there,” Marivi observed. “We have been hearing so much bad news, so we thought we’d focus on the good news. We did not just want to have a promo that only gave away prizes in a raffle or a gift with purchase. We wanted something more significant. We also wanted to give back to our customers, to reward them, for making our business grow.”

For her inspiring story, Daren won a prize package worth P20,000 as the nominated star, while Danica won a prize package worth P5,000 as the letter sender. And so, in the week before Christmas, the sisters claimed their prize package of choice: a makeover fashion treat from Robinsons Department Store.

 “There’s a lot to love at Robinsons Department Store,” says marketing services manager Rochelle Sison. “We have classy items that are affordable — clothes, shoes, bags and cosmetics. We also carry exclusive brands and our own private labels. There is also the home section, kitchenware, and accessories. You can find them all in one store.”

They are ready for last-minute Christmas shoppers, Rochelle adds, plus the department store’s yearend clearance sale from December 26 to January 31, which will offer as much as 50-percent discounts. 

Jonathan Tugade, who came all the way from Olongapo, chose the relaxation and entertainment prize package from Robinsons Appliances and Toys ‘R’ Us. It was his wife Christine who wrote about his inspiring story. Jonathan, himself of modest means, did not really have anything to spare, but that did not stop him from helping his 15-year-old neighbor Botoy who was suffering from a kidney problem. He solicited help from his neighbors, approached charitable institutions and even the mayor’s office to raise funds for the sick child’s hospitalization.

He not only brought the child to the hospital, he also kept vigil during the child’s month-long stay, even while he watched over his own two-year-old daughter who was also sick in the hospital at the same time.    

Richard Mamuyac, a former OFW in Saipan, read about “You Are My Star” while he was at work in a call center in Pasig. He is also a writer and has contributed to various publications. When he got married, he renovated the garage at his father’s house and made it his new home. One day, coming home from work, he was surprised to see a newly built cabinet in his room. His father, Geronimo, built it for him and his wife.

“He painted it in my wife’s favorite color, pink,” Richard relates. His father’s quiet generosity touched him.

“I’m not really a carpenter,” Geronimo says. “But before, I worked as a helper to a carpenter. I also worked as a stock clerk at URC (Universal Robina Corp.) for 16 years.” He now owns a sari-sari store, so it is no surprise that he should choose the prize package from Robinsons Supermarket.

 “We promote freshness and wellness at Robinsons Supermarket,” says Jenny Teves, marketing manager of Robinsons Supermarket Corp. “People today are more health conscious. It’s a shopping trend as well as a growing category.”

Even the new layout of the supermarket broadcasts this message. As you enter, you immediately notice the fresh produce, fruits and vegetables. Another innovation is the so-called “destination areas” where the products are conveniently arranged in shelves and islands clustered together, such as the “Healthy Section” where you can find products that are low in fat, salt, sugar and cholesterol, dairy-free, fiber- and calcium-rich, plus health supplements and energy boosters.

“We also have the ‘Super Savings’ area where you can find bundle packs and budget packs especially packaged for our customers,” Jenny points out. “We have the ‘Island Favorites’ as well — an Oriental section where you can find Korean and Japanese products for which there is a growing demand,” Jenny says.

They even carry the popular Eli’s cheesecakes, featured on Oprah and reported to be the inaugural cake of US President Bill Clinton. Of course, for the holidays, the Christmas baskets are the bestsellers. Also among the fast-moving items, especially with busy office workers, Jenny says, are the “salads to go” as well as the fruit packs that are cut and ready to eat.

“We aim to upgrade our customers’ shopping experience and we benchmark according to international standards,” Jenny remarks. While Geronimo is thinking of stocking his sari-sari store with his prize package products from Robinsons Supermarket, his son Richard is content to have enough to fill their noche buena table.

Elinor has no difficulty finding the right words to describe her dad, Noel O. Juta, an accounting instructor at PWU and St. John Colleges in Calamba, Laguna.

“He is simple, humble and helpful to others,” says Elinor, who is majoring in mathematics. He sees teaching not only as his work but a calling. “He prepares his lessons until late at night. His students say he is strict, but they learn a lot from him.”

 Noel was not always a teacher. He worked for many years at San Miguel Corp. until he retired early. He soon discovered that he liked teaching. He gets a lot of satisfaction from helping his students understand a very difficult subject. Noel, who had his early schooling at Don Bosco, also likes tinkering around the house, repairing broken furniture, recycling scrap wood and scrap metal, and putting found objects to good use. After typhoon Milenyo, part of their house was flooded. He had his hands full salvaging furniture that had been soaked in water and applying his carpentry skills.

The power tools that he chose as part of his prize package from Handyman at Robinsons will surely help him with many home projects around the house. “There are many new kinds of tools that are so useful,” he says with a satisfied smile, the kind you’d find in a boy who had just received the latest high-tech toys. “They are smaller, easier to handle and very effective.”

“When there is a chance for them to get a free item, they usually go for the power tools,” says Milani Castaneda, marketing manager of True Value and Handyman at Robinsons. “I used to just borrow power tools from my friends,” Noel says. Well, now he has his own. Nominating him in “You Are My Star” was Elinor’s Christmas gift to her dad.

“You Are My Star” promotion was such a huge success that Robinsons is thinking of doing it again. “We may hold it more than once a year,” Marivi says. “We want to continue to promote basic goodness in people. It cuts across the board, across all segments. This is the face of Robinsons. Beyond profit, we go out of our way to make sure all our customers are well served, no matter what their status, whether they are in tsinelas or stilettos.”