Woman on the Go!

Her name is Rina Go, and it might as well be a declaration: “Rina, Go!”

My Assumption classmate Rina Silayan Go is perpetually on the go, a fashionable Energizer Bunny that sashays instead of marches. But however she does it, whether in graceful jazz steps or staccato marches, she always moves forward. She will wilt if you let her stand still. “Perhaps,” she muses, “it’s because I’ve lived in New York and my pace came from working there.”

Aside from being a single mother of two beautiful girls, Rina is the strength and nurturer of her mother Aurora Silayan Go, who suffered a massive stroke last year, and her sister Maggie, who is a cancer survivor.

Despite the demands of her personal life, Rina is also an accomplished career woman — she set up the clothing brand Vise Versa 20 years ago, and founded Nic’s bakeshop 10 years ago. Nic’s, which she named after her daughter Nicole, supplies scrumptious pastries to leading coffee shops in Metro Manila. I have tried Nic’s cheesecake, their chocolate cake (dark and moist) and their Banoffee pies (Santa Banana, they’re heavenly!). Aside from running the bakeshop, Rina, who resigned as creative director of Vise Versa last month, now independently designs and supplies office and school uniforms.

And as if her plate isn’t full enough, Rina is hardly ever absent from activities of our Assumption Convent high school batch and her Ateneo College batch. When we had our silver jubilee, she was in charge of our velada, which even President Arroyo, who watched the show, hailed as “parang Broadway.” No mean feat, for Rina plucked many of our batchmates from their comfort zones — their homes and offices — to give the greatest onstage performance of their lives.

Personally, I appreciate Rina for her almost near perfect attendance to all special events in my life as a journalist — awards nights, photo exhibits, magazine launches. She makes me, as she makes all her batchmates feel, that she is always rooting for me. And if I see Rina Go in the audience, I know someone will give me a standing ovation whether or not I deserve one.

Where does Rina get her energy?

“From wanting to make my parents Henry and Aurora proud of me,” says Rina. “I want to be able to give back to them.” Her mom, who founded the Foundation for Adolescent Development (FAD), Inc. 20 years ago, is a social scientist trained at Fordham. Her dad Henry graduated cum laude at La Salle, where he took up chemical engineering. When Rina was in grade school, he didn’t allow her to use a calculator!

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Because her mother’s health is fragile at the moment, Rina is the moving force behind FAD as chairman of its board (the president is Tessa Sierra).

Last Feb. 24 and March 6, FAD presented Jon Santos at Teatrino, at the Greenhills Promenade, for the benefit of FAD, which is dedicated to the development and care of the Filipino youth, anchored on Teen Value Formation. With Aurora Go not very active, FAD needed some recharging.

Jon kept his audience in stitches for almost three hours as he did “Kuring, Gluring, Syerrap at Dyuning: Election is Nearing,” mixing political satire and wit with such a delicate balance.

FAD is the pioneer behind Dial-A-Friend (1991); the first telephone hotline counseling for the youth and E-Mail-A-Friend, a more recent addition to its counseling services. It also established the Teens Healthquarters (THQ), a social franchising model, in partnership with LGUs, NGOs and the academe. It is a one-stop youth friendly center offering information-education, counseling and select medical services. At present, there are 13 existing THQs found around the Philippines — in Quezon City, Marikina City, Valenzuela City, Dasmariñas, Cavite, Tarlac, Baguio City, Sagada in Mt. Province, Carmen, Talibon and Ubay in Bohol, Jasaan, Opol and Tagaloan in Misamis Oriental. FAD is also a major Resource Center working in tandem with international organizations and local NGOs in capacitating service providers by training the trainers, educating the educators on adolescent health, sexuality and development.

The two benefit shows, which were presented by Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corp. and Security Bank Corp., and sponsored by Rustan’s Department Store, Stores Specialists Inc., Belo Medical Group, Directories Philippines Corp. and Smart Communications, Inc., attracted Manila’s best and finest.

I can’t wait for Rina’s next project — whether it is a new clothing line or a new pastry to add to Nic’s mouthwatering selection.

Go, Rina!

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])