CEBU, Philippines — In an ideal world, people wouldn’t be thinking so much about themselves and would instead be working together for each other’s betterment. At least that’s what Antoinette Taus imagines.
The singer-actress believes that if we allowed ourselves to become other people’s happiness, then there would be enough love, concern, and compassion to go around.
“We live our lives thinking of me, me, me. What can I do to make this better for me? How can I find my own food, a better house, better blessings? We’re always thinking of our own happiness. I feel like in a perfect world, everyone would be working together for everyone’s betterment, everyone’s plight, everyone’s future and the planet,” she said.
Founder of the non-profit organization CORA, it would be safe to say that Antoinette is part-time artista and full-time humanitarian. In an interview with The FREEMAN, the host and commercial model shared how not prioritizing certain elements of her entertainment career was among the choices she had to make in the past couple of years.
The environmentalist and mental health advocate spoke openly about depression, which she faced for 15 years.
“Even things that give you purpose and meaning, when you’ve been doing it all your life, you still have the tendency to feel stuck. People say it’s meant for you. But you also have to follow your heart and make a conscious choice to do things that give you more meaning,” the former “TGIS” star began.
In town for Global Shapers Community Cebu’s Sugod Expo held June 30 at the Mountain Wing of SM Seaside City where she was the keynote speaker, Antoinette shared the importance of social good and social impact. She shared how hard things were after her mother succumbed to cancer in 2004 and how she charged on in life since then. To her surprise, it was when she began helping others that she found her own healing.
“Gosh hopefully I’ve changed in many good ways or at least a few things. There were times when I thought okay na ako, baka normal lang ‘to. But the volunteering experience, I found purpose and meaning. It showed me and taught me how to feel,” said Antoinette, who began her humanitarian work when she became part of the World Health Organization’s campaign on depression. It was then that she got real about her experience, finally opening up about a topic she was once afraid to talk about with others.
She first started out with friends in their simple mission to feed the hungry, especially children. That was how CORA was born. The organization, which was named in honor of Antoinette’s late mother, Ma. Corazon Flores Taus, also stands for Communities Organized for Resource Allocation. Today, CORA has grown from its simple goals to even bigger tasks.
Inspired by her mother’s generosity, kindness and unstoppable energy, CORA aims to make everyday miracles happen, partnering with the United Nations, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), youth organizations, the private sector, and other NGOs and local communities to kickstart their endeavors – whether through CORA Cares (children’s needs, health, and education), Planet CORA (environmental education and action), or the Sustainable Planet (social enterprise).
A huge part of the organization’s mission is rooted on the need to create awareness and action about the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CORA plans on bringing these SDGs to every classroom in the country, thereby empowering the youth and eventually achieving the 2030 Global Goals without leaving anyone behind.
As she poured her heart into this passion, it was then that Antoinette realized how power might also come from pain, how purpose might just break through in the midst of hopelessness.
“It gave me peace and actual deep joy that doesn’t come from material, superficial things,” she said. “I felt like maybe it’s a blessing, that you can use the pain to help inspire others.”
Throughout her talk at the Sugod Expo, Antoinette mentioned her insecurities when she was starting out. The world needed help, but she was no expert in any of those fields. But instead of waiting and worrying, she just went out there and decided to learn as she went through the ways of starting the change she wanted to see.
“Even up to now, I have hesitations. Like any human being, I second-guess. Should I include this topic? Is this too much? Is this too little? Do people want to listen? But I learned to have faith in the things I believe in. If you can’t believe in yourself in the most powerful and profound way, how will you convince others? You have to believe in yourself.”
For anyone who would like to help but don’t know how to start, Antoinette encourages them to educate themselves as she does – through social media at least, and if you can, go back to school.
“I make mistakes but I’m doing my best with the little ways I educate myself with through social media and the internet. It’s very important to never stop learning,” she said. “Even now, a lifetime is not enough to learn all that I wish I could study and master. Never have I ever felt this thirst for knowledge.”
Starting out in show business at 11 years old, the “Ang TV” alum always imagined that she would be able to help in her own way. But building CORA and making it her full-time priority came out of nowhere.
“It’s another passion that keeps me going. I used to think that I’ll put up a business, have a career, I’ll invest, have a charity and promote good. But I didn’t think it would be this big, that it would affect me so deeply, that I would have direction. It’s the one thing that makes me not want to retire.”
Despite her new love, Antoinette, who ended her talk with a song, said that she’s not entirely closing her doors on the entertainment industry. She plans to use this platform to take part in informative and advocacy programs such as Gina Lopez’s “G Diaries,” which she recently took part in.
Before saying goodbye, Antoinette reminded the crowd about their own potential to make change through the Dr. Seuss quote: Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is You-er than You.
“I want everybody to remember how special and how powerful they are. People think that they can’t change the world. If every human being took the initiative to make every action they make be powerful enough to change the world for good – then the world wouldn’t be the way it is now.”