MODEL PROFESSIONAL

(FROM A WEEKEND NOTE, THE EDITOR'S LETTER IN STYLE WEEKEND, MANILA BULLETIN'S WEEKEND SECTION, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2007)


More than a show, it was a party, a reunion of sorts, a toast to the good ‘ol times!
On the ramp, for what appeared to be the first time, women, rather than mannequins, strutted their stuff, eliciting oohs and ahhs not so much because of what they had on their backs, but because of who they were or because of the memories they brought back with them.

BLURB
‘We were trained to do so many things. There were no delays on our part. Delays could never be on account of the models.’ —Tweetie de Leon Gonzalez, Sense&Style, March2007

The 20th anniversary gala of the Professional Modeling Association of the Philippines (PMAP), held at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila, was a tribute not only to the individual glories of its most esteemed members like Tweetie de Leon Gonzalez, but to the over-all achievement of the Filipino model, for whose protection and progress the PMAP was established two decades ago. After all, a modeling industry is as serious a business, despite all the fluff and the frou-frou associated with it, as the cross-section of industries, from fashion to telecommunications, it services.
As Tina Maristela Ocampo, who co-founded the organization with models Ronnie Asuncion and Robert David in 1987, “As a union, we are vocal with our rights. As an association, we have a vision of what we want to become in the future.” Too bad Tina sat on the front row rather than walking up and down the ramp with her batchmates. In the heady days of my career as a magazine upstart, I remember her distinctly on the runway, where I always thought of her as a vision.
Still, there was more than enough of the glamour and glitz of the golden era of the supermodels with the likes of Suyene Chi and Bea Recto bringing it all back to life. Although the current crop of PMAP models, under the leadership of current president Rissa Mananquil Samson, did not in any way pale in comparison, it was refreshing to see the ñoras (from the word Señora referring to senior models) like Apples Aberin and Annette Coronel do their walk once again. It was just a different style back then, I guess, when models had to make do with a lot of improvisations, technology not being as sophisticated and as fool-proof as it is now.
I’ve spent at least a decade working with models and I always thought all models were professional. For over half of that decade, I had never had the misfortune of working with anyone who came to the shoot late, (looking) tired, or with bruises on their legs and with nails long and unkempt. I mean it, as in never, that is until about three or four years ago. In the course of the past two years, however, I have had to deal with models who never showed up, who had to leave in the middle of the game on account of “prior” engagement, and who arrived with her whole family tree and her mother to distract her and harass the crew.
But then times are different. For one, there are many more models now, including the self-proclaimed ones, whose only “claim to fame” is a brief appearance in a TV commercial. There is also such a thing as the Brazilian invasion, which some insiders say is killing the industry. I believe, however, that it’s a challenge well worthy of the Filipino model, who, like other Filipino professionals, has truly got what it takes to stand tall and towering in the global community.

A
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