Daisy: No, nothing shocks me anymore

MANILA, Philippines - She may be one of the most controversial figures to ever grace our beauty and entertainment firmament but undoubtedly, Daisy Reyes has made her mark in both worlds.

Amidst sneers and smirks triggered by the much-ballyhooed Japayuki issue, Daisy stood onstage undaunted. With her regal stance, she faced the music head-on and won. As Bb. Pilipinas-World 1996, she represented the country in India and went home with the Miss Personality special award to the chagrin of her detractors.

Before long, she was sashaying her way to local tinseltown, enjoying top billing in a string of significant movies, among them Karinyo Brutal with Rosanna Roces, Lisensyado with Lito Lapid, Init with Rustom Padilla, Tirador with the late Rudy Fernandez and Scorpio Nights 2 with Patricia Javier and Albert Martinez, her last movie in 2002.

“That was the pito-pito era,” she recalls, “so I found myself doing one movie after another.” In less than five years, Daisy was able to do 26 films. Within that period, she also became Panasonic’s first commercial model. And she recorded two albums.

“That was a dream come true,” she says. “Singing has always been my passion.” Her first eponymous LP was produced by Dyna Records and her second, titled Ode to the Irony of Love was self-produced. It boasts of several original cuts which showcased Daisy’s versatility in the craft.

With her celebrity status, Daisy has literally the world at her fingertips. She was moving fast, far too fast and it was only later that she came to terms with herself.

“Yes, I was in a hurry,” she confesses. “I want to do so many things at the same time but I realized that in life, things don’t always happen your way. Whatever your plans, you have to wait for God’s direction. I think my celebrity status only proved a stepping stone for God’s grander plan for me.”

In 2004, Daisy shied away from the limelight to answer the call of motherhood. But that didn’t completely relegate her to the background.

“I’m an advocate of women empowerment,” she says, “and motherhood is no excuse for a woman to be idle at home. It can be very hard to get perspective but I always try to look at the bigger picture than dwell on the bleak side.”

Daisy tried networking, direct-selling, real-estate and other things. “I tried San Miguel distributorship but I felt I wasn’t cut out for it. I can’t go on counting bottles and loose change forever.”

She put up her own salon in San Joaquin, Pasig City and named it after her daughter, Lauren B. But her Nigerian spiritual adviser coaxed her against it. “She said I’m a celebrity so I should bank on my name. She also advised me to come up with a beauty soap with my brand name.”

Daisy weighed the pros and cons of the idea but pretty soon, things were falling into place. She easily visualized the packaging of her product, clinched a deal with the manufacturer and a friend offered to put up her billboard along EDSA. Last December, Daisy’s billboard was displayed along EDSA near Quezon Ave. advertising her new product, the Daisy Reyes Premium Papaya Soap. Just recently, she signed up an agreement with the networking company, AIM Global, as the exclusive distributor of her beauty soap.

Now that she’s engrossed in business, is Daisy saying goodbye to her movie career for good

? What if a juicy offer comes along?

“I’d grab it,” she says readily. “I miss showbiz.”

And again get ready for another load of sneers and smirks?

Daisy smiles contentedly, “After what I’ve gone through, nothing shocks me anymore,” she concludes.