Mang Ben: My master, my mentor, my friend

(Speech delivered during Ben Farrales’ fashion show last July 1 at the Makati Shangri-La Ballroom)

Ten beautiful and fantastic years of my life revolved around working for nearly all Filipino designers – both those who back then already had a name for themselves and those budding talents that the ’80s discovered. And it all started with a man I fondly call Mang Ben.

Here was someone who, despite his fame and stature, took the bother to introduce this young, naive lady to fashion designers and great directors who, at first, didn’t see in her any promise of a future fashion model. I was 18, and weighed 135 pounds – nearly 10 pounds heavier than I am today.

To this day, I do not know if Mang Ben was really eyeing me or if he had his eyes on my beloved brother. Whatever it was, I’m forever grateful for having been given the chance to express my creativity on the ramp, much like an artist faced with a blank canvas.

Ever a perfectionist, Mang Ben honed my talent to the hilt. The lessons I learned from him became the main ingredients to my own success. A man with an eye for detail, Mang Ben would be irked at things that seemed amazingly trivial to me then. These lessons have molded me to what I am today.

In the early years of my career, I did not really consider Mang Ben a friend. He was my master whom I was afraid to displease. He was my mentor who was either quick to praise or reprimand me, depending on how well I had imbibed his lessons. And I listened to his words, harsh though they may be, because I knew he only meant well.

I didn’t really know Mang Ben much as a designer. In the 10 years that I was modelling, I had the privilege of wearing his collection in only three great shows. He devoted much of his time to producing shows to promote young designers or organizing fund-raising shows, mostly to help calamity victims. To this day, he has dedicated his life to the Congregacion de Sto. Niño of which he is a founding member. He published the book Sto. Niño, The Holy Child Devotion in the Philippines. A man whose heart bleeds for worthy causes, Mang Ben is also a staunch supporter of the Red Cross.

Today, Mang Ben continues to give back to God who has certainly given him abundantly. And he reaps what he has sown. He continues to be an inspiration that one can become more than just a great designer.

Tonight, we pay tribute to Ben Farrales, the person who is so true to himself. Now, it’s no longer a question of what he’s got but of what he has given. No longer a question of what else he can do but what he has made of himself.

He gave 50 good years of his life to Philippine fashion. For that, he will never be forgotten. He will always be an icon worthy of a bow.

Mang Ben will forever be my master, my mentor, and my friend.