Christina Chusuey
MANILA, Philippines - A little princess. That’s what came to mind the first time I met Christina Ann Chusuey. And could you blame me? She is the 19-year-old youngest child and unica hija of hoteliers Henry and Anna Lissa Chusuey (of the Henann Group of Resorts). And with two older brothers (Alfonso and Karl) already running the business, it’s too irresistible a set-up to think Christina has it all. She is an heiress by the happy chance of her birth, but she is ready to design a destiny she can claim her own.
What makes you take a second look at her isn’t Christina’s alabaster skin or the dark, shimmering pools that are her eyes. Lovely she is, but the lovelier surprise she springs on you is her moving audacity to do things her way. Her first love is fashion, but she selflessly let it go to pursue a degree in Accounting in order to contribute to the family business. Candidly, she reminds you what it’s like to be a conflicted teenager, confronting the responsibilities of adulthood and the complexities of one’s own young heart.
“This isn’t something that’s nagkataon lang (just happened). I’ve seen the efforts exerted by the people who make my life possible. Especially my dad. That’s why I’m taking a course that is crucial for our business because I know I’ll be making my dad proud,” Christina says. “Fortunate yet pressured would be the best way to describe how I feel. What would life be without a little push? As they say, ‘No pain, no gain’!”
The Iloilo-based beauty was recently in town for a few weeks working as an audit intern at Reyes Tacandong & Company. Bright and talented, Christina is expected to be a good accountant. “I am expected to be my very best in everything I do. Although my brothers have the bigger responsibilities, it doesn’t mean I’m not expected to perform as well,” she shares matter-of-factly.
There is an electric atmosphere surrounding the teenager as she leaps from coming-of-age into the skin of a woman who has realized herself more fully. “One day I will handle the finances of the family business because my brothers have other interests. My parents took up accounting, too, and seeing I’m the only one taking that course, let’s just say, I fit the job description,” she laughs.
Where will her family be without her? They’re glad that they will never have to know. “We all have the same goal for the Henann Group of Resorts: to make it the biggest resort group in the country.” But as for her own dream, it is no less important. “I just want to be happy,” Christina concludes.
Photography by Mau Aguasin • Styling by Mikka Velasquez • Makeup by Ria Aquino for MAC Cosmetics • Hairstyling by Eddie Mar Cabiltes for L’Oréal Professionnel • Jewelry by Miladay Jewels • Dresses by Tantease, Powerplant Mall
