What could such a comfortable and well provided for lady of the house be a-dither about, one might ask. The world’s first Miss Universe Armi Kuusela Hilario (she married Filipino businessman Gil Hilario, who was the original owner of the Gilarmi Apartments on Ayala Avenue) once told us that "ladies are always in a hurry." It took us a couple of nights to figure out the meaning of that line and then one morning, we woke up and realized what she was trying to say: real ladies carry a lot of serious responsibilities whether at work or at home and fulfilling all these obligations demands most of their time, requiring them to stick to a strict schedule. (Creative people like us have a hard time keeping a set schedule, so you might conclude that there are hardly any ladies in the creative department!)
Ana Ugarte is many things. She loves beauty and likes to surround herself with all things splendido, but sometimes one is confronted with the yin before anything yang can happen.
She is presently the zealous head of Bantay Basura, one of the satellite watchdog groups of ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan, whose main job is to initiate projects for an efficient solid waste management system for the country. Doing this job exposes her to a not-so-beautiful scene, thank you very much. When she got involved with this project in 1995, her world started revolving around Metro Manila’s dumpsites – Smoky Mountain and Payatas, and the backend of the metropolis where trash and garbage were strewn and untended. But when a challenge like this presented itself, this lady rose to the occassion no matter the cost and conditions. She just wanted to get things done. But little did Ana know that to start projects, she was first going to get embroiled in what today has become a "Basura Conspiracy" (what this columnist terms Ana’s crusade to effect an honest to goodness solid waste management system). There were a million meetings to attend to, government hacks to deal with, media to tap and support groups to court to strengthen her coalition. On the day of our shoot, she was called to Malacañang because her team was tapped to start a beautification program in Metro Manila...but that’s another story.
Her life before Basura was also a completely different chapter. She was a succesful interior designer. She had her own firm with an architect and another interior designer as partners. For seven years, the trio thrived and acquired a number of major clients. She says, "I took up interior design because I am attracted to beautiful things and I also like the order that interior design dictates." Along the way she designed and built her dream house which is home to her family – a very supportive husband and two beautiful children. Because she grew up and studied in Europe, her house was designed with a lot of Europe in its details. The house features a courtyard with a fountain, very high ceilings all throughout, doors over eight feet high, and brass hardware employed in all its finishings. The locks on all their doors are opened with those old-fashioned skeleton keys which are large and very heavy – so they don’t get lost, laughs Ana.
To match this architecture she brought in English and Italian furniture, prints and accessories which are placed harmoniously in this lovely house. But as an ode to her Asian roots, her living room is a study in European and Asian fusion. A large Chinese antique double-sided coromandel is hung in the center of the room while a hundred-year-old Buddha from old Burma stands on the opposite end.
Budji Layug furniture adds the Filipino touch to this room along with national artist Lao Lianben’s painting. She works at home so she has a study room where she works during the daytime while her children are at school. Later the studious ones take over this room to work on their school assignments. There’s also a more formal family office room near the family area which can be used as an alternative work space. When the day is over, all members meet at the family room where they all can enjoy a movie while Dad and Mom have their cocktails and the teeners tell them how they spent their day.
Ana’s ingenuity in design is evident in this house. To maximize space she put in a lot of open areas so the house seems to breathe in a lot of air. She also took advantage of the lush greenery even from her neighbors, where treetops from the other side become the view from her terrace and dining room, for example. The balcony theme is carried out all throughout: her study, living, dining, master bedrooms all open up to a terrace or the courtyard where a fountain gurgles. A feeling of relaxation and contentment is achieved with the use of light, fresh air and space. And only someone with an eye for beauty could have achieved this design.
Nowadays Ana, the basurera, longs for some yang or light, motivation and beauty in her surroundings. But my fight is not yet over, she declares. It’s getting so hot again, she adds and is soon lost in her thoughts of this great crusade of hers. How a seemingly frail, pretty woman is so engrossed in this almost impossible basura battle boggles the mind. For how can you understand how one who loves to surround herself with all things beautiful can end up in slums and dumpsites trying to right all the wrongs she finds? "I want to make my country livable for my children and their children," she says simply, "and if I don’t do my share, who will?"
"But one day I will go back to what I love most," she whispers. "When my task is done, when we win this fight, I’ll go back to my first love." How will you do that, we inquire. "I’ll re-enter the world of design and the arts...maybe I’ll pick up my guitar again...did I tell you I took up classical guitar in Spain?" she muses.
In the meantime, we’re thinking of helping Ana get on with her basura crusade, how about you?