GRETCHEN BARRETTO, actress: Croc Birkin with diamond hardware. Another gift I want to receive is to be able to finish this project that is right now in the planning stage, and it will probably take another two years to complete.
TESSA ALINDOGAN, interior designer: The gift that I would most like to receive: the gift of more time – more time to work, more time to play, more time to travel, more time to reach out and help more people, and more time to spend with my loved ones.
MIKEE ROMERO, president and CEO, Harbour Centre Terminal Inc.: A gift I would cherish the most is a three-month vacation around the world with my whole family. The trip might be doable but the three-month vacation from work is mere fantasy for now. Likewise, a hunting trip to Argentina during dove season or in Africa during impala season is a dream I have been planning for many years already, but which has never materialized. Hopefully a genie will come out of a bottle one of these days and grants me my dream gift.
WILSON TIENG, president, Solar Entertainment Corporation: Well, there’s the IWC Pilot’s Classic Double Chrono Watch that I fancy. But seriously, the one thing that I’ve always wanted is not for myself but for my nephews and nieces who are all just starting out. I wish for them to receive blessings from God for good health and success in all their endeavors.
JOEY YUPANGCO, architect: I really try not to dream for something to receive because I’d prefer a surprise, and I also don’t want to get disappointed. One morning I dreamt I walked around my future house with Rem Koolhaas, and he asked me, "Do you want to trade houses?" That, for me, is a gift.
JUSTIN TORRES, model: To obtain a serious career in the Philippines so that I can settle down here; and secondly, to get a driver’s license so I can get around without depending on my kuyas all the time. But then again, I’ve only been here for two weeks; I just have to be patient.
ALEXIA ABELLO, medical student: Fortitude. It is undeniably a gift from God when a person is able to persevere in spite of all odds, or is empowered to see things through by enduring the pain and hardships that come along with it. I am a work in progress when it comes to this virtue and I constantly need God’s grace to truly be able to practice it. Especially now in medical school where there are so many demands and sacrifices have to be made in order to succeed.
ODETTE PUMAREN, vice president, QCALLFI District III: I basically always wish for good health and continued blessings for my family and loved ones. But it wouldn’t hurt to get an Hermes bag or a Mediterranean cruise with my husband Francis.
MAXINE EIGENMANN, yoga enthusiast: I’ve always wanted to be independent, to one day be able to buy my own house and support my family and myself. To build a life of honesty, happiness and contentment. And for God to continually bless me with all the things I need like He always does.