Who is the person who influenced your life the most?
Without us consciously knowing it, we are influenced by the people close to us or those that we admire. I’m very sure there are times when you’re told that you have so many similarities with your parents and siblings, or even your closest friends. People may exert great influence on how we live our lives and make our decisions, but in the end the choices we make are up to us.
SHARON CUNETA, megastar: My maternal grandparents, my mom, my Tita Helen. But I’ll have to say the greatest man who influenced my life was my daddy, Pablo Cuneta. He never missed an opportunity to remind me and my kuya Chet of how, as a child, he had nothing. He worked his way to the top, and always shared with us the value of saving and respecting — and also of enjoying — hard-earned money. We learned that money is to be handled wisely, but that it should never become our master. He was also too, too generous! Always sharing his blessings with both those he loved and those he didn’t even know. He taught us the value of hard work, of friendship, honesty — from him I learned that one’s word should be even better than a signed contract. He stressed to us love for God above all, and that family was top priority. He was kind, but he also never took lying down anyone’s attempt to put one over on him! He was a strong man, and a gentle, loving soul. I miss him very much.
Representative MITCH CAJAYON, 2nd district, Caloocan City: The only person who can influence me is myself, my conscience. I’m having a hard time thinking of who has influenced me. I will not be a hypocrite and say that there were times I shunned my mom’s suggestions and my husband’s recommendations — but in the end it is still my conscience that influences my decisions.
Representative JACK DUAVIT, 1st district, Rizal: There is a popular saying that it takes an entire village to raise a child. I’d like to believe that each and every person I’ve come across in my life has influenced me one way or another, be they family, friends or even strangers whose actions have served as guideposts for me. There is one person, however, I try to emulate for his fairness, generosity, pragmatism and wisdom. That person is my father.
GRACE REYES COLONEL, businesswoman: As a Christian the One who has influenced my life the most is Jesus. His humble life on earth and His teachings, especially those about unconditional love and kindness, are an everyday reminder that I should strive to be the best person I can be. My personal relationship with Jesus not only influences me but inspires and guides me as I begin and end each day.
VIVIAN YUCHENGCO, chairperson, Philippine Brokers and Dealers/director of Philippine Stock Exchange: My late ex-father-in-law Teodoro Locsin Sr. influenced my thinking the most. He had no personal agenda other than the good of the Philippines. He was a true nationalist. He always fought for what was right, even if he would suffer for it. Sadly, there are no more people like him left.
MARIQUITA YEUNG, businesswoman/Operation Smile trustee: My husband Carlos, because he has always given me full support in everything especially in charity work to help the poor Cebuanos. Even Governor Gwen Garcia has said that Carlos is more Cebuano than other Cebuanos. He loves Cebu so much and is so proud of it.
Representative JOSE S. AQUINO II, 1st district, Agusan del Norte: The greatest people who have influenced my life are our Lord God and my wife Mimi.
JAY ALDEGUER, businessman: Foremost as a son, my dad was always a strong influence in my life. But it wasn’t until I became a father myself that my children and their measure of me as a person had become the most compelling factors on how I choose to live my life.
Representative PAUL R. DAZA, 1st district, Northern Samar: My father Raul Daza is the greatest person that I admire and look up to. His principles and values molded me into who I am and what I have accomplished today. His strong desire to be of public service and to give back to society is a legacy that I live up to now that I have taken the same path. His gift of wisdom and brilliance — both as a father and as a lawmaker — have touched not only his family, but many lives in his years in politics, the same accomplishments I intend to carry out the best that I can.
SHEILA G. SUNTAY, businesswoman: Being a daddy’s girl, I must say that my dad Domingo Guevara Jr. had the greatest influence on my life especially when it came to making major decisions like what course to take up in college and where to work after I graduated. But now that I have a family of my own, my husband, QC Councilor Bong Suntay, has the greatest influence on me today simply because of the kind of life that he leads. He is filled with so much hope for our country and lives by his belief that those who have more in life should devote more of themselves and what they have to those who have less in life. A loving husband and a doting father to our five children, he loves God more than our family. I have never made any major decision without consulting him first.
Atty. MELA MOSQUEDA BENGZON, ambassador for International and Trade Investments, DTI: Hillary Clinton. She created a new standard for first ladies. On September 5, 1995, she stood before thousands at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and declared, to thunderous applause, “Women’s rights are human rights.” Then she took direct aim at China’s shameful record on female infanticide, saying, “It is a violation of human rights when babies are denied food, or drowned, or suffocated, or their spines broken, simply because they are born girls.” She continues to be a huge force on every topic she cares about, and her stature remains undiminished throughout the world. She is a wife who stood by her husband yet was able to set her boundaries as a woman; a mother; a formidable lawyer; a human rights advocate; a public servant. She was able to balance her personal life and career and showed women this can be done successfully and effectively — that the sideline is not the only available option for women. She is her own person.
