Manila, Philippines - When my sister-in-law Nina Daza Puyat first heard me refer to her cousin Cory Valenzuela Vidanes, as Tita Cory, she said incredulously, “Why are you calling her Tita?” After all, Cory is far from matronic age. I then had to admit that I was just trying to be respectful as Tita Cory is how most showbiz denizens called the Channel Head of ABS- CBN. Much like the original Tita Cory, a.k.a. former President Corazon C. Aquino, Cory Vidanes wears her power lightly. She doesn’t strut her stuff like a peacock, she glides with dignity like a swan.
Unlike the cliched portrayals of showbiz execs as tyrannical divas, she is the perfect picture of poise and propriety. She did her time in the trenches, starting out as a production assistant, to executive producer, to top level network heavyweight. She commands respect, rather than demanding it.
So when she celebrates her birthday, with a soirée at the swanky Buddha Bar, the stars come out in droves not because they have to, but because they love her. As Bette Midler sang, she is their hero because she is the wind beneath their wings.