Sister Act

When we started "Tao po" three weeks ago, we neglected to explain what the column is all about.

"Tao po" is what you say when visiting someone’s house. It’s like saying, "Hello, there’s someone at the door." At the same time, it could be a question, "Is anybody home?" It does not really have a direct translation which makes "Tao po" an interesting and original all-Filipino salutation.

This column features people, their homes and inspirations on living. It lightly touches on the architectural and technical aspects of their houses, and will discuss at length the essence and lifestyle of the people who have been gracious enough to open their homes to "Tao po."

* * *

The first week of November brings us south of Manila, where live three beautiful and individualistic sisters. Meet the Sison troika: Trisha Sison Punsalan, Camille Sison Reyes and Monique Sison. All come from the gene pool of parents Luis Sison and Triccie Cepeda Sison. The sisters have inherited their parents’ and grandparents’ style, élan and derring-do.

Luis’ mother and the girls’ grandmother, Priscilla de la Fuente Sison, was elegant and genteel. She never had a hair out of place, no matter where she was or what she was doing. She was the ultra glamorous and classic society lady in the true sense of the word. Their mother Triccie, a former model, is a tireless civic leader.

Father Luis is a lawyer who is chairman of PNCC, whose duty among others, is to provide motorists with hassle-free and well-maintained toll roads and skyways. With this background, Trisha, Camille and Monique have been molded with the same values and virtues as their folks’: industriousness, strong faith, congeniality, temperance, simplicity and a sense for all things beautiful.

Trisha says her place is a halfway house. ‘Para sa mga sawi sa asawa.’

The eldest Patricia Louise, known to all as Trisha, is the most outspoken and dramatic of the three. She is married to Tedted Punsalan, a young banker with whom she has two children, aged 10 and six. Her home exudes openness and hospitality. There are chairs everywhere for guests to sit. Interestingly, the center table in her living room was once a dining table which she had modified so she’d have ample space for drinks and food when she entertains, which is often.

She says her place is a halfway house for friends in need of comfort – "Para sa mga sawi sa asawa," she quips. Her furniture and key pieces were acquired from thrift shops around town, in Baguio and from "my mom’s bodega."

"We’re thieves," she says of herself and her sisters. "We love to raid my mom’s bodega to find stuff for our homes," she reveals. "I also love bargains."

Her motto when shopping for furniture is: "When in doubt, buy."

Her adventurous spirit is evident in the den, which doubles as family and TV room. She painted it bright fire engine red.

Monique, a typical Gen-X, says: ‘My decor is not Filipino. It is Asian.’

The youngest in the family, Monique was born because "our parents were fighting and then they made up," relate the two older girls, giggling.

Actually Moe, as they fondly call her, came six years after only brother Luigi was born. Because of this, Monique was one of the boys, bonding with her brother and his friends.

Monique is a typical Gen-X. At the moment, she has just finished a course in Communication Arts, and is planning to head back to school, this time to take up Interior Design. Her apartment reflects her independence, curiosity and creativity.

"My décor is not Filipino, it is Asian. It is not gilded and antique, it is simple and modern," she says.

Light colors make her apartment look spacious and relaxed. She lives with her eight-year-old son, whose room has everything he needs for study and play.

Camille’s philosophy: Buy only what you need

In contrast to Trisha’s feisty personality, middle sister Camille has a meek countenance.

"She’s boring," Trisha deadpans, "even when she fights."

Camille smiles and clarifies that unlike Trisha, she only shops for what she needs and sticks to the basics. "I like clean lines and muted colors," she says.

"They say I’m boring because I don’t have a lot of things. I only shop for what I need because that’s the way I am."

Trisha intones, "I hate shopping with Camille, she’s always censoring stuff I want to buy. It’s different with Monique. Wow, that one is konsintedora."

Camille reminds her sisters that some of the stuff they have are still in their original packages and remain unused a year after their purchase – proof that less is really more, or in this case, more is really less. This philosophy of buying only what you need is exhibited in Camille’s home where everything is functional and in its proper place. This allows her to spend more time with her two children, ages eight and three, and her husband. Camille is married to young congressman Edmundo Reyes of Marinduque.

The Sison sisters lead busy lives, yet they find time to talk to each other every day and get together with their parents on Sundays over a meal. Brother Luigi is in Seattle, Washington, US, but communicates with the family regularly.

How do they maintain this closeness?

"We gossip, we send our kids to each other’s houses. Our kids are more like brothers and sisters – not cousins. Oh, and we’re always exchanging old stuff with each other. We exchange shoes, bags, so we get to use each other’s things."

Like sisters.

Do they fight?

There is a minor disagreement over this and the final answer is: "We seldom disagree. But when we do, it’s over the usual family matters."

On the day we visited, there was some discussion over Trisha’s top.

"Wear white so we’d all look unified in the picture," say both sisters to Trisha.

"Wait, I’m the eldest," says Trisha.

It was your typical sisterly squabble. A little more cajoling and Trisha gave in – gracefully.

Time flies when you’re in the com-pany of the Sison siblings. As day turned to dusk, we realized that we had spent a whole day at their homes. Camille made some quesadillas, Monique worried about the traffic on our way back, while Trisha wanted to chat. Suddenly we missed our own sisters and family.

"Nakaka-inggit naman kayo," we said as we bid Trisha, Camille and Monique goodbye.

* * *

For comments, letters and suggestions, e-mail Vickie at migasora@yahoo.com.