The D Spot

One rare opportunity that I did not let pass was an invite from good friend Claire Agbayani to attend the 30th anniversary celebration of CDC Manufacturing Corporation, manufacturer of Melawares. My question all along was, “What are Melawares products?” Haven’t heard about them–I thought the event was a launch. Little did I realize that Melawares have been in the country all along, since I got married almost 30 years ago. The event did not only give me an opportunity to meet Charice in person and interview her along with about 5 others for an hour, but also the chance to meet 2 nice persons: Raquel (Charice’s mom) and Elsie Chua, wife of David Chua. They own CDC and bunch of other companies.

Elsie (Melesa) Chua

What caught my attention when Elsie and I were introduced to each other was her cheerful disposition. She was so full of energy, and on first impression, she was an epitome of what “nice” is. She chatted as though we have known each other for a while, no pretenses. With the little time we had together, she has told a lot of stories from the humble beginnings of their company, employing only 8 employees (now 500), to their first loan of P500th–a character loan the proceeds of which were used to buy their first set of equipment, to branching out to real estate,  opening up offices in Doha, Qatar and Dubai, and developing other products like corporate giveaways, office supplies, ladies accessories, and so on and so forth. Elsie is the first Filipina businesswoman licensed to establish a business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, specifically, in Jeddah.

For Elsie, “Success is not an overnight thing, it’s a profound journey with mentors, life’s ups and downs, challenges and opportunities and self-mastery.” Nothing seems to stop Elsie from reaching out to her dreams. On the of the invitation of the Sheik whom she met in Manila in 2007, Eisie set up business in which she was able to help fulfill the dreams of a lot of OFWs to realize their dreams of  owning a home. It was more of a dream to help than of a business move. Elsie and David have their own share of community awareness and social  responsibility–they are there to help fire victims, as an example.

If you want to learn more from and about Elsie–a successful entrepreneur, visit her website at The Many Faces of Elsie Chua. She can be an inspiration to many, starting small…and keeping on growing and growing and growing. What next, I wonder?

While making the company grow and expanding the product lines, Elsie was also busy raising her 4 children and being husband to David. One of her daughters, Charlene, just got married recently, with the Sheik and VIPS from the Middle East in attendance. She has joined her mother on the real estate business, CDC Holdings. Another daughter, Charmaine is actively involved with CDC Manufacturing for sales and marketing. Both daughters as as pleasant as their mother. Elsie looks after the real estate business while David looks after the Melawares business.

Raquel Pempengco

And so, they came–on time, Charice, her mom and their entourage of PAs and maybe relatives and friends direct from The Buzz. No air, they seem to be as down to earth as they could (thank God–that is very important) despite the fact that Charice is an international sensation.

Charice considers her mom as a “superwoman”. No doubt about it as most of us have seen on television, learned from the Internet and read in magazines and newspapers about how she single handedly raised up Charice and her brother Carl during and after  their traumatic experiences early in her married life. Charice tells people that “Si Mommy, tagahanda ng damit, taga-make up.” Raquel accompanies Charice in her singing stints here and abroad. She is always there–lucky Raquel, she is able to watch major concerts of famous world personalities, how proud she must be seeing her daughter rubbing elbows with these personalities.

The way Charice acts, deals with people, deals with her fans, remains as down to earth and as nice as possible,  is all a reflection of how her mother Raquel raised her up. While Charice is up the stage, Raquel seems to be the number 1 fan of her daughter, at the same time, she looks after her daughter’s needs, giving directions here and there, and following her when she needs to. This mother and daugher team seems to be tireless.

What is the connect?

Elsie and David are the couple whom Charice has always thanked openly for the condominium they gifted her when she was just starting to become very popular (after her guesting with Ellen Degeneres and before her first stint with Oprah). It is a 2-bedroom condominium in Lion’s park, about 15 minutes away from the international airport. From then on, the couple continued to be there for Charice and her family. Charice has wished for a “Charice” label for a “pabango”. Elsie arranged for a body mist named “Charice” which closely suits Charice’s taste and preference. It will be launched very soon.

And now, Charice

Who won’t be mesmerized–even the way Charice Pempengco sang Melawares’ theme song (incidentally written by CDC’s  Meycauayan Warehouse Staff), “Melawares…Gandang Pangmatagalan, Kalidad na Maasahan” was a hit. She sang all her songs that later afternoon live, and what touched me was the way she sought out her fans outside the cordoned area while she was singing. Oh, yes, Charice is still a child at heart–she raised her feet to show her sequinned rubber shoes while being interviewed and made some jokes while on stage.

I listened to her new twin CDs, Charice-My Inspiration, when I reached home, as though I were still listening to her sing live, especially the song, “I’ll Be There”. Other songs in her album are, Always You, Wind Beneath My Wings (pop mix), You’ll Never Stand Alone, You Raise Me Up, Mama, In My Life, Through the Years, For Mama, You and Me Against the World (featuring Mommy Raquel), Alesyd You, WInd Beneath My Wings (orchestral mix)–and the bonus:  Minus Ones included!

The Interview

• Josh Groban is her crush, among all the celebrities she has been with.
• Justin Timberlake is the next celebrity she hopes to sing with next–and that was what she told Oprah when Oprah asked her.
• Italy is one of the places where she buys her clothes and shoes.
• When she was just beginning to earn money–she, her mom and her brother enjoyed the pizza that she always long for. They were so poor then, that they P100 was so difficult to spend on a whole pizza.
• She supports World Vision–7 very poor Filipino children, and more soon.
• As any other teenager, Charice loves playing the PSP in her spare time.
• Her gift for Mommy Raquel? She’s trying to keep it a secret from her mom, so she just whispered what it is–and boy! it’s really a spectacular gift, what she has always wished for when she was a little girls (I will tell it after Mother’s Day so as not to spoil the fun).
• Education is very important to Charice. She will go back to school soon–home schooling actually, she’s in high school now, after her major commitments abroad.
• She wants to pursue her studies–to be a lawyer someday.
• Some of her songs in her new album are dedicated to her mom, and most times, she still cries when she sings them.
• She will leave for Paris after her birthday, then to the US to launch an album produced by David Foster, and lend her voice as the rival singer in the sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks which is slated to be shown in December.

Three Filipinas

Three Filipinas to emulate:  Charice, her mom Raquel and Elsie Chua (an entrepreneur and a mom).

All Filipino Products

Melawares products are all-Filipino-manufactured. Tokyo Tokyo, Goldilocks, Sbarro, Jolibee, Chowking, Kenny Rogers’ Roasters, Greenwich, Max’s, Shakey’s and KFC–their plates are all Melawares. Look around your kitchen, chances are, you will have a Melawares. In fact, I found one–a Kero Keropee Melawares vintage plate that we have been using for many years now. You will find the brands–Melawares, Perfect Dining, Bestware, and Urban Kitchen in all SM Homeworld. You will be surprised–they’re plastics, but they don’t look like. Soon, they will be known in many places around the globe (something to be proud about) with the company’s aggressive marketing. Good luck, Charmaine

And to Elsie and Raquel, to my mom, and all you mothers out there–HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!! to me, too

thanks, Noemi, for the photos. And by the way, this is NOT a sponsored post.

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