BODY  TALK  WITH  PING  LACSON


MANILA, APRIL 25, 2008 (STAR) FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo - Now you know the secret of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s smooth complexion. Marie France. The billboards are all over the metropolis. Yes, it’s Ping smiling at you from up there.

Asked who convinced him to endorse Marie France, Ping said, “George Siy, the owner. I know him personally.”

Highly-visible like his colleagues, Ping added that, like everybody else, he’s conscious of how he looks.

“There are two kinds of ‘consciousness’,” he qualified. “I’m conscious of what people might think that I have to go this far to be conscious of my looks. I’ve overcome the second ‘consciousness’, so I don’t care what people might think. After all, lahat naman ng tao want to look good. I think there are only two kinds of people,” he added. “One is vain and the other is hypocrite.” Then, he laughed. “If you say that you don’t care about how you look, you’re not telling the truth.”

I agreed — that everybody is vain...to a certain extent. But how vain is Ping?

“Not that much. I just care about how I look because I’m a public figure and I can’t help but face the cameras and talk to people all over the country.”

Before we sat down for this “body talk” (nothing about politics, please!), Ping just had his “treatment” at the Marie France branch on Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City.

“Each treatment lasts no longer than one hour. After only a few treatments, nakita ko talaga ‘yung difference.”

He was mum on how much he was paid or if he did it as “a labor of love.”

Besides Marie France, Ping also endorses Napoleon Brandy even if, he admitted, he doesn’t drink. He said he used to be a heavy smoker but he stopped 25 years ago.

“The owners knew that I don’t drink,” he disclosed. “According to them, they did a survey and I came out as the top choice as probable endorser among a cross-section of respondents. I informed them that I don’t drink but they took me in anyway.”

Ping is not the only senator-endorser. Others are Mar Roxas (for Tide), Chiz Escudero (Circulan), Loren Legarda (Ariel), Pia Cayetano (Downy) and former Sen. Frank Drilon (Alaska Milk).

Ping stands 5’9”, weighs 165 lbs., and wears medium-sized shirt, size-33 briefs and size-9 shoes. He’s pushing 60 (on June 1, a Gemini).

You have an air-tight schedule. Do you ever sleep?

“I get an average of six hours per night. I get catnaps in the car on the way to and from work. I usually go to sleep at around midnight and I’m up at around six o’clock.”

Do you bring home excess work?

“Yes, I do. I bring home the documents and study them so that I’d be prepared to ask questions especially now that we are busy with the ZTE hearings.”

Do you sleep-walk or talk in your sleep?

“No, I don’t. But I snore.”

Favorite sleep wear?

“Boxer shorts and loose T-shirt. I have several pairs of pajamas but I never wear them.”

Do you sleep with the aircon in full blast?

“Off and on. When I feel it’s getting very cold, I turn it off and turn it back on when it gets warmer.”

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“Either watch TV or work on my computer.”

Do you keep your cellphone on even if you are asleep?

“Yes, but on ‘silent’ mode. When I’m half-awake, I have this habit of checking my cellphone for messages.”

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

“Check my cellphone for calls and messages.”

What kind of workout do you do?

“I do the treadmill...at home, 30 minutes each time every other day. I used to jog.”

What part of your body is your favorite?

“I like the whole of me. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see the whole body and not just a part.”

What’s the most vulnerable part of your body?

“My tummy. I have a weak stomach. I am acidic but I’m not taking any medication for that. When I get acidic, which is very seldom now, I take Kremil-S.”

And what part of your body do you think needs improvement?

(Looks down at his tummy) “I didn’t have it like this.” Then, he laughed.

What kind of diet do you follow?

“I see to it that I take three square meals a day. I don’t skip breakfast. If I do, my lunch is ruined, and my dinner, too. And the more acidic I become.”

What’s usually for breakfast?

“Sinangag, scrambled egg with either dried fish or tapa.”

What about lunch?

“It varies. I usually take lunch at 2 p.m. I have a heavy dinner, which is supposed to be your lightest meal for the day. But I can’t help it because of the many invitations to dinner.”

What’s your favorite food?

“Japanese food.”

Food that you avoid?

“I eat practically anything. I’m carnivorous. I love meat. I love pork adobo.”

Favorite fruit?

“Mango.”

Vegetable?

“Pechay.”

Snacks?

“The usual junk food. Potato chips, etc.”

And how many glasses of water do you take per day?

“As many as possible. More than eight.”

Soda or juice(s)?

“No soda nor juice(s). I’m really a water-drinker.”

Coffee or green tea?

“Green tea. At least four cups a day. It’s an anti-oxidant.”

Milk?

“No. I’m lactose-intolerant.”

Sweets?

“I have a sweet tooth. I love chocolates.”

Vitamins?

“Jodi (Santamaria, his daughter-in-law, wife of Pampi) kasi bought Circulan for me, so I’m taking it. Parang naging maliksi ang katawan ko since I began taking it.”

How often do you have an executive check-up?

“Once a year. Results of the recent one: My blood sugar is okay, my blood pressure is okay, my cholesterol level is okay...everything is within the normal level.”

What about your dentist?

“Once a year.”

And your dermatologist (or Marie France)?

“I’m supposed to be back here after two weeks.”

How else do you take care of your face?

“Only with soap and water.”

Do you avoid staying under the sun?

“Yes, I do. Too much sunlight is harmful to the skin, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during this very, very hot summer.”

You are not hypochondriac, are you?

“No, I’m not. I have a very high tolerance level for pain.”

How do you cope with stress?

“Sila ang nai-stress sa akin. Why should I stress myself out? Sila ang dapat nasa receiving end. Sa tingin ko, mas marami silang

kasalanan.”

Massage is a good stress-reliever. How often do you have massage?

“I don’t. But I meditate.”

What’s one thing you never leave home without?

“This rosary.” (He unbuttoned his shirt to show it.) “I wear this (like a necklace) anywhere I go. This is my security blanket; I feel safe when I’m wearing it. Cardinal (Ricardo) Vidal gave this to me last year when I was in Cebu. The Cardinal is my good friend. When I was assigned in Cebu, we became close.”

Do you have any favorite saint?

“None. I pray directly to God.”

What kind of music do you listen to?

“Classical music, light music. I think it goes with age. When you’re younger, you listen to lively music. As you get older, mas gusto mo ‘yung mellow.”

Do you and your wife Alice have a theme song?

“Yes. Killing Me Softly (by Roberta Flack).”

What kind of books do you read?

“Detective stories.”

Movies?

“I watch them on DVDs, not in the moviehouse.”

What was the last movie that you saw?

“Vantage Point, which is about the assassination of a president. I just love the story because it’s adventurous. The one assassinated is the president but his ‘double’.”

Favorite hideaway?

“None. What I do is just drive alone around the city.”

Favorite city?

“Tagaytay, Baguio and Metro Manila.”

Do you have a nightlife?

“You should have asked me if I have a life. Hahahaha!”

Do you have a life?

“I don’t think so!”

How do you spend time with your family?

“Sunday is my family day. I see to it that I visit my old folks in Cavite, more often now that they are both recovering from a stroke. The left side of my father’s body is semi-paralyzed. My mother naman is at the ICU right now. She’s 87. When I think about it now, I regret not giving enough of myself and my time when they were stronger. Let this be a reminder to people reading this.”

Name three men you think have nice bodies.

“Michael Jordan. Manny Pacquiao. I can’t think of a third one.”

And three women...

“Hillary Clinton. Condoleeza Rice. Pia Cayetano.”