ROSA ROSAL: THE MOST TRUSTED WOMAN IN RP


[PHOTO AT LEFT - ROSA ROSAL: Every administration party wanted Rosa Rosal to run for senator ever since, but she had always refused because she can help even without pork barrel.]

MANILA, FEBRUARY 23, 2010 (STAR) STAR BYTES By Butch Francisco - The mediocre that I am (that’s no false modesty — I know my limitations), I still find it incredible that from time to time, I still get complimented, usually for my works and, this you may find unbelievable (to my family members, don’t faint), for my looks (thank you to Flawless and Dr. Vicki Belo).

But the biggest compliment I ever received in my entire life was never spoken and even happened twice on different occasions.

When I was in high school sooo many years ago, classes were suspended in midday one time because it was signal no. 2. The weather bureau being the weather bureau, the typhoon never came, but it was too late to recall the announcement because a lot of the students had already left the campus (especially those in the grades — the parents and the nannies had already picked them all up).

Since we didn’t want to waste one whole afternoon getting bored at home, one-fourth of the class decided to watch a movie. I don’t recall what it was anymore because the film didn’t matter — I was just too happy to be away from home and school.

The cinema made a killing with us because we were almost three rows. I sat near the end leading to the center aisle. To my right was my classmate, to my left was a bag and beside that was the owner of the bag. Just to show you how long ago that had been: 1.) There was still no paranoia among security men about people bringing in bags inside an establishment and 2.) The owner of the bag was Iranian. Under today’s scenario, he could have been Korean, but that was so long ago — when Iranians were still coming in by droves to the country.

In the middle of the movie, the Iranian leaned over to tell me: “Can I leave my bag with you?” Obviously, he was going to the bathroom and I merely nodded and he got up to leave. When my classmates asked me what it was all about, I told them I was just made custodian of the bag. Then somebody in the group blurted out: “Hey man (no, there were no dudes yet), that guy is stupid. Doesn’t he realize you can take off with his bag?”

The foreigner returned after some 10 minutes and uttered a soft “thank you.” I felt elated that he trusted me. He may not have said it, but I felt very good that he trusted me — he really, really trusted me (now that’s beginning to sound like a Sally Field acceptance speech.)

The second incident happened only a couple of years ago. I had decided to take a meal to boost my energy before working out at Gold’s Gym in Glorietta. At the food court, a well-dressed lady dumped two grocery bags on the chair across my table and asked me to watch them. Before I could tell her that I wasn’t a National Bookstore package counter, she had merrily taken off to get herself food. It actually took her a while to return and by then I already had long consumed my food. But she expressed gratitude though when upon her return her grocery bags were still there — intact.

I felt good and I could only point out to two reasons why she entrusted me with her grocery bags: 1.) She must have recognized me from TV and if anything happened to her groceries, it would have been easy to pinpoint me in a police lineup. 2.) I looked angelic? I had hoped for the latter, but whatever it was, I felt honored that she trusted me.

Unfortunately, in my profession, I was thrown in the line of entertainment (in a gossip show at that) — not in news and public affairs and not in public service. People are therefore suspicious of me when it comes to their private affairs. But if you ask my friends, I am the type to keep secrets to my grave. But I only have a few close friends and there’s nothing much I can do to change public perception — unless I shift lanes and move to another area of television, which is too late because I’ve long been pegged in entertainment. But I try to be happy wherever I am, but I can only hope for people to trust me because to be called trust-worthy is very flattering. Just don’t trust me with your life because I wouldn’t even know what to do with mine.

Recently, the Asian edition of Reader’s Digest conducted a survey and made a list of the Filipinos trusted the most by the people of the Philippines. I have the results, but cannot publish it here so that I don’t pre-empt the international publication. However, I will reveal to you who came out No. 1 in the survey: Rosa Rosal. (Okay, Lea Salonga is No. 2, Jessica Soho is No. 3 and Gov. Vilma Santos is No. 17, but that’s as far as I go.)

There are paeans to Rosa Rosal, of course, but I would rather make my own based on how I have known her through the decades. Here are some of the reasons I can tick off my head (with all the things she has done for humanity, it’s difficult to count Rosa Rosal’s good deeds):

•Where do you find a new, young actress who would opt to spend her free time to do charity work when she should be spending that resting, having fun or charting the course of her career? Rosa got involved with the Red Cross (she tried out other charities prior to that) when she was just a fledgling LVN star. While her contemporaries were going nightclubbing after work, she would work in Red Cross for free.

•Up to now, when she is already in the homestretch of her life (I hope we can have her forever), she doesn’t turn off her phone because somebody may call up in the middle of the night and need blood donation. The woman should just be resting and enjoying her sleep, but — no — she is willing to get up and serve at any time of the day or night just like a convenience store. At least, 7-11 employees get paid. Rosa Rosal doesn’t — not even for hosting Damayan.

•She now wears braces to hold her body (I’m afraid that she’s getting frailer and frailer) and her knees got all worn out from soliciting contributions for the Red Cross. Do you think she is charging any government agency to reimburse her for her medical bills? That is after giving all her life to charity — and after being there in the middle of a calamity (typhoons, earthquakes, name it) or even those EDSA revolutions. That was the only headache she gave her late mother, who had always feared for Rosa Rosal’s safety during these emergency cases and crises. Her mother and then, later, daughter Toni Rose Gayda, would always want her to just stay put at home when there was danger outside, but she would find a way to escape and her loved ones would just see her on TV riding an amphibian tank — like that time during the great flood that hit Central Luzon in 1972.

•She must be the only one in the Philippines (I’m tempted to say in the world, but there was Mother Teresa), who became a public servant of this magnitude without ever staining herself with the dirt of politics. Every administration party (even opposition) wanted her to run for senator ever since, but she had always refused because she can help even without pork barrel. Who else can be that sincere?

•I will never forget this story that took place in the ‘70s: She was at the old Manila Hilton (along UN Avenue) for a function when a well-dressed man approached her and said, “Rosa, I’m on my way to treat friends to dinner, but I think I should just give this money to you to give to charity.” The man then handed her P4,000 in cash (no credit cards then yet), which was a very sizable amount that time.

•You know that she doesn’t touch a centavo from donations — “kahit pambili ng Coke,” as she once told me — because she issues receipts that she would even have delivered to your house.

The list of reasons to trust Rosa Rosal is encyclopedic and this is only a column with limited space. However, I want to stress the fact the Reader’s Digest survey couldn’t have come at a better time — when Rosa is marking her 60th year with the Red Cross.

Instead of having a big bash (she hates it when people give her birthday parties because she feels the amount spent on the celebration should just be given to charity), she will mark it by trying to raise P60-M to buy more equipment (hers is already the most advanced in Asia) for her blood bank. If you have extra (especially the corporations), please give to Rosa Rosal because your donations are safe with her.

After all, she is the Most Trusted Person in the Philippines.