TOPAZ HORIZON

I had lunch with Jericho Rosales last week. He's the new face of Collezione C2 and I'll talk more about that on Beauty For A Living. Meanwhile, let me confess: I've had a crush on Echo since he and Kristine Hermosa were a love team. When was that? More than a decade ago? Basta Pangako Sa 'Yo years. Since then, after immersing myself in work and marriage and motherhood, I've stopped following his career.

So I was so surprised at how thrilled I was when he kissed my cheek and joined us for lunch. He sat a mere two seats away!

He's polite, charming, smart, articulate. Oh, and soooo gwapo! And I like that he said, "I'm 33," just like that. Some stars, heck, a lot of people never confess their age. I find that I don't like people who are ashamed of/lie about their age haha.

But the reason I liked Echo even more was his passion for his cause: bringing awareness and putting an end to human trafficking. He said that humans that are trafficked are a commodity that never loses its value—that's why it's a billion-dollar business. A baby may be sold to childless couples. Kids can be used for labor, for begging and stealing, and even for sex. Teens are used the same way. Adults for cheap labor and sex slavery, and old people are for begging. It's horrible.

Echo produced a movie that will highlight the problem. Yep, human trafficking is huge here in the Philippines. I only found that out when I visited UNICEF recently. So I am so happy that a celebrity is using his clout and doing something about it.


And to think Echo used to be like this:


Aminin! Natawa kayo! He's definitely come a long way. A lot of us, I'm sure, hardly ever make an impression on others. Maybe it's because we're not pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough, tall enough, skinny enough, old enough. We don't have the right background, the right connections, the right clothes, the right accent. But that doesn't mean we can't ever make a difference. Just look at that silly young man in that video. He sure proved himself alright. He sure did.