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By Amiel Aguilar Cabanlig
BORNE of a generation raised on decorum, fine
taste and “delicadeza,” Chito Madrigal Collantes rose above the
ashes of the post-war era as an icon, a trendsetter and trailblazer.
She bridged boundaries, was patroness to the arts, fashion and
education, and touched countless lives through her advocacies and
philanthropy, all the while redefining the concept of the Filipino
woman.
With her recent passing, Chito Madrigal
Collantes has left a legacy which is far-reaching and ahead of her
time. Flipping through the pages of her coffee table book entitled
Picture Me, her chronicled views and perceptions gathered throughout
her colorful life still ring poignant today. In a time where
inspiration and encouragement are all the while needed given
today’s dynamic social landscape, her quotes below serve as
testament to her visionary insight as one of my favorite muses.
“Being on my own taught me that life is
not an ivory tower, a cocoon where women lived sheltered and
privileged lives, far from madding crowd . . . Being alone taught me
that life is lived with many other different lives, those of
different people with other backgrounds and it must be lived with
concern and sympathy for others.”
“Call me old-fashioned, but I continue
to be shocked by people who aggressively seek the limelight and even
corrupt the media to achieve their self-aggrandizement. In my time,
good form demanded that we avoid too much exposure . . . Especially
in the context of prevalent conditions, widespread poverty, crime
and social injustice, it behooves all not to give scandal by
conspicuous consumption.”
“I enjoy the company of old friends,
especially those who stimulate and tingle my mind; the writers.
Intellectuals, businessmen and politicians who have contributed
something to the community and the country.”
“Looking back I realize that those years
in the bosom of my family were what gave me strength and courage for
later life.”
“I miss the good manners of the old
times, the sense of well-being and sure-footed security that growing
up in a nice home, in a proper family atmosphere provided. I regret
the ostentation and pushiness that today go with being ‘in
society,’ the quasi-vulgarity of taste, the maneuvering to get
your photo in the papers, the bribery and cultivation of society
reporters and columnists.”
“As the shadows lengthen, I have taken
time to examine my life. I have few regrets, one of them being that
I did not do much more to help people I came in contact with,
including those who were not directly within my ken but of whom I
became aware through the years.”
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