La Divina: In Remembrance of Imelda Cojuangco

(Imelda Cojuangco passed away on Tuesday, May 10, her passing an end to an era of elegance and gentility.)

Text by JOANNE RAE RAMIREZ

She floats into a room like a beguiling red butterfly. Light and graceful, with a form meant to glide down the runway, she glitters as she walks. It isn’t just the diamonds that dangle from her earlobes to the base of her neck. It’s the glow in the eyes of someone who radiates serenity.

“My faith,” answers Imelda Ongsiako Cojuangco, christened “La Divina” by designer Rajo Laurel, when asked the reason behind her radiance. “The Holy Mass is the highlight of my day.”

Divine inspiration isn’t just the secret to her glow. It is also her source of strength.

(Gown by RAJO LAUREL)

“I thought I wouldn’t survive the aneurysm I suffered last year, exactly what First Gentleman Mike Arroyo had this year. I was in the hospital for three months,” she recalls, resplendent in a Rajo Laurel gown whose neckline dips below her swanlike neck. She believes God gave her back her life.

Because her immune system was affected by her illness, she was given strict orders to refrain from the beso-beso (social kiss) and avoid crowded places — including church to hear Mass.

To not be able to attend Mass is a form of deprivation for Imelda. Fortunately, a family friend, Fr. Tito Caluag S.J., offered to go to her house daily to say Mass.

“He says such beautiful homilies. They are very inspiring. He makes me feel that I’ll be able to go to heaven easily one day,” says this mother of five.

In the mornings, her eldest son Tonyboy visits her to read Fr. Patrick Peyton’s prayer. A Marian devotee like the late Fr. Peyton, Imelda Cojuangco is a staunch supporter of the Family Rosary Crusade. She believes that the family that prays together, stays together.

Twenty-seven years ago, she founded the Cofradia, an organization of men and women devoted to venerating Mary. Among the projects of the Cofradia, in which Imelda is still very active, is the December procession of Marian floats and the sponsorship of the first Holy Communion of some 500 children from Metro Manila’s slums.

Imelda says that in preparing these children for their first communion, they are taught catechism and given special clothes to wear. For some, it is their first time to wear shoes.

Imelda has a soft spot for children. Her grandchildren, she says, light up her life. When photographer Jun de Leon trains his lens on her, he tells her to think of what truly makes her happy.

“My grandchildren!’ she says, lighting up.

“Then imagine they’re right here in front of you,” Jun says as he focuses on the former model. Imelda’s eyes smile and Jun shouts, “That’s it, that’s it!”

How many grandchildren do you have, I ask.

“Fifteen!” she says loud and clear. “Fifteen!”

Her granddaughter Dominique, Tony’s daughter with Gretchen Barretto, visits her regularly. “Grandma” Meldy thinks Dominique looks like Gretchen’s youngest sister Claudine, while some other members of the Cojuangco family think she looks like Ivy, one of Imelda’s other granddaughters.

Imelda misses her late husband, Ramon Cojuangco Sr., very much. “He was my husband, my lover, my teacher, my friend.”

She is happy that her family is happy. “Wala ng gulo,” she says.

(Gown by EDDIE OCAMPO)

 ‘Exaggerated’

Red accents Imelda Cojuangco’s living room, a virtual showcase of Oriental and Philippine objets’d art. The seat cover, upholstery  -and window treatments are in red. On one wall of the living room is a life-sized 1967 Claudio Bravo portrait of Imelda. (She confides that her second son Choy collects portraits of her, but this one still remains in her home.)

Imelda says her style is “exaggerated.”

“I was told by the late Ramon Valera to exaggerate my style because that is more my style,” says Imelda, who is a scene-stealer in parties not just with her fabulous jewelry but also with her ruffles, shawls, ostrich feathers and flowers.

“I love flowers, especially on my hair!” she exclaims. “But now I don’t wear too many flowers because, I guess, of my age. I dress according to my own taste. I don’t follow the dictates of fashion.”

And her individuality has not only landed her in international publications like Harper’s Bazaar, it also makes her a mainstay in Manila society’s Best Dressed List.

Imelda’s favorite designers include Rajo Laurel,  Eddie Ocampo, Aureo Alonzo and Pitoy Moreno. She goes for Chanel for her bags, makeup and scent. For warm days, she sprays on Jo Malone. She keeps her svelte figure by eating only two full meals a day — breakfast and lunch.

“For me, she is the epitome of class! Absolutely the height of sheer elegance!” gushes Rajo. “Her daring style has influenced a lot of designers. She is in a league of her own.”

Rajo recalls that when he first set eyes on Imelda’s Claudio Bravo portrait, “I was enthralled.”

“I still am,” he confides, expressing the admiration many have for a woman who dared — dares — to be divinely different.

Photography by JUN DE LEON

Styling by FERDI SALVADOR

Hair and makeup by BUTCH COO

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in PeopleAsia’s July 2007 issue. 

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