By Voltaire E. Tayag
Photography by Mark Chester Ang / Makeup by Carissa Cielo Medved / Hair by MJ Rone / Styling by Miss Keith Manila
The architect, former beauty queen and current national director of Miss Universe Philippines and her businessman-husband share the secret to their harmonious relationship, including the roles their respective families play in helping them navigate the demands of their career and growing children.
From the fairytales that promise us a “happily ever after” and romantic movies that conjure up magical moments, society predisposes us to believe that finding true love is one’s life purpose. When people do find someone, they quickly realize their unattainable expectations are incongruent with the realities of relationships. They then fall into a vicious cycle of pining, falling and breaking until the next great love affair comes along.
The love story of Lloyd Lee and Shamcey Supsup-Lee is definitely more real than reel. It’s deeply grounded in a series of decisions based on their feelings, self-awareness and family values.
Lloyd and Shamcey were accomplished individuals before meeting each other. Definitely not falling into the Jerry Maguire syndrome of needing to complete each other. They are, without a doubt, physically beautiful people. Lloyd is a tall, good looking former model who can pass for a K-drama superstar. Shamcey, as any dyed-in-the-wool “beau con” fan knows, was third runner-up in Miss Universe 2011.
But due to their respective strict upbringings, their dating lives were not as colorful as many would have imagined. Believe it or not, Lloyd is Shamcey’s first and only boyfriend.
“I have a very strict mom. I wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend while I was still in school. I always thought that if ever I’m going to have a boyfriend, siya na (it would be him) until the end. I wasn’t going into a relationship unless it will lead to marriage.”
Best birthday guest
In May 2011, fellow Binibining Pilipinas candidate, Carolyn Ty, possibly brought Shamcey the gift of a lifetime, her cousin Lloyd.
According to Lloyd, “Sinabi kasi ni Carol (Carol said) na patay na patay ako kay (that I’m head over heels in love with) Shamcey. Pinupush nila ako kay (they were egging me on) Sham and to get her number that night. Busted ako, di ko nakuha ’yung number niya (I didn’t succeed in getting her number).”
Shamcey’s first thought then was, “He’s not for me, he looks like a playboy.” But Carol quickly came to Lloyd’s defense, saying that he comes from a very similar family background and shares Shamcey’s “trabaho at bahay (work-home)” attitude.
Shamcey adds, “Ano kami, isang linggong pag-ibig (We were in a one-week love affair). We met on a Monday, my birthday. We Facebook messaged each other on a Tuesday. By Wednesday, we were texting each other. Thursday, first call namin. Friday, he asked me to go out and watch a movie. Saturday, we went to see a movie. And then Sunday nakikipag break na ako (I broke up with him).”
Why? Shamcey felt that Lloyd was becoming a distraction from her Binibini duties and preparations. But for some reason, they were back in each other’s arms in no time.
In a world where the youth are obssessed with asserting their right to do as they please, these two were more the exception than the norm, as both were very obedient children. While dating, Shamcey says they still both had curfews. She’d be home by 11 p.m. and Lloyd tried to make it home by 12 midnight.
A pragmatic proposal
Lloyd says, “After six months (prior to two years of dating), I proposed. This is to show Shamcey that I’m really serious and that it’s where we’re headed.”
Shamcey openly admits, “Those two years were the hardest in our relationship. But once we’ve overcome our differences and got married, we seemed to have run out of issues to disagree on.”
The couple was very candid and quick to share that it was a challenging period, but were very proud to have overcome it. After weathering every challenge that came their way, they knew that they could handle any difficulties in the future.
We are family
Both their parents also had reservations about the relationship.
Lloyd says, “When you talk about marriage, it’s not just the two of you. It’s also both of your families getting along with each other.”
Shamcey’s mom, for instance, wasn’t comfortable with her only daughter marrying into a Chinese family because of alleged stories she’s heard. She reminded her that she’s a “war freak.” As such, she won’t take things sitting down if ever she hears that Shamcey is being ganged up on.
On Lloyd’s side, his parents’ reservations stemmed from the fact that Shamcey is a beauty queen and not because she isn’t Chinese. They feared that Shamcey’s celebrity status might bring chaos into their otherwise very quiet and private family.
The couple were understanding of their parents’ concerns and knew that they came from a place of love. With a bit of patience and some bonding time, they all got to know one another for who they were, which allayed any fears and only strengthened their support for the couple.
So on Dec. 29, 2013, Lloyd and Shamcey finally tied the knot at the Church of the Risen Lord in UP Diliman.
Married with children
The Lees have two beautiful children, Nyla Kelcey, 4, and Peter Nathan, 1. Coming from very close-knit families, it’s no surprise that family will always come first for Lloyd and Shamcey. Juggling their responsibilities as parents and their businesses, the couple share that family is very crucial.
Lloyd says, “Malaki ang support system ng family. Since Shamcey and I both have careers, they’ve helped so much. Shamcey and my mom magkasundo sila and nagtutulungan sila looking after the kids. (Family acts as an ideal support system…My mom and Shamcey get along quite well. They help each other raise the kids.)”
They also want Nyla and Nathan to have as much bonding time with their grandparents.
Lloyd continues, “Now that we are parents ourselves, we understand them more and our relationship is even deeper with them because we know what they go through.”
A business partnership
Now that their children are big enough, she says, “for now, we plan to focus on work.”
Lloyd proudly shares, “We have three (food) concepts. We have Pedro n Coi, Tambayan ni Pedro and Scott’s Burger. Pedro n Coi is Filipino casual dining. Tambayan ni Pedro is Filipino fastfood. Scott’s Burger is a Filipino-American concept selling hamburgers and french fries. We now have a commissary, a central kitchen and a food app. The food app is a subscription app for employees where they can order budget lunch meals.”
Just last January, Lloyd and Shamcey led the opening of the Smilee Apparel Centre in Binondo. This is part of the business of Shirtasia Apparel, Inc., which is under the Lee’s family’s textile business.
“We’re excited to launch Smilee Apparel. It was our goal and dream ever since to have our own brand. The family business has been here for more than 40 years, manufacturing fabrics, but we never had our own brand. With Smilee Apparel, we can showcase the quality of our fabrics,” says Shamcey, an architectural board topnotcher and licensed architect.
Shamcey also has her design firm, Grid Asia, Inc., where she is the lead architect.
Shamcey as the other “madame”
Late last year, the Miss Universe Organization formally announced that the new Miss Universe Philippines (MUP) Organization would be headed by Shamcey as national director. She would be joined by seasoned beauty queen maker Jonas Gaffud as creative director, Albert Andrada as design council head, Lia Ramos as head of women empowerment committee and charity, lawyer Nad Bronce as head of legal affairs and Mario Garcia as business development /marketing head.
With this development, MUP effectively broke away from Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI), which had held the franchise since 1964. BPCI Chairperson Stella Marquez Araneta also happens to be one of Lloyd and Shamcey’s ninang sa kasal (wedding sponsor).
Since Shamcey is part of the Binibini legacy built by Stella herself, it seems only fitting that if anyone should succeed her, it should be a former Binibini herself.
With so many things on her plate, what made Shamcey accept the position?
“I asked him first when it was offered to me,” she says. “Can we still squeeze in one more responsibility. He told me that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it doesn’t knock on everyone’s door.”
If anything, it was also a testament to the couple’s belief in teamwork. Lloyd further assured her then that “we’ll make it work. If you really want something, then you make time for it.”
Lloyd adds, “For me, she’s already in that world. She’s a woman with a purpose. So why not share the knowledge and experience through MUP. She can guide young women so that they would have a good direction. Not just to be ornaments or just to be beautiful. But also to find their own purpose in life.”
“I have lots of things going on already,” Shamcey shares of her initial reaction. “I have a lot of work and I’m also a mom. Why should I accept this position? There are so many other women out there who can be MUP national director. Why [offer it to] me? That was when I soon realized the reason. This isn’t the only thing I would be doing. My world doesn’t revolve just around pageantry. And that’s exactly the type of woman they were looking for. Someone who’s not just focused on pageantry, but one who really has a life outside of it.”
“I have to show that by being a beauty queen you don’t limit yourself to what people label or stereotype you to be. Many women still work and excel at being moms as well. They don’t choose what they’ll do. So I realized I can inspire more women, not just women who are into beauty pageants, but every Filipina.” she adds.
For Shamcey, empowerment is not a buzzword. It’s her way of thinking and way of life. What’s amazing about Shamcey’s initial reaction was asking Lloyd for his opinion. Shamcey showed that being empowered is not just about feeling threatened or limited by a man. It’s also about recognizing that the right man can complement her.
The eyes of the universe are on the new MUP organization’s maiden year. They recently announced that the winner of MUP will get the biggest cash prize in Philippine pageant history, her own apartment and an entourage (driver/car, personal assistant and personal stylist) during her reign.
With all of these exciting changes and developments, Shamcey will be at the helm ensuring that the Filipino woman is championed, empowered and celebrated.
If Shamcey is able to instill this sense of groundedness and a firm grasp on reality to future MUP candidates, then a new breed of Filipino queens are bound to inspire the younger generation to dream bigger dreams and still be mindful of reality.
Be it love or a pageant, it’s only wise to approach it with a realistic set of eyes, celebrating what is, instead of what ought to be and accepting one’s own destiny.
