Candle in the Dark

Caterpillar to butterfly, seed to flower - these natural progressions define Donita Rose Dee Villarama, more commonly known as Donita Rose. She was born to a Filipino teacher and a US air force officer on July 5, 1974 in Utah. She has evolved from the timid young girl in Clark who barely got by in school to an international VJ, TV host and has been proclaimed as one of Asia's most beautiful faces.

It was a Saturday when I went and met up with her in the lobby of her condominium in Ortigas. Two days before my interview with her was her only child's 5th birthday. The date falling on a weekday, Eric her husband, and her, decided to celebrate it on the weekend, on Saturday. Despite all the preparations she has to make for the birthday celebration of their child in their condominium, she opted to spare me some time to interview her.

I stepped into the lobby of the condominium, proceeded to the front desk and stated my purpose. They led me to a couch in the lobby and told me to wait. After about 10 minutes of browsing through a magazine, a tall charming lady in a black t-shirt, shorts and black sandals, disturbed my reading. "Hi, are you Mica?", she asked smiling. Donita Rose wasn't made up; she was simple yet very elegant. She led me to a smaller couch and there we started conversing. Without seeing much effort in her part, she was seated with poise and with both feet on the floor.

Agreeing that many writers have interviewed her more about her stardom life than her personal bio, with no hesitation of "Oh sure!", my interview began about her life outside the limelight. And my short little chit-chat with the famous Donita Rose began.

She chats about her life as a commoner. She expresses that even the hottest, coolest, top-of-the-line celebrities have their share of insecurities and hesitancies. She shares that the worst comment she can receive from fans and critics alike, is when they tell her that she is fatter in person. What keeps this young mom dynamic and functioning is her passion and love for her work coupled with prayers and trust in God. Her advice in overcoming the feeling of insecurity is simple - work hard and put full trust in God. From here, she shares an encouraging bible passage about God being there and giving us a hope and a future.

This versatile actress is socially inclined, an adventurous mom, and a startlingly civic-oriented woman. Her social activeness is of course due to the fact of her being in the glitz and glam of stardom. Ruffa Gutierrez, whom she has known for 19 years, from way back in the set of That's Entertainment, is her social buddy and closest showbiz mate, together with Moe Twister whom she met in college in De La Salle University.

Her venturesome and audacious side is generally with people immediate and dear to her. Her zest for wakeboarding and ardor for traveling are enjoyed mainly with her own family and two other non-showbiz families. These non-showbiz families are who she calls her closest friends and she shares that they do everything together when their schedules permit - be it traveling around the country or abroad, going to the beach, eating steak in their favorite restaurant Mamous in Serendra when their budget allows, or simply taking pleasure in house gatherings and family recreation. This company is not only enjoyed by the parents, she says, but by the kids as well. The age gaps of the children are not far apart, consequently making them best friends too.

She finds great pleasure in her family life. Her five-year old son JP lightens her day with the simplest things while Eric is the ever-supportive reminder that despite her shortcomings, she is appreciated. They both look forward to her cooking which she personally does. She assigns a 'cooking day' where she does all the food for the week. She tries to make herself a hands-on homemaker by indulging herself in daily chores like cleaning the refrigerator, scrubbing the bathroom, washing the van, in spite of the two helpers that she has. She finds time to read bedtime stories to JP before sleeping at 7:30 pm. All of these she fits after her 3 am to 10 am taping schedule for she knows that Eric and JP eagerly await her arrival for family bonding.

Her charismatic disposition and strong drive to help the less privileged youngsters is an infrequent and surprising reality that only a few of the many showbiz stars possess. Most of them quite focus only on themselves and forget that there are others in dire need of their assistance. Donita Rose on the otherhand is more than just your ordinary young actress who is at the peak of her career and whom people think of more as a self-centered entertainer than a giving hand. She is more approachable than people may think she is, and easy to talk to too. In fact, she has a site where you can ask her anything and she replies, not immediately though as she is quite busy running her life too, but she really does and she will.

She has been part of many organizations like Trybe, Shining Light Foundation, and Real Life foundation. She was a volunteer in Trybe, a Singapore-based organization under Save the Children, since it began in July of 2001 and until two years ago when the family left Singapore to reside in the Philippines. She would take the role as spokesperson and host during school tours, camps and major events. Currently, she is an active donor of the Shining Light Foundation that aids and supports financially handicapped missionary parents to send their children to school. She has become part of the Board of Trustees, and has partnered with pastors and missionaries with their ministry in spreading the word of God. Five percent of her income goes to this "giving-back" cause, as she refers to them. It overjoys her whenever she hears success stories about the kids she has helped bring to school. Added to this, she sponsors some days in a Church-related activity of the Real-Life Foundation which conducts a feeding program every Saturday. Moreover, in times when big organizations, like UNICEF, call upon her to host an event, she willingly accepts and does it for free.

Spirited and down-to-earth Donita Rose has proven that she has a big heart for everyone. Hers is an exemplary embodiment of family life, stardom and social awareness. She has succeeded in bringing hope and joy to many. Indeed she is a candle in the dark.

Student # 094151